‘Myths of oil riches drive resource conflict’ discusses some of the causes and content of the main myths about oil discoveries in the HOA and their role in driving expectations and conflict. It provides, as counterbalance, a brief analysis of exploration results between 1950 and 2010, and suggests that more cautious public statements by both companies and governments would be useful. In ‘Holy wars in Africa’ the scourge of holy war threatens nations across Africa in much the same way as it does in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The irony is that this level of religious aggression in Africa is happening just as some analysts are predicting that progress in good governance and economic growth in parts of the continent will result in an African success story. In ‘Kenya: stillborn land reforms’ the history of land in Kenya is soaked in blood. In an effort to stop the bloodletting, successive governments have set up several inquiries to look into the issue of land. Given the wealth of recommendations generated from those inquiries, it would be fair to assume that land reform is a done deal in Kenya.
