Author Archive

Marcel Plichta

Marcel Plichta is a PhD Candidate in International Relations at the University of St Andrews and a former analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense. He has written on African affairs and security issues for World Politics Review, Defense One, and the Modern War Institute at West Point.
Ideas

Russia’s Mercenaries Don’t Want to Control Africa. They Want to Loot It

U.S. policymakers should focus less on what the mercs are doing on the continent than what the United States could do.

  • Marcel Plichta
Ideas

The US Is Letting Sudan Off the Hook

Lifting sanctions allows the regime to continue to sow discord in a region that the U.S. and allies are spending billions to stabilize.

  • Marcel Plichta
Ideas

Russia Is Back In Africa — and Making Some Very Odd Deals

Since December, Moscow has struck major deals in the Central African Republic with both government and rebel leaders.

  • Marcel Plichta
Ideas

China Is Filling the Africa-Sized Gap in US Strategy

While U.S. troops fight terror groups, Beijing is locking up supplies of raw materials key to the future of defense.

  • Marcel Plichta