Jon Rosen
Jon Rosen is an independent journalist covering East Africa and Africa's
Great Lakes region. From the coast of Zanzibar to war-torn eastern
Congo, Jon has reported on politics, economics, travel, sports and
culture in this emerging part of the globe. His work has been published
by outlets in the U.S., Europe and Africa,
including World Politics Review, GlobalPost, the BBC, USA Today, the
Boston Globe, the Washington Diplomat and the International Relations
and Security Network. A native of Amherst, MA, Jon holds an M.A. from
the Johns Hopkins
University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Bologna,
Italy and Washington, D.C.
Articles written by Jon Rosen
By Jon Rosen
12 Jul 2011 |
Feature
Seventeen years after the genocide, Rwanda is widely considered one of the world's great development successes. But there may be no head of state more simultaneously adored and reviled than its president, Paul Kagame, a man acclaimed as a liberator and visionary by some and scorned as a war criminal and enemy of human rights by others.
By Jon Rosen
05 May 2011 |
Briefing
Just weeks ago, the current state of unrest in Uganda seemed impossible. Yet a potent mix of economic forces and government miscalculations has since changed Uganda's political landscape. Now, the brutality with which President Yoweri Museveni has responded to the peaceful protests has brought comparisons to Idi Amin and created the first serious challenge to his once-unbreakable hold on
the country.
By Jon Rosen
30 Mar 2011 |
Briefing
While various armed groups generate
millions of dollars per year from illegal stakes in mining, the region's
natural riches are also a lifeline for tens of thousands of workers and
their families. The rocks beneath the rolling hills of North and South
Kivu provinces form the backbone of the region's economy. Now, as a result of global efforts to rid Congo's mining of its criminal elements, the entire industry is under threat.
By Jon Rosen
11 Feb 2011 |
Briefing
When Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni seized power
25 years ago, he brought order to a nation that was reeling from two
decades of crisis. After the terror-filled reigns of Idi Amin and Milton Obote, Museveni
ushered in an era of relative prosperity. But in advance of Uganda's Feb. 18 election,
the 66-year-old president is increasingly seen as a
leader who has overstayed his welcome.
By Jon Rosen
27 Jan 2011 |
Briefing
BOMET COUNTY, Kenya -- Last month, when the chief
prosecutor for the ICC requested
summonses for six individuals on charges related to Kenya's 2007-2008
post-election violence, a majority of Kenyans applauded. In a
country with a culture of impunity, many had given
up on domestic justice to deal with those responsible for the violence. Yet here in Kenya's Rift Valley province, public opinion is decidedly more sour.
By Jon Rosen
24 Jun 2010 |
World Politics Review
BUJUMBURA, Burundi -- For the capital of a country just years removed
civil war, this lakeside city is cosmopolitan. But while the atmosphere may not show it, this city is on edge. Burundians will go to the polls for the country's first
direct presidential election since its decade-long ethnic conflict ended
in 2003. Monday's vote had been touted as a
symbol of Burundi's hard-earned peace, but recent violence has tempered such rhetoric.
By Jon Rosen
27 May 2010 |
World Politics Review
KIGALI, Rwanda -- In an ethnically divided nation where genocide survivors
often live next door to their families' killers, Rwanda has avoided the
return of systematic violence. As the architect of his nation's
rebirth, Rwandan President Paul Kagame has long attracted an
international following. But the run-up to Rwanda's August election has exposed a radically
different Kagame narrative.
By Jon Rosen
13 May 2010 |
World Politics Review
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo -- The stability of this provincial capital in eastern Congo belies the estimated 1,300 people that continue to die each day as a
consequence of war in the Congo. But as bad as the situation is outside of Goma's urban
refuge, analysts fear it may soon be worse: President Joseph Kabila has
called for a withdrawal of Congo's 20,000 U.N. peacekeepers, a withdrawal experts consider premature.
By Jon Rosen
14 Jul 2009 |
World Politics Review
PALERMO, Italy -- In recent years, thanks to geography as well as a strong record of
granting amnesty, Italy has become a top destination for international
emigrants. But that might soon change due to a series of measures by the government of Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi to turn up the heat on illegal immigration. The tough stance
reflects a national zeitgeist that is increasingly wary of foreigners.
By Jon Rosen
19 Aug 2008 |
World Politics Review Exclusive
ELDORET, Kenya -- In recent months, this country of 35 million has made great strides in moving on from the
violence that killed 1,500 and uprooted as many as half a million. Once
bitter rivals, Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga
have become partners in a new government of national unity that has so
far fared better than expected. Beneath
the surface, however, the picture is not so rosy. Though thousands of displaced persons have centralized camps, many have
returned to what the United Nations terms "transit camps."