Foreign Policy Blogs

Cautious Optimism in Kenya

Is Kenya starting to heal? Thousands of Kenyans displaced by the post-election violence are beginning to return home, which is a sign that people are moderately confident that resuming their lives is safe, or at least safer than it was in the wake of the disputed election.

The Kenya situation embodies what may well prove to be an example of the sort of crises Africans may face in years to come: While devastating, the post-election chaos did not devolve into a permanent state of war. Perhaps this marks progress of a sort in the post-colonial era. One wonders if Zimbabwe might not experience the same throes after Mugabe goes (whenever that may be). Counter Kenya with, say, Somalia or the pretty much constant state of affairs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

 

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  1. [...] In Kenya many refugees are afraid to return home, fearing that violence may resume. Cautious optimism aside, for those who were caught up in the post-election maelstrom the healing process will almost inevitably be slow and may never be complete. [...]

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Author

Derek Catsam
Derek Catsam

Derek Catsam is an associate professor of history at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Derek writes about race and politics in the United States and Africa, sports, and terrorism. He is currently working on books on bus boycotts in the United States and South Africa in the 1940s and 1950s, the Freedom Rides, and South African resistance politics in the 1980s. He has lived, worked, and travelled extensively throughout southern Africa. He is also a lifelong sports fan, with the Boston Red Sox as his first true love. He was one of about three dozen people to write books about the 2004 World Champion Red Sox, and the result is Bleeding Red: A Red Sox Fan's Diary of the 2004 Season. He writes about politics, sports, travel, pop culture, and just about anything else that comes to mind.

Areas of Focus:
Africa; Zimbabwe; South Africa; Apartheid

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