Tom Gardner
@tomgardner18.bsky.social
Africa correspondent @TheEconomist
Author, "The Abiy Project: God, Power and War in the New Ethiopia”
Retweet ≠ endorsement / views my own
Still on X (for now) @tomgardner18
Author, "The Abiy Project: God, Power and War in the New Ethiopia”
Retweet ≠ endorsement / views my own
Still on X (for now) @tomgardner18
Pinned
Tom Gardner
@tomgardner18.bsky.social
· Apr 22
The Abiy Project: God, Power, and War in the New Ethiopia
Gardner’s account of the rise of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is essential reading for those interested in understanding how individual ambition and structural factors combine to mold a leader’...
www.foreignaffairs.com
Chuffed to see that the brilliant @kopalo.bsky.social
has reviewed my book, "The Abiy Project", in this latest issue of @foreignaffairs.com. He calls it "essential reading": www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/abiy...
has reviewed my book, "The Abiy Project", in this latest issue of @foreignaffairs.com. He calls it "essential reading": www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/abiy...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
From Ukraine to Haiti to Congo, Erik Prince’s mercenary services are everywhere, and his worldview is more influential among America’s powerholders
Erik Prince, America’s most notorious mercenary, spies opportunity in chaos
The return of the Blackwater founder is a sign of the times
econ.st
November 22, 2025 at 8:30 AM
From Ukraine to Haiti to Congo, Erik Prince’s mercenary services are everywhere, and his worldview is more influential among America’s powerholders
"Contrary to some recent news headlines,JNIM, the Sahel’s pre-eminent jihadist group, is not about to follow in the footsteps of jihadists in Afghanistan and Syria and seize power in the capital."
My latest
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My latest
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
A fuel blockade shows the frightening power of Mali’s jihadists
But fears of a terrorist takeover are overblown
www.economist.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:04 AM
"Contrary to some recent news headlines,JNIM, the Sahel’s pre-eminent jihadist group, is not about to follow in the footsteps of jihadists in Afghanistan and Syria and seize power in the capital."
My latest
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
My latest
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
I am moving to Dubai because England is so dangerous. www.ft.com/content/9bf6...
November 19, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I am moving to Dubai because England is so dangerous. www.ft.com/content/9bf6...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Three years ago one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century ended when Ethiopia’s government struck a peace deal with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Now it is unravelling
How to avoid Africa’s next war
Pressure from America and its allies can prevent a return to fighting
econ.st
November 16, 2025 at 6:40 AM
Three years ago one of the deadliest conflicts of the 21st century ended when Ethiopia’s government struck a peace deal with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Now it is unravelling
"But a covert proxy war between Ethiopia, Eritrea and their allies has, in effect, already begun. It needs worryingly little to explode into the open."
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Ethiopia is perilously close to another war
Conflict in Tigray could balloon into a regional conflagration
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:45 PM
"But a covert proxy war between Ethiopia, Eritrea and their allies has, in effect, already begun. It needs worryingly little to explode into the open."
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
One feature is the role of outside powers, including some Gulf states, which exert influence over their proxies. The best chance for de-escalation lies with America and these outside powers, who must push their allies to stop fighting and start talking again.
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
How to avoid Africa’s next war
Pressure from America and its allies can prevent a return to fighting
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:44 PM
One feature is the role of outside powers, including some Gulf states, which exert influence over their proxies. The best chance for de-escalation lies with America and these outside powers, who must push their allies to stop fighting and start talking again.
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
A groundbreaking, eye-opening, and much needed investigation into Tigray's postwar goldrush: one of the most overlooked causes of the region's calamitous law and order breakdown—and its slide back to war.
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
When Tigray became a ‘wild west’ of illegal gold mining, Canadian firms staked a claim
A postwar gold rush in Ethiopia razed the landscape and sowed seeds for conflict. The Globe looks into Canadian-licensed sites at the heart of it, and their ties to Beijing
www.theglobeandmail.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:11 PM
A groundbreaking, eye-opening, and much needed investigation into Tigray's postwar goldrush: one of the most overlooked causes of the region's calamitous law and order breakdown—and its slide back to war.
