Muhammad Alaraby

According to UN projections, Africa’s population is set to double to 2.4 billion by 2050, and it is expected to hit 4.3 billion by the end of the century. By then, about one-third of all of humanity will live on the continent. While many studies have focused on the present and the future of Africa and its interconnections with Europe, it is rare to hear how young people from Africa view and interpret current developments unfolding in their countries. To fill this gap, 'Youth and Africa' brings together seven outstanding young professionals from the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa. They shed light on challenges and opportunities, and remind us that “Africa is a voice to be heard, not a problem to be solved”.

The relevance of past wisdom to our modern affairs has always been debatable. Carl von Clausewitz and his theory of war are not an exception. Since On War was posthumously published in 1832, many conflicts have taken place beyond its pages. Equally the international system has changed character several times, states have infused and diffused, and politics has become generally more complex and inclusive than in the time of the Prussian general. War itself has changed; the world, it seems, has short supply of big wars between states, whereas proxy wars, cyber wars, drones, ethnic conflicts and terrorism have dominated international conflict. Clausewitz’s wisdom seems to be obsolete. His eloquent inquiry into war appears to have little to say about today’s modes of conflict and future wars. All these facts may make Clausewitz irrelevant and unnecessary for serious analysts or policymakers, let alone fighters on the ground or in hi-tech war rooms.