A political union for east Africa?
Regional leaders have big ambitions but short tempers
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/images/2019/02/articles/main/20190209_map501.jpg)
AFRICA’S REGIONAL institutions do not lack ambition. The African Union’s master plan promises a rich, peaceful continent criss-crossed by high-speed trains. Eventually. Its target is 2063, a date well past the likely retirement date of all the bigwigs who signed the plan.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “East African rifts”
More from Middle East & Africa
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_MAD001.jpg)
Iran’s electronic confrontation with Israel
The two adversaries are engaged in an intense cyber struggle, with Israel still a click ahead
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_MAP001.jpg)
The bunkers on Beirut’s golf course are in the crosshairs
Still, hazards off the fairway are no excuse for slow play
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_MAP503.jpg)
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox still won’t fight, invoking scripture
An age-old argument is making Binyamin Netanhayu face an enduring dilemma
The lessons of Africa’s tax revolts
If states want to collect more, they will have to offer something in return
Cheap Asian motorcycles are transforming African cities
The $1,000 boda boda carries a big economic punch
South Africa’s foreign minister wants better relations with the West
Ronald Lamola’s view counts: he may be the next president