South African President Thabo Mbeki has pursued an ambitious foreign policy agenda. But many remain disappointed with South Africa’s unwillingness to challenge the status quo in African trouble spots.

A split in Zimbabwe’s ruling party could be a harbinger of change for a country in economic free fall.

Since 2000, President Robert Mugabe’s refusal to tolerate challenges to his power has led him to systematically dismantle the workings of Zimbabwe’s economic and political systems, replacing them with structures of corruption, intimidation, and repression. Michelle D. Gavin surveys the current situation in Zimbabwe, identifying current structural and legal impediments to economic and political recovery.

Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe’s opposition movement, urges an international outcry to support fair elections at “the same level like Darfur.”

Zimbabwe’s inflation is soaring astronomically and the crisis is causing large cross-border migrations. But the country’s president shows little sign of weakness.

The U.S. signals new efforts to pressure Iran just as it seeks to expand ties with resource-rich states in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

William H. Luers, a top U.S. expert on the United Nations, says the recent Security Council resolution authorizing increased UN diplomatic activity in Iraq marks a change in U.S. policy.

Francis Kornegay, senior researcher at the Center for Policy Studies in Johannesburg, and Tom Wheeler, research fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs, debate whether South Africa is living up to its responsibility as Africa’s leader.

The international community has turned up the heat on President Robert Mugabe in response to brutal attacks on Zimbabwe’s opposition figures.

Peta Thornycroft, a Zimbabwean and the Telegraph's foreign correspondent in Harare, discusses the worsening economic situation in Zimbabwe and the country's weak opposition.

Botswana’s President Festus G. Mogae speaks with CFR members about the use of diamonds in development and the problem of HIV/AIDS in his country.

Listen to Botswana President Festus G. Mogae discuss how diamond production has shaped the country's economy and development.

Watch Botswana President Festus G. Mogae discuss how diamond production has shaped the country's economy and development.

New York University's Law School issues a research guide on International Health Law, which provides information about general trends in global diseases and their legal implications.

Despite remarkable progress since the end of apartheid, South Africa today is badly wracked by AIDS and severe wealth inequalities, with a leadership still fixated on racial struggle. After more than a decade in power, the ANC has yet to reconcile its various ambitions: curbing racism, promoting political participation, and advancing the interests of all South Africans.