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
a must-read on this topic
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
The emergence of Amhara nationalism as a central political trend in Ethiopia can be dated to 2016. It soon gained considerable audience within the Amhara region and beyond. This article analyses a ...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:49 AM
a must-read on this topic
Reposted by Tom Gardner
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
The emergence of Amhara nationalism as a central political trend in Ethiopia can be dated to 2016. It soon gained considerable audience within the Amhara region and beyond. This article analyses a ...
www.tandfonline.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:41 AM
The ‘Wolqayt question’ from c. 2015 to the Tigray war: agrarian claims in Amhara nationalism
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Latest articles in JEAS:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The RSF has accepted the US proposal for a "humanitarian truce" since this went to press, but the fundamentals remain unchanged - both sides are reluctant to move seriously to talks, and outside pressure on them -- and their foreign backers -- remains insufficient.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Will anything—or anyone—stop the slaughter in Sudan?
As a killing spree unfolds in Darfur, an end to the civil war looks remote
www.economist.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:55 PM
The RSF has accepted the US proposal for a "humanitarian truce" since this went to press, but the fundamentals remain unchanged - both sides are reluctant to move seriously to talks, and outside pressure on them -- and their foreign backers -- remains insufficient.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
“At the heart of the conversation about deforestation is a very simple problem,” writes Jack Hurd in a guest essay. “Trees have always been economically more valuable felled than standing”
If only the market value of an intact forest were more obvious, writes Jack Hurd
A COP in a rainforest could be the biome’s best hope
econ.st
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
“At the heart of the conversation about deforestation is a very simple problem,” writes Jack Hurd in a guest essay. “Trees have always been economically more valuable felled than standing”
Last month, in Cape Town, I interviewed Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater and America's most controversial mercenary, for The Weekend Intelligence, our weekend longform podcast.
Prince's return to the limelight is a bet on the direction the world is heading.
www.economist.com/podcasts/202...
Prince's return to the limelight is a bet on the direction the world is heading.
www.economist.com/podcasts/202...
The return of Erik Prince
The comeback of America’s most infamous mercenary
www.economist.com
November 1, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Last month, in Cape Town, I interviewed Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater and America's most controversial mercenary, for The Weekend Intelligence, our weekend longform podcast.
Prince's return to the limelight is a bet on the direction the world is heading.
www.economist.com/podcasts/202...
Prince's return to the limelight is a bet on the direction the world is heading.
www.economist.com/podcasts/202...
Trump and Abiy Ahmed would get along swimmingly
Leavitt: "At this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the president's main priority."
October 23, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Trump and Abiy Ahmed would get along swimmingly
And in this piece I look at two elections coming up in the next week: Tanzania and Ivory Coast. They are the emerging stars of their respective regions, but share a vulnerability: a drive to eliminate political competition, which may prove self-defeating.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Two flawed elections show the dangers of one-party rule
Rulers in Tanzania and Ivory Coast may be overestimating their countries’ stability
www.economist.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:42 PM
And in this piece I look at two elections coming up in the next week: Tanzania and Ivory Coast. They are the emerging stars of their respective regions, but share a vulnerability: a drive to eliminate political competition, which may prove self-defeating.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Last month I took a trip to the Amazon rainforest to better understand the economics behind deforestation and how to preserve the world’s largest forest.
economist.com/the-americas...
economist.com/the-americas...
The obvious economics of preserving the Amazon
It provides Brazil’s world-beating farmers with water, and keeps carbon locked up for the rest of us
economist.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Last month I took a trip to the Amazon rainforest to better understand the economics behind deforestation and how to preserve the world’s largest forest.
economist.com/the-americas...
economist.com/the-americas...
