Instead of revising its military rules of engagement in Niger, the US should ask itself how it can contribute to peace efforts that already exist in the region. Yvan Guichaoua and Andrew Lebovich argue that America should also understand that without genuine care for local civilians, the fire along the Mali-Niger border will only grow hotter and more difficult to contain.

Tanzania’s President John Pombe Magufuli has been in office for two years. He’s won admiration for bringing about dramatic changes, particularly in the war against wastage and corruption. But on the flipside, writes Dan Paget, he could also be remembered as the president who declared war on democracy.

Research at the South African Large Telescope (SALT) illustrates just how hard it is to make increasingly complex telescope control rooms user-friendly. Christopher Justin Hendrickse explains how simple adjustments to things like multiple computer screens freed up astronomers to focus on complex questions about the universe.