The Challenge of Stability and Security in West Africa
Alexandre Marc
The Challenge of Stability and Security in West Africa
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Description
Contents
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This book seeks to critically examine the challenges of fragility and security in West Africa, along with the factors of resilience. It seeks to investigate key drivers of conflict and violence, and the way in which they impact the countries of the subregion. Along with emerging threats and challenges, these include the challenge of youth inclusion; migration; regional imbalances; extractives; the fragility of political institutions and managing the competition for power; security; and land. The book explores how the subregion, under the auspices of the regional organization ECOWAS has become a pioneer on the continent in terms of addressing regional challenges. This book also seeks to identify key lessons in the dynamics of resilience against political violence and civil war, drawn from countries such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire that can be useful for countries around the world in the midst of similar situations. Finally, it draws on knowledge and findings from a series background papers written by leading experts, and provides insights from the perspectives of academics and development practitioners

Language
English
ISBN
978-1-4648-0464-9
Cover
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Abbreviations
Introduction
Note
References
1 An Overview of Conflict and Violence in West Africa
The Nature of Violence and Conflict in West Africa
The Rapidly Changing Nature of Violence in West Africa
Notes
References
2 Addressing Emerging Threats: Trafficking, Maritime Piracy, and Religious Extremism
The Scourge of Narcotrafficking
Maritime Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea
The Rise of Religious Extremism in West Africa
Recommendations for Addressing Emerging Threats
Notes
References
3 Tackling the Complex Challenges of Youth and Migration
The Challenge of Youth Inclusion: Promise or Peril?
Migration: A Subregion on the Move
Notes
References
4 Redressing Regional Imbalances and Distributing Mineral Resource Revenues More Equitably
The Time Bomb of Regional Imbalances
Avoiding the “Resource Curse” by Recognizing and Addressing Social Grievances
Notes
References
5 Managing the Competition for Power in Order to Reduce the Fragility of Political Institutions
The Postcolonial Centralization of Power
Military Coups
The Lost Decade: The Unexpected Impact on Democratization
The End of the Cold War and the Collapse of the State in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Sierra Leone
Difficult Steps toward Democratization
Citizen Engagement: A Call to Action
Citizenship and the Ethnicization of Politics
Recommendations for Reducing the Fragility of Political Institutions
Annex 5.A: Political Leadership in West Africa
References
6 Reforming the Security Sector
Authoritarianism, Ethnicization, and the Degradation of the Security Forces since Independence
Human Rights Violations, Abuse of Power by the State, and the Weak Rule of Law
Defense Budgets in West Africa
Challenges of Reform
Areas in Need of Reform
Recommendations for Reforming the Security Sector
References
7 Addressing the Challenges of Legal Pluralism and Improving the Management of Land
The Challenge of Legal Pluralism
Options for Land Management
Recommendations for Addressing the Challenges of Legal Pluralism and Improving the Management of Land
Notes
References
8 Lessons in Resilience: Learning from the End of the Conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Côte d’Ivoire
Descriptions of the Conflicts
Lessons Learned
Note
References
9 Improving the Way Donors and Development Agencies Support Stability
Integrating the Stability Dimension into the Planning of Development Policies
Supporting Institutional Development
Using Development to Support Lagging Regions
Strengthening Local Governance
Improving Land Management and the Management of Extractives
Improving Prospects for Youth and Displaced Persons
Supporting Security Sector Reform and Strengthening Justice and the Rule of Law
Increasing Transparency, Strengthening Accountability, and Supporting Regional Institution Building
Note
References
Index
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Boxes
1.1 Violence after the End of the Cold War
1.2 Legacy of Guinea-Bissau’s Protracted and Violent Anticolonial Insurgency
1.3 Theories of Civil War and Political Violence: Greed versus Grievance
1.4 Overlapping Forms of Violence in Nigeria
1.5 Guinea-Bissau’s Fragility Trap
1.6 Subregional Conflict Systems: The Example of the Mano River Basin
2.1 Niger: Holding Fast in a Troubled Neighborhood
4.1 Lessons from Ghana on Transparency in Extractives
5.1 Citizen Participation as a Lever of Good Governance
5.2 The Politicization of Ethnicities in Guinea
6.1 Centers of Excellence for International Peacekeeping in West Africa
6.2 A New Chapter for Guinea-Bissau
6.3 Sustained Reform of the Security Sector in Sierra Leone
6.4 Senegal: A Model for Civil-Military Relations
8.1 The Important Role of ECOWAS in Developing West Africa’s Security Architecture
8.2 Women’s Role in Peacebuilding in West Africa
Figures
1.1 State-Based Conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa, by Subregion, 1960–2012
1.2 Fatalities from Organized Violence in West Africa, 1989–2012
1.3 Estimates of Fatalities from Organized Violence in East, Central, and Southern Africa, 1989–2012
1.4 Combination of Drivers That Created and Sustained Conditions for Civil War in Côte d’Ivoire
Maps
1.1 Conflict Systems in West Africa
2.1 Flow of Cocaine from Latin America via West Africa to Europe
2.2 Piracy Incidents in the Gulf of Guinea, 2012
3.1 Intraregional Migration within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Tables
1.1 Selected Conflicts in West Africa
2.1 Estimated Value of Flows of Some Trafficked Goods in West Africa
4.1 Access to Electricity and Education in the North and South of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria
4.2 Access to Electricity and Education in Nigeria, by Ethnicity and Religion, 2008
4.3 Access to Electricity and Education in Côte d’Ivoire, by Ethnicity and Religion, 2013
4.4 Access to Electricity and Education in Ghana, by Ethnicity and Religion, 2009
4.5 Gross Domestic Product and Significance of Extractive Industry Investment in West Africa, by Country, 2005 and 2012
5.1 Fatalities as a Result of Election-Related Violence in West Africa
5.2 Successful Military Coups in West Africa since 1960, by Country
5A.1 Election-Related Violence in West Africa, 1990–2013
5A.2 Manner in Which Longest-Serving Leaders in West Africa Left Office
5A.3 Years in Office of West African Leaders as of 2014
5A.4 Number of Military Coups in Africa, by Subregion, 1960–2010
5A.5 Presidential Term Limits in West Africa, by Country
7.1 Land-Related Conflicts in West Africa
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