Africa is a biodiversity superpower, but gets paid a pittance for it. In this week's issue I explore the new conservation schemes trying to put a price on Africa's biodiversity wealth - including one Kenya and another in the Congo.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
How to preserve Africa’s natural riches for everyone
Conservationists want to make the world pay to look after its rainforests and wildlife
www.economist.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Africa is a biodiversity superpower, but gets paid a pittance for it. In this week's issue I explore the new conservation schemes trying to put a price on Africa's biodiversity wealth - including one Kenya and another in the Congo.
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Good column: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...
Opinion | Trump Posted a Video of Himself Dumping Excrement on Our Cities. It’s a Glimpse of His Deepest Drives.
www.nytimes.com
October 20, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Good column: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Apropos of nothing, I really do think UK journalists and politicians need some reminding that mass deportation of LEGAL immigrants, particularly those with permanent status, is far more extreme than even Trump's America and would basically place Britain completely on its own among democracies.
October 19, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Apropos of nothing, I really do think UK journalists and politicians need some reminding that mass deportation of LEGAL immigrants, particularly those with permanent status, is far more extreme than even Trump's America and would basically place Britain completely on its own among democracies.
Reposted by Tom Gardner
One possible reason for Ghana’s stability is geographic luck. Another is the relative professionalism of its security forces. Most importantly, though, jihadists have chosen not to attack
Why Ghana is safe from jihadists, for now
A mix of luck, competence and indifference has deterred Sahelian militants
econ.st
October 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
One possible reason for Ghana’s stability is geographic luck. Another is the relative professionalism of its security forces. Most importantly, though, jihadists have chosen not to attack
This week's issue also includes my tribute to Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms, which ought to have won the Nobel peace prize (but didn't thanks to politics)
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Sudan’s remarkable mutual-aid groups
They deserved the Nobel peace prize, even though they didn’t win
www.economist.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:39 PM
This week's issue also includes my tribute to Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms, which ought to have won the Nobel peace prize (but didn't thanks to politics)
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
And shared more thoughts on the subject in this week's newsletter: view.e.economist.com?qs=477dfaaa5...
October 16, 2025 at 3:38 PM
And shared more thoughts on the subject in this week's newsletter: view.e.economist.com?qs=477dfaaa5...
In this week's issue I report on the Sahel crisis -- and Ghana's curious invulnerability to it www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Why Ghana is safe from jihadists, for now
A mix of luck, competence and indifference has deterred Sahelian militants
www.economist.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:37 PM
In this week's issue I report on the Sahel crisis -- and Ghana's curious invulnerability to it www.economist.com/middle-east-...
“Do you think the fact that the British and the Irish speak English,” scoffs a sceptical Tigrayan, “is enough to make them one country?”
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Africa’s most secretive dictatorship faces an existential crisis
Eritrea’s sovereignty is under threat from an expansionist Ethiopia
www.economist.com
October 2, 2025 at 1:37 PM
“Do you think the fact that the British and the Irish speak English,” scoffs a sceptical Tigrayan, “is enough to make them one country?”
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Reposted by Tom Gardner
Can't disagree with Gavin Barwell. It's high time the right in this country cleaned house.
They won't though, because this is what the right have become. The likes of Barwell are very much a minority.
They won't though, because this is what the right have become. The likes of Barwell are very much a minority.
October 1, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Can't disagree with Gavin Barwell. It's high time the right in this country cleaned house.
They won't though, because this is what the right have become. The likes of Barwell are very much a minority.
They won't though, because this is what the right have become. The likes of Barwell are very much a minority.
Also in this week's issue of @economist.com, I look at how cybernationalism is booming in the Sahel, and particularly when it comes to one man: Africa's most viral leader, Ibrahim Traoré (by miles):
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
Burkina Faso’s strongman has gone viral
He may have had a little help from his Russian friends
www.economist.com
September 28, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Also in this week's issue of @economist.com, I look at how cybernationalism is booming in the Sahel, and particularly when it comes to one man: Africa's most viral leader, Ibrahim Traoré (by miles):
www.economist.com/middle-east-...
www.economist.com/middle-east-...