Rethinking Global Security: An African Perspective?

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The concept of global security has greatly evolved from what we knew it to be for a long time in the past. The old bi-polar international system that regulated relations between states has drastically restructured itself against the changing threats, needs and requirements of states, but has nevertheless remained an inadequate barrier for international peace and security. Today, the main threats to international peace and security are rooted in situations within states rather than between states, as is especially prevalent in the African context. Environmental degradation, social conflict and social strife, poverty, HIV/AIDS, etc are all projections of bad governance that have become more of a security concern than the traditional military antagonism that pitted nations against each other.

This was the backdrop to the conceptualization of the Conference on Rethinking Global Security from an African Perspective held in February 2006 under the auspices of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. The conference, that is the precursor to this publication, had the foregoing assumption that Africa was absