Geopolitical Monitor

Across the parts of the Middle East and North Africa where state institutions have weakened— a pattern visible in several contexts — sovereignty has not collapsed; it has migrated. Ministries still exist, flags still fly, and diplomats still negotiate, but the functions that constitute political authority have moved elsewhere. Coercion, taxation, infrastructure management, and border control…

The new trend of low oil prices has rapidly escalated, carrying negative effects for producers and positive effects for the economies of importers, though these have been slow to become apparent. In this complex scenario, the oil-dependent country of Nigeria finds itself in a very peculiar position owing to a specific mix of longstanding issues…