Why seeming democratic progress has failed to staunch agitation for self-determination in Nigeria.

While at prayer on April 13, 2007, the prominent Salafi scholar, Shaikh Jaafar Mahmud Adam, was assassinated at his mosque in Kano. At the time, the murder made a deep impression on mainstream Muslims, many of whom revered Adam. The murder took place in the final days before the 2007 presidential elections, and many observers, including those at the U.S. embassy, thought that the murder was somehow related. But it now seems more likely that Adam was assassinated by a vengeful former member of the Nigerian Taliban. His murder was an early manifestation of the deadly battles among Boko Haram’s competing factions that continue up to the present.

Despite achieving near equal representation in congress, Mexico's new female lawmakers still need to fight to put women's issues on an already packed legislative agenda.

Each Friday, I look at what the presidential contenders are saying about foreign policy. This Week: Joe Biden and Donald Trump remain locked in a tight contest where third-party candidates could deci…

Each Friday, I look at what the presidential contenders are saying about foreign policy. This Week: Donald Trump has chosen to stand aside as the House of Representatives moves to vote on aid to Ukra…

A Sudanese farmer prepares his land for agriculture on the banks of River Nile in the capital Khartoum November 11, 2009. (Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Courtesy Reuters)   This is a guest post by Asch…