Robtel Neajai Pailey

Legal invisibility was the best thing to happen to me I became an undocumented migrant at age six and it changed my life.

As the #global #assault on #migrants intensifies, this deeply #personal #commentary I wrote in 2017 for Al Jazeera English about growing up #undocumented in the #UnitedStates is as relevant now as it was back then. www.aljazeera.com/opinions/201...

From resistance to intifada to recognition: the origins of an independent Palestinian state – podcast Palestinian-American historian Maha Nassar traces the history of Palestinian efforts to build an independent state. Listen on The Conversation Weekly podcast.

Is #recognition of a #Palestinian state by 150+ countries a hollow, symbolic gesture amidst #Israeli #aggression, #genocide in #Gaza and #occupation of the #WestBank? Listen to this podcast about what real #sovereignty for Palestinian people would mean. bit.ly/4nGYzEN

Surge in Africa's China imports prompts calls to tackle trade deficit African imports of Chinese goods have surged in 2025 but experts say trade with the superpower is largely one-way.

#Africa’s #trade relationship with #China is alarmingly lopsided, with high #imports resulting in a US$61.93 billion #deficit for the continent in 2024. We must #industrialise and #export #manufactured #goods to balance the scales! bit.ly/3KiNpb0

In an Exclusive Excerpt from Her Memoir, Arundhati Roy Writes of Her Early Upbringing Roy’s early life was colored by a series of precarious arrangements, she writes in her new memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, out in September.

Here’s an exclusive excerpt of the #memoir Mother Mary Comes to Me by indomitable #Indian #author and #activist #ArundhatiRoy (bit.ly/4m4oPsn)! I can’t wait to read the full memoir, published last month by #Scribner.

The Art of the Impersonal Essay, by Zadie Smith In my experience, every kind of writing requires some kind of self-soothing Jedi mind trick, and, when it comes to essay composition, the rectangle is mine.

I found #ZadieSmith’s ‘The Art of the Impersonal Essay’, published in the #NewYorker, utterly engrossing: bit.ly/4mA6XVW

Liberian Students Dive Deep into Dual Citizenship in Pioneering Seminar Led by LSE Scholar Dr. Robtel Neajai Pailey - Verity News Nineteen students from four of Liberia’s leading universities recently completed a thought-provoking, eight-part intercollegiate seminar exploring one of the most pressing and controversial questions ...

Thanks to Verity Online News for publishing this story about my #Monrovia #intercollegiate #seminar #series held in #Liberia July 2025: bit.ly/3V56TlB

Created by a #German #cartographer, the 16th century #Mercator #map paints #Africa and #Europe as the same size when #Africa is actually three times #bigger. Now, the African Union has endorsed a campaign advocating for the more accurate #EqualEarth #projection. Read more here: bit.ly/4lE90aO

Liberia School of Law Students Win ECOWAS Moot Court First-year students from Liberia School of Law win ECOWAS Moot Court Competition, showcasing legal talent, impressing judges, and earning a historic victory alongside Côte d’Ivoire's Felix Houphouet-B...

Congrats to #Liberia #School of #Law first year students Peace Khasu and Abigail Dorbor for winning the inaugural #ECOWAS #Moot #Court #competition last month! They were ably coached by my former mentee Gerald Yeakula. bit.ly/4mRMM6p

The Museum of Memory: Part III How we choose to remember: The Thomas Sankara Mausoleum

The #ThomasSankara Mausoleum in #Ouagadougou, #BurkinaFaso, is now live! bit.ly/4mgCRqS

African book publishing must reclaim the word ‘local’ African publishing needs a new language — and infrastructure — to turn its own “locals” onto the global stage.

Cassava Republic Press co-founder Bibi Bakare-Yusuf makes an important distinction between how ‘local’ and ‘global’ are framed in #literary #publishing: neither are neutral, both carry value judgments about whose stories are 'universal' and 'worthy' of #international #acclaim: bit.ly/3Hx7dGC

I had such a blast last month engaging with #Liberian #university #students and #primary #school #pupils in separate sessions featuring my #awardwinning #monograph (bit.ly/3MHh0Z2) and #anticorruption #children’s #books (www.robtelneajaipailey.com/author).

Africa and the Global South in the New World Order Zachariah Mampilly, the Marxe Endowed Chair of International Affairs at Baruch College and professor of Political Science at the CUNY Graduate Center, joins The Thought Project to unpack the effects o

Listen to this wide-ranging #interview with the brilliant Zachariah Mampilly, who discusses how #racist and #colonial frameworks continue to shape the position of #Africa and the larger #GlobalSouth in #international #relations: bit.ly/4koxAMP

Tracking the U.S. Reciprocal Tariff Rates for All African Countries CSIS compiled the most up-to-date bilateral trade data with African countries in this interactive table, as the Trump administration focuses its trade negotiations on major economies like the European...

Thanks to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Africa Programme for compiling this interactive table tracking the most up-to-date US-Africa #bilateral #trade data. Regressive #American #tariffs will gut #African #economies. bit.ly/47jSauf

The Making of Mamdani A close reading of a new book by New York politician Zohran Mamdani’s father reveals a generational yearning for community and inclusion.

