Nigeria on the Brink of Disaster?

What do you get when you combine an oil rich African country with internal instability, a history of regional division, a political tradition of violence, and a president hinting at delaying votes and staying in power? The possibility of "Nigeria on the Brink," according to David Phillips, executive director of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, in a recent Boston Globe op-ed piece.

I have long argued that Africa requires certain anchor powers to maintain regional stability. South Africa is one of these regional powers. Nigeria absolutely must be another. If Nigeria descends into calamity, vast swathes of West Africa could follow.