The sixth installment of the Global Pulse Discussion Series examines how Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's government is faring in its battle with the militant Islamic group Boko Haram.

Since 2002, Boko Haram's brutal insurgency has claimed the lives of more than 13,000 civilians in countries like Nigeria, Central African Republic (CAR), and South Sudan, made hundreds of thousands more homeless, and has destroyed countless schools, churches, and mosques. President Buhari made defeating the terror group his top priority since taking office in May of 2015. He gave military commanders a December deadline to end the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria for good. Can President Buhari's government defeat Boko Haram? How has the conflict impacted the lives of everyday Nigerians?

Featuring:

Dr. Kelechi A. Kalu, Vice Provost of International Affairs & Professor of Political Science, University of California Riverside

Dr. Kalu is Vice Provost of International Affairs and Professor of Political Science at University of California, Riverside. He previously served as Associate Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs and Professor of African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University. Read more. 

Dr. Mesrob Vartavarian, Lecturer, Department of History, University of Southern California

Dr. Vartavarian has examined interactions between states and warrior communities in South Asia during the colonial transition. His current research focuses on the dynamics of Indirect Rule in British India and Africa. He is also interested in state formation, mass violence, and elite politics in Northern Nigeria. Read more.