The African Union succeeded the old Organization for African Unity (OAU) in 2002. Since then, the new institution has struggled to reform governing bodies inherited from the OAU while shouldering cha…

Experts predict that if civil war erupts in Iraq, the spark may come from Kirkuk. Oil-rich and under de facto Kurdish control, the city has emerged as one of Iraq’s most hotly contested flashpoints.

Demands by Iraqi Kurds for greater autonomy have roiled their Turkish neighbors.

The Sinai Peninsula has in recent years become a haven for transnational crime and Islamist militancy, posing new security challenges to Egypt and Israel.