Here’s a fascinating read by Foreign Policy’s Howard French about how the #politics of #NewYork #democratic #socialist #mayoral #candidate Zohran Mamdani “seem broadly inspired by his father” Mahmood Mamdani, a renowned #scholar of the #African #state. bit.ly/3J8fJMI

In keeping with my 2024 Independence Day National Oration (bit.ly/4168sDd), I urge compatriots to support Liberia Giving Month by donating NOW: radarforward.com/liberiagivin.... Kudos to SMART Liberia for building back better and differently. Happy In Defiance Day 2025!

I’m looking forward to engaging with #Liberian #youth during back-to-back events in #Paynesville (bit.ly/454IRNj) and #Monrovia (bit.ly/3UjvTVG) this week. Thanks to Alphia Faith Kemokai of the YPLS Africa and Nyema-Monday Merriam of the LDC for organising!

Liberica: The Future of Coffee in a Changing Climate — and Liberia’s Legacy to the World The rare Coffea liberica, native to Liberia, promises a resurgence in global coffee production due to its climate resilience and historical significance, presenting Liberia with a strategic economic o...

All hail #Liberica #coffee, once a prominent #export from #Liberia! bit.ly/3F2QxFE

Jelena Vidojević in conversation with Amy Niang In her Missing Voices interview, Amy Niang critiques Western-centric international structures and proposes a global future grounded in African sovereignty, South–South solidarity, and historical coher...

Check out this #interview with my brilliant sistah-friend and #international #relations #scholar Amy Niang, who argues that #Africa’s mission must be “to humanise the world, to affirm humanity where the powerful relentlessly desecrate it.” bit.ly/3STcr1x

How the International Monetary Fund Underdevelops Africa: The Twenty-First Newsletter (2025) Once plundered of both its wealth and people by colonial powers, Africa now faces IMF-imposed austerity, obscene debt, and forced underdevelopment.

How the International Monetary Fund (#IMF) #underdevelops #Africa, indeed! bit.ly/43S9MdJ

I’ve always pursued #research with real world relevance. So, it was an #honour to receive the #LSE’s inaugural Rising Star Impact Prize last night. The Prize—which includes #funding— is in recognition of my scholarly contributions to the passage of #Liberia’s #dualcitizenship #law in 2022.

If you’re in #Monrovia, #Liberia, or its environs on 7 July, check out this #public #lecture I’ll be delivering entitled ‘Aid and Its Discontents’. I’m grateful to #colleagues at the University of Liberia’s IBB School for International Studies for organising. bit.ly/3ZG9rJM

As Israel bombs Iran, Africa feels the blowback - The Africa Report.com As oil prices soar, currencies weaken and diplomatic tensions simmer, Israel’s latest escalation with Tehran is already being felt across a continent courted by Tehran and vulnerable to global volatil...

Here is a helpful Africa Report explainer about how #Africa is already reeling from the escalation of #violence between #Israel and #Iran: bit.ly/3HCBzaj

Africa’s Populist Trap - The Ideas Letter Salami argues that a new wave of anti-Western populism in Africa—which she dubs “populist anti-Western nativism,” or PAWN—disguises authoritarianism and dogma in the language of liberation, simplifyin...

#Africans should be very wary of the #cult of Ibrahim Traoré of #BurkinaFaso, argues Minna Salami in this brilliant commentary challenging #Africa’s PAWN (Populist Anti-Western Nativism): bit.ly/3FvYxzq

UCL – University College London UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

If you’re a #black #British or non-UK domiciled #black #Caribbean person interested in #researching the legacies of #transatlantic #slavery, apply by 7 July for this #PhD #studentship at University College London! bit.ly/4l1V0sd

#Kenyan #literary #titan Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, who joined the #ancestors last week, left behind a rich body of work. I smiled after digging up this co-authored article I wrote about him in #2006 and now need to find our #podcast #interview. RIPP, #Ngũgĩ! bit.ly/43nwFGU

Whenever I have doubts about staying in #academia, I receive feedback like this from #students reminding me that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be at this very particular moment in my life.

#America would #lose any #trade #war with #China, says this spot-on #FinancialTimes analysis, since other #countries trade significantly more with China than the US: bit.ly/3Gw0HiC

How Pope Francis changed the Catholic Church’s foreign policy Pope Francis was transformative in shaping a Catholic Church that was not focused solely on Europe.

As the first #LatinAmerican (#Argentinian) #pontiff, the late #PopeFrancis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) will be remembered most for preaching a ‘theology of the people’ and adopting a more globalised #foreignpolicy for the #Catholic #church: bit.ly/443Bupv

How London, not Broadway, became a crucible of Black theatre While non-white presence on Broadway has faltered, London’s stages are having a Black renaissance

While #Broadway’s attempts to increase #representation have faltered, #London’s #stages are having a #black #renaissance, according to this illuminating #FinancialTimes analysis: bit.ly/4m3Q5Yi

When Two Elephants Fight, the Grass Suffers Dear dishonorable lawbreakers:

My November 2024 open letter of rebuke to #Liberia’s #dishonourable #lawbreakers (bit.ly/3Cwmzbo), aka the so-called ‘majority bloc’ of our House of Representatives, has been vindicated by a recent #SupremeCourt ruling declaring their actions #unconstitutional (bit.ly/3ROTlJt).