Wilson Center

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Coups in Africa, Even in ECOWAS

In the last four years alone, there have been seven military coups in West and Central Africa. Four of the countries experiencing coups are members of ECOWAS, a regional organization set up to promote stability and cooperation.

In August 2020, a group of Mali’s colonels led a coup against President Ibrahim Boubacar Kaita. In 2021, the military led a second coup against the interim president Colonel Bah Ndaw. Guinea experienced a coup in 2021, Burkina Faso in 2022, and most recently, Niger met the same fate when General Abdourahmane Tchiani seized power in July. Outside of West Africa, Chad and Sudan also experienced military coups in 2021.

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Women and Suicide in Afghanistan

Approximately 80% of all suicide attempts in Afghanistan are made by women.

World Health Organization studies suggest that, across the world, men are twice as likely as women to take their own lives. But recent research noted by the The Guardian (and reported by outlets including the BBC and TortoiseMedia) suggests that in Afghanistan, it’s women who make up the vast majority of suicide victims.

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"Rewilding" by Investing in People

Ninety-five percent of the animals in Gorongosa National Park were destroyed in Mozambique’s civil war. Investments in the people and the communities surrounding the park are bringing the wildlife back—102,000 animals at last count.

Rewilding is an approach to conservation that emphasizes restoring an ecosystem’s biodiversity and overall health to that which existed before human disruptions. It often involves reintroducing native plant and animal species alongside suppressing harmful invasive plants and animals. Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park has been called “Africa’s most successful rewilding effort.” Ironically, it’s the investments made in the people and communities that are key to that success being sustained.

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Taipei, Beijing, and the "Status Quo"

Less than 6% of people in Taiwan either support the immediate pursuit of independence from, or unification with, the People’s Republic of China. More than 88% want to maintain the status quo—at least for now.

US politicians, policymakers, and members of the media often stumble when asked to precisely define official US policy toward Taiwan. Their confusion is attributable to the vague labels we attach to our presence in the region—terms like “One China policy” and “strategic ambiguity.”

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Author

Ambassador Mark A. Green

President & CEO, Wilson Center

One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20004-3027

Phone: (202) 691-4000

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