John Price
Articles by John Price
PRICE: U.S. Embassies — the first line of defense
Earlier this month, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty Embassy Security, Threat Mitigation, and Personnel Protection Act of 2013, named after the four Americans killed by Islamists at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Published August 13, 2013
PRICE: Mali’s presidential election
By U.S. standards, there are few free, fair and transparent elections in Africa. Candidates' cries of foul play often mar the election process. If every request to postpone an election were accepted, there wouldn't be any held. Published July 24, 2013
PRICE: Obama’s miscues in Egypt
The 2011 Arab Spring demonstrations in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya mushroomed into a revolution, with thousands of people taking to the streets. In Egypt, the economy was faltering and people had long felt disenfranchised. Published July 10, 2013
PRICE: Obama missing chance to promote trade in Africa
Africans anxiously awaited President Obama's return to sub-Saharan Africa, but they may be disappointed when he leaves Wednesday unless he announces a major initiative to promote trade. Published July 1, 2013
PRICE: Mali elections need to be free, fair and transparent
Mali's interim government and ethnic Tuareg rebels last month signed a peace accord that will allow elections to proceed this month in the war-torn West African nation. International donors have committed $2.6 billion in aid to help rebuild Mali on the condition that a presidential election takes place July 28. Published June 30, 2013
PRICE: Africans question purpose of Obama’s visit
During my visits to Kenya, Mali, Ethiopia and Somalia over the past 12 months, I was told that U.S. influence is becoming less relevant because of our inconsistent foreign policy. African countries are depending more on China and other nations for their economic growth. Published June 23, 2013
PRICE: Readying outpost in Djibouti for ‘rapid response’
On May 30, Army Brig. Gen. Kimberly Field announced the formation of a new "rapid response force" to be established at Camp Lemonnier in the East African nation of Djibouti. Published June 16, 2013
Price: French president says Mali rebels will not mar July elections
French President Francois Hollande last week expressed confidence that Mali's elections will be held in July despite the West African nation's shaky security. Published June 12, 2013
PRICE: Nigeria needs help with Islamists, not Kerry lecture
The United States must do more than lecture embattled Nigeria, a strong U.S. ally in West Africa under assault from al Qaeda-linked Islamists sweeping across the region. Published June 10, 2013
PRICE: U.S. unwisely ignores sub-Saharan Africa
African leaders are skeptical about President Obama's engagement of sub-Saharan Africa, in part, because he has been there only once since becoming president, visiting Ghana in 2009 for less than 24 hours. Published May 28, 2013
State Department ‘must protect’ diplomats — and didn’t
Always unarmed, ambassadors often are protected only by the goodwill of the countries in which they serve. But when hostilities arise, when governments fall, when their very lives are threatened, ambassadors and their staffs can rely only on the will and the strength of their homeland to ensure their security. Published May 13, 2013
Ancient art in Somaliland in diplomatic limbo
The world's most famous prehistoric art is in caverns in Europe, but the most recently discovered ancient cave paintings are in a country no other nation recognizes in a region of Africa associated mostly with terrorism, pirates and famine. Published May 1, 2013
PRICE: U.S. terrorist threat growing with new breed of jihadists
The influence of radical Islam is on the rise around the world — and in the United States. Published April 23, 2013
PRICE: Mali elections may be in trouble, if French troops leave
In January, French President Francois Hollande responded to interim Malian President Dioncounda Traore's urgent request for military help to keep Islamists from advancing to the capital, Bamako. Published April 21, 2013
PRICE: Education in Somalia essential to promoting peace
Nearly taken for granted by the West, education is a noble struggle in Somalia, requiring generous contributions from citizens and foreign donors to help ensure a future of stability and prosperity for Somali children. Published April 16, 2013
PRICE: Mali’s elections are paramount for peace and stability
Mali's upcoming July elections will be a defining moment — to unify the country, re-establish democratic institutions and restore the West African country's territorial integrity. Published April 4, 2013
Terror in Timbuktu: A trip through the heart of Mali
I have been writing about Mali, even before the military coup that took place last March, since my friend Yeah Samake, the mayor of Ouelessebougou, was running for president. Since I continued to write regularly about Mali, I planned an information trip to the northern region for mid-March. This is the story of my trip. Published March 26, 2013