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December 2007
| Author: | Robert I. Rotberg |
|---|
This module features teaching notes by World Peace Foundation president Robert I. Rotberg, author of Nigeria: Elections and Continuing Challenges, along with other resources to supplement the text. In the report, Rotberg describes what steps might be taken to strengthen democracy in the near-term and to tackle Nigeria's long-term challenges of governance, security, and development.
What is a CFR Academic Module?
Academic Modules—featuring teaching notes by the authors of CFR publications—are designed to assist educators in creating or supplementing a course syllabus. The modules are customized packages built around a primary CFR text, such as a book or report, and include teaching notes; additional readings; video, audio, and transcripts of CFR meetings; Foreign Affairs articles; and other online resources. Use of these modules is free of charge. They may be used in part or in their entirety.
April 2007
Council Special Report No. 27
This report describes what steps might be taken by Nigerians and the international community to avoid a breakdown of democracy, and possibly stability, in the wake of Nigeria’s April 2007 electoral contest and to tackle Nigeria’s fundamental challenges of governance, security, and development in the longer term.
Current political and economic issues succinctly explained.
April 12, 2007
Nigeria has made progress since its return to democracy in 1999. But a political system crippled by corruption and dogged by ethnic tensions threatens to derail the country from its path toward good governance.
March 22, 2007
Backgrounder: MEND has gained global notoriety by disrupting oil supplies in the Niger Delta.
Updated: March 22, 2007
Backgrounder: Ongoing sectarian troubles and corruption threaten Nigeria's future security.
September 2007
From Mugabe’s Zimbabwe to conflict in the Horn, Africa has moved off the back burner of U.S. foreign policy. To address the growing importance of this region, the Council on Foreign Relations and Foreign Affairs, the Council’s flagship magazine, present Beyond Humanitarianism, a citizen’s guide to deconstructing the complex issues and conflicts on the African continent and clarifying what’s at stake for the United States in Africa’s future.
July/August 2007
Summary
Nigeria's elections last April were among the most seriously flawed in the country's history, thanks largely to the manipulations of the U.S.-backed ruling party. With Nigerians increasingly clamoring for accountability, Washington's continuing support could generate more unrest -- and could pose a risk both to oil supplies coming out of Nigeria and to the stability of West Africa.
July/August 2004
Summary
Poor leadership has been the depressing norm in Africa for decades. But as a bold new initiative by a group of past and present African leaders takes off, good governance may finally come to the continent.
September 27, 2007
This article examines political violence in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and the future of the Niger Delta.
September 5, 2007
After flawed elections, the president of oil-rich Nigeria faces the looming shadow of his predecessor and popular disillusionment with the country’s political system.
May 17, 2007
A group of Africa experts, including CFR's Princeton Lyman, released a joint statement on the Nigerian elections, which they call a "terrible setback for democracy."
August 20, 2007
Nnamdi Obasi, senior analyst at the International Crisis Group in Abuja, Nigeria, discusses what to expect from Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua and the opportunities he has to “try to bring a human face” to Nigeria's economic policies.
April 30, 2007
Michelle D. Gavin, CFR's international affairs fellow, discusses her work as an electoral observer in Nigeria and the role of young people in Nigerian politics.
July 17, 2007
Religious Conflict in Nigeria: Religion and the Nigerian Elections - Session 1
Related Project: Religious Conflict in Nigeria Symposium
| Speakers: | Peter M. Lewis, Director of African Studies, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced |
|---|---|
| Rotimi Suberu, Senior Fellow, Jennings Randolph Fellowship Program, U.S. Institute of Peace | |
| Presider: | Walter Russell Mead, Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations |
Transcript: Religious Conflict in Nigeria—Session I [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service]
Audio: Symposium on Religious Conflict in Nigeria: Session 1: Religion and the Nigeria Elections (Audio)
Video: Symposium on Religious Conflict in Nigeria: Session 1: Religion and the Nigeria Elections (Video)
This meeting is on the record.
Religious Conflict in Nigeria: Contemporary Religious Dynamics in Nigeria - Session 2
Related Project: Religious Conflict in Nigeria Symposium
| Speakers: | Father Mathew Kukah, Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna, Nigeria |
|---|---|
| John N. Paden, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of International Studies, George Mason University | |
| Presider: | Timothy Samuel Shah, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Religion and Foreign Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations |
Transcript: Contemporary Religious Dynamics in Nigeria—Session 2 [Rush Transcript; Federal News Service]
Audio: Symposium on Religious Conflict in Nigeria: Session 2: Contemporary Religious Dynamics in Nigeria (Audio)
Video: Symposium on Religious Conflict in Nigeria: Session 2: Contemporary Religious Dynamics in Nigeria (Video)
This meeting is on the record.
Islam in Africa
| Presider: | Princeton N. Lyman, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow, Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| Speakers: | Stephen Ellis, Senior Researcher, Afrika-Studiecentrum, Leiden University, Co-author, Worlds of Power: Religious Thought and Political Practice in Africa |
| Jeffrey Tayler, Correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly, Author, Angry Wind: Through Muslim Black Africa by Truck, Bus, Boat, and Camel | |
| Sulayman Nyang, Professor, Africa Studies, Howard University |
Africa has been experiencing a strong religious revival, with Islam gaining many of the new converts. With fundamentalist Islamic movements achieving prominence in some countries, what does this mean for the growth of Islam in Africa? Will a more tolerant strain take root or will extremist forces gain the upper edge? What will Islam’s interaction be with Christianity, another rapidly spreading faith in Africa?
**This meeting will be on the record.
Transcript: Islam in Africa
Audio: Islam in Africa (audio)
A Conversation with Olusegun Obasanjo
| Presider: | Princeton N. Lyman, Ralph Bunche Senior Fellow in Africa Policy Studies, Council on Foreign Relations |
|---|---|
| Speaker: | Olusegun Obasanjo, President, Federal Republic of Nigeria |
**Please note the special time.
Transcript: A Conversation With Olusegun Obasanjo
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