If the G20 is to remain relevant in the quest for more inclusive and fair global governance, Africa offers an historic opportunity for collective action, despite the absence of the US under Trump.
South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority has failed to pursue members of the executive. But a separate prosecuting body assigned only political cases could be the answer.
President Jacob Zuma has been brought to book repeatedly by South Africa's courts. He also faces a rising tide of discontent. One way or another, he seems to be running out of political lives.
For real integration to happen, the Pan African Parliament needs to be imbued with supranational law-making powers. But national sovereignty is something that many states are reluctant to give up.
A motion of no confidence - secret or open - in South Africa's president will be destabilising. There's value in ensuring that such a hefty decision is made openly and with courage of conviction.
The public protector's proposal to change the mandate of South Africa's Reserve Bank goes well beyond changing individual rules to overturning their very foundation, anchored in the Constitution.
Congolese President Joseph Kabila was due to step down last year after serving two terms. But he failed to organise elections leading to deadly protests. Is Congo's future now in grave danger?
Patrice Lumumba had a vision for the DRC. He believed that a lasting peace could be achieved through good will, not rifles and bayonets. The great man's vision now lies in tatters.
South Africa's democracy is in trouble. But the challenge is less about who should control state institutions, and more about how they can be refashioned to deliver to the poor.
Qatar withdrawing its troops has reignited tensions between Eritrea and Djibouti which the UN and African Union are trying to mediate. This comes as Eritrea is also embroiled in the Yemen civil war.
Politics in Lesotho can look incredibly complicated, with a mish-mash of competing political parties and repeated military interventions. It’s a mess, but it’s not that hard to unravel.
Former President Mwai Kibaki (bottom left) and opposition leader Raila Odinga (bottom right) sign a power-sharing agreement in February 2008.
Antony Njuguna/Reuters
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?
The public protector's proposal to change the mandate of South Africa's Reserve Bank goes well beyond changing individual rules to overturning their very foundation, anchored in the Constitution.
The IMF's decision to go ahead with a bailout package for Zambia, despite the government’s democratic failings, could embolden the president to pursue an authoritarian strategy.
The Great Mosque of Mosul - with its iconic leaning minaret - appeared on one of Iraq's banknotes. Its destruction by the Islamic State is an act of great symbolic importance.
The Queen reading the last Queen’s Speech in 2016.
Alastair Grant/PA Archive
Public interest reporting is often equated with watchdog or investigative reporting. But it can include other factual stories that serve the public interest.
Shutterstock
Public interest journalism exposes corruption and wrongdoers, and holds the powerful to account. But it is increasingly under threat, and we need to find ways to protect it.
Staff from The Age protest Fairfax Media cuts in May.
AAP Image/Joe Castro
Imposing local content levies on Facebook and Google to help fund public interest journalism would take Australia towards a more European model of media regulation.
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)
