Op Eds & Essays

2024

• "Somali army vs al-Shabaab: as African Union troops leave, which is the stronger military force?" The Conversation, 19 June 2024.

2023

• "AU peacekeepers are leaving Somalia: what needs to happen to keep the peace," The Conversation, 10 Sept. 2023.
• "The UN Security Council and the Future of MINUSMA,"  Egmont Institute​, 19 June 2023. With N. Wilén.​

2022

• "US will soon redeploy troops in Somalia: the mission and key goals," The Conversation​, 29 May 2022.
• "What are the International Military Options for the Sahel?" IPI Global Observatory, 12 April 2022. With N. Wilén.
• "Who's Been Making "African Solutions"? Mapping Membership Patterns in the African Union's Peace and Security Council," Egmont Institute​, 1 April 2022. With N. Wilén.
• "Putin's "Peacekeepers,"" IPI Global Observatory, 23 February 2022.

2021

• "The Pitfalls of UN Peacekeeping in Afghanistan," IPI Global Observatory, 1 Sept. 2021.
• "Why a UN Support Office for the G5 Sahel Joint Forces is a Bad Idea," IPI Global Observatory, 8 June 2021.
• "A Decade of Developments in Peace Operations," IPI Global Observatory, 14 Apr. 2021.
• "Despite Challenges, UN Peace Operations Will Evolve, Not Disappear,"  IPI Global Observatory, 19 Feb. 2021. With K.P. Coleman.

2020

• "Why Kenya's defence forces fell at the battle of El Adde," The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2020.
• "Why US diplomatic muscle could achieve more in Somalia than drone strikes," The Conversation, 24 Sept. 2020.
• "Ending United States Military Operations in Somalia," War on the Rocks, 19 August 2020.

2019

• "The Positive Impacts and Challenges Facing the African Union Mission in Somalia," IPI Global Observatory, 3 Dec. 2019.
• "Stabilization 2.0: Insights from the Somali and African Union Operations in Lower Shabelle," Wavell Room, 3 Dec. 2019.
• "Fighting for Peace in Somalia," Democracy in Africa, 20 Oct. 2019.
• "In Somalia, al-Shabab targeted US and EU forces this week," Washington Post Monkey Cage, 3 Oct. 2019.
• "For the first time, a reliable count of Somalia peacekeeping deaths," The Conversation, 1 Oct. 2019.
• "An Update on How Many Fatalities AMISOM has Suffered," IPI Global Observatory, 10 Sept. 2019.
• "What Went Wrong with the Somali National Army?" War On The Rocks, 20 May 2019.
• "Can Ad Hoc Security Coalitions in Africa Bring Stability?" IPI Global Observatory, 14 Jan. 2019.

2018

• "In US Failure to Pay Peacekeeping Bills, Larger UN Financing Questions Raised," IPI Global Observatory, 23 Oct. 2018.
• "After AMISOM: What will it take to secure Somalia?" African Arguments, 11 Oct. 2018.
• "Lessons Learned in Somalia: AMISOM and contemporary peace enforcement," Council on Foreign Relations blog, 19 July 2018.
• "Cruz Report: The politics of force and the United Nations' peacekeeping trilemma," IPI Global Observatory, 9 Feb. 2018.
• "What spurred six countries to join the AU's mission in Somalia," The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2018.
• "To withdraw or not to withdraw? Reflections on Kenya's military operations in Somalia," The Elephant, 18 Jan. 2018.

2017

• "Somalia's African Union mission has a new exit strategy. But can troops actually leave?" Washington Post Monkey Cage, 30 Nov. 2017.
• "The roles of intellectuals in African academic institutions," Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), Ethiopia, 31 Oct. 2017.
• "A Navy SEAL was killed in Somalia. Here's what you need to know about U.S. operations there," Washington Post Monkey Cage, 8 May 2017.
• "A new model of African coercion? Assessing the ECOWAS mission in The Gambia," IPI Global Observatory, 16 March 2017.
• "Paying for AMISOM," IPI Global Observatory, 11 Jan. 2017.

2016

• "The Peace Operations Challenge for the Next Secretary-General," IPI Global Observatory, 30 Sept. 2016.
• "Key questions for South Sudan's new protection force," IPI Global Observatory, 12 Sept. 2016.
• "The African Union's less coercive diplomacy on Burundi," IPI Global Observatory, 16 Feb. 2016.
• "After Obama: Four lessons for US engagement in Africa," Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2016, 10 Feb. 2016.
• "The Burundi ultimatum," Foreign Affairs online, 28 Jan. 2016.
• "Three things we learned from last week's al-Shabaab attack in Somalia," Washington Post Monkey Cage, 19 Jan. 2016.

2015

• "The African Union's Coercive Diplomacy in Burundi," IPI Global Observatory, 18 Dec. 2015.
• "Keeping a Piece of Peacekeeping," Foreign Affairs online, 6 Oct. 2015.
• "How many fatalities has the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) suffered?" IPI Global Observatory, 10 Sept. 2015.
• "The US should deploy more troops as UN peacekeepers," Defense One, 25 August 2015.
• "Four questions —and answers— about US support of peacekeeping in Africa," Washington Post Monkey Cage, 15 May 2015.

2014

• "Military Integration After Civil Wars: Any lessons for Somalia?" Africa Up Close (Woodrow Wilson Center), 17 Nov. 2014.
• "Is al-Shabaab resurgent or weakening? A tale of two narratives," IPI Global Observatory, 10 June 2014.
• "One Somalia, One Army? Building an Effective National Security Force," Africa Up Close (Woodrow Wilson Center), 7 Apr. 2014.

2013

• "Cut-Rate Counterterrorism: Why America can no longer afford to outsource the war on al-Shabab," Foreign Policy online, 7 Oct. 2013. With B. Bruton.
• "Disagreements over Mali could sour more than the upcoming African Union celebration," IPI Global Observatory, 15 May 2013. With A. Boutellis.
• "Dealing with disengaged fighters: the case of al-Shabaab," IPI Global Observatory, 29 Jan. 2013.

2012

• "Towards more effective partnership peacekeeping in Africa," Kujenga Amani (SSRC African Peacebuilding Forum), 19 Nov. 2012.

2011

• "Hague's blurred vision on foreign policy," International Studies Today, 1:1 (Feb. 2011).

2010

• "The African Union Mission in Somalia: Decision Time," SIPRI Update, 15 December 2010.
• "Autocrats United? The Peace and Security Council of the African Union," CSIS Online Africa Policy Forum, 16 March 2010.

2009

• "AMISOM's Five Challenges," CSIS Online Africa Policy Forum, 15 Nov. 2009.

2007

• "The African Union's Emerging Security Culture: Options for U.S. Policymakers," CSIS Online Africa Policy Forum, 13 July 2007.

Banner image: AMISOM vehicles.