As we celebrate Africa Day and reflect on how far the continent has come since the Organisation of African Unity was founded in 1963, it's a good time to assess whether democracy is working.
Analysis and Comment
South African President Jacob Zuma faces a vote of no confidence.
GCIS
South Africa's Constitutional Court has the difficult task of deciding whether MPs can have the protection of a secret ballot when voting whether to fire President Zuma or not.
President Jacob Zuma's grounds for appeal are surreal. He invokes the meaning of a rule set by the apartheid context he ferociously fought against, to justify his executive action in a democracy.
Protests in South Africa are about more than just service delivery of basic services such as water and electricity. They reflect a wider crisis about the failure to build a more equitable society.
Media coverage of elections is changing as the industry adopts new practices and politicians become more invested in their personal brands. But can the press remain objective?
While men regard the social norm of 'proving' their manhood as normal, research shows otherwise. Combating these misconceptions can help reduce male violence.
The world's media, which has in the past found Zambia uninteresting, are suddenly paying more attention to the impoverished nation, for all the wrong reasons.
South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa's apology for his role in the 2012 Marikana massacre has no credibility, as there wasn't full disclosure.
There appears to be no resolution in sight over the impasse between Nigeria's president and the Senate over Muhammadu Buhari's choice of chief crime buster. Who will blink first?
The case of Zanzibar shows that, given certain political conditions, even low-income countries in Africa can introduce and pay for a universal pension programme.
The move by the African Union to develop a policy to regulate the impact of firms on human rights puts it ahead of other regions as it seeks to guide companies conducting activities on the continent.
Moha Ennaji, International Institute for Languages and Cultures
Trying to reintegrate foreign fighters who return home shouldn't be considered the soft option. Governments in countries like Morocco and Tunisia need to respond realistically to a complex problem.
Union Day is celebrated in Tanzania and Zanzibar on April 26 every year, but there is little unity to speak of between the islands and the mainland today
Kenya's progressive 2010 Constitution brought improved women's representation in Parliament and public life. But historical prejudices remain, always more intensely apparent during elections.
Kenya's next general election is slated for August 8 this year. As the country prepares for the polls, there are fears that political tensions will result in violence. Will history repeat itself?
In a political environment where voters are increasingly attuned to instances of polling malpractice, African states are grudgingly adopting technology as a barrier to election fraud.
Nobel laureate and Kwame Nkrumah's economic adviser Arthur Lewis saw Ghana as a testing ground for his ideas on economic development. But he was met with fierce resistance.
Ibrahim Oanda, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa
Africa's universities supposedly became more independent after the early 1990s. But it appears they haven't achieved much more than cosmetic autonomy from political interference.
Community health workers like these visit patients’ homes in Malawi to help prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation–Malawi/Chris Cox
All recent Republican presidents have cut off foreign aid tied to abortion. Trump's expansive version of those restrictions endangers billions slated for HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
Trump and Lavrov in the Oval Office on May 10, 2017. (Russian Foreign Ministry via AP)
Russian Foreign Ministry via AP
One of the remarkable achievements of South Africa's Constitutional Court has been its role in improving the quality of the internal democratic processes within the governing ANC.
Shinzo Abe has made his clearest statement yet on his ambition to alter the pacifist Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution.
Reuters/Peter Nicholls
Jeremy Corbyn pledges to give the power back to the people, but history suggests they might not actually want it.
House Speaker Paul Ryan walking into the Capitol on May 4, when the House voted narrowly to accept a bill he shepherded to replace Obamacare.
Andrew Harnik/AP
Arguments about the AHCA showed deep disagreement on health care coverage. Could this move us toward universal coverage, which some say could be simpler? Don't hold your breath.
Emmanuel Macron, who will soon become eighth president of the Fifth French Republic.
Christian Hartmann/Reuters
Macron's win showed France is internationalist, outward looking, pro-EU and free market-oriented; Le Pen's rise revealed that it's also nationalist, protectionist, anti-EU and suspicious of outsiders.
North Korean leader Kim Jung-un inspects an outpost and Jangjedo defending force.
REUTERS/North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
The middle class concept in Africa has remained vague and limited to number crunching. The minimum threshold for entering it in monetary terms was critically vulnerable to a setback into poverty.
In the Western world, the U.S. is one of only one of two countries with capital punishment, and support remains strongest in the 'Bible Belt'. Here's a look at the historic arguments within Christian communities over the death penalty.
