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South African treasury changes may undermine targets

Location:

SOUTH AFRICA

Since Gigaba controversially replaced Pravin Gordhan in March, the National Treasury has made a series of key personnel changes, including the position of chief procurement…

Divided ANC undermines Ramaphosa’s capacity to govern

Location:

SOUTH AFRICA

These challenges are interlinked, and all threaten Ramaphosa’s standing over the medium term. They also influence Ramaphosa’s ability to manage an intensely divided ANC, with…

Damascus’s post-quake normalisation hopes may falter

Location:

SYRIA

Egypt is the latest Arab state to reach out to Damascus. Spearheaded by Abu Dhabi, these contacts are eroding the isolation policy that has lasted for over a decade since civil…

Spending more on East European defence will be tough

Location:

EASTERN EUROPE

Russia’s war in neighbouring Ukraine has prompted EU member-states, and the Visegrad Four (V4: Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) in particular, to rethink their own…

China may see an opening in Pacific Islands

Location:

PACIFIC ISLANDS

Fiji returned to democracy in 2014 after being ruled by a military regime since 2006. Fiji's president, Frank Bainimarama, who was its military ruler, implemented a 'Look North'…

South Africa’s Ramaphosa will need greater branch push

Location:

SOUTH AFRICA

A profile of Cyril Ramaphosa.

South Africa’s judiciary faces populist threats

Location:

SOUTH AFRICA

Zuma seeks also to avoid prosecution for alleged corruption related to a notorious late-1990s ‘arms deal’. Separately, a Judicial Conduct Tribunal has delivered a finding of gross…

Namibia's Geingob must balance competing priorities

Location:

NAMIBIA

At the SWAPO party congress in late November, Geingob was elected to his first full term as the leader of the ruling party, defeating Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service…

Foreign policy shift will be limited in Brazil

Location:

BRAZIL

Foreign policy in the Michel Temer government.

PiS cannot count on winning Polish elections outright

Location:

POLAND

The October 13 parliamentary election will be one of the most important and consequential since 1989. If PiS wins, it will entrench and continue pushing ahead with its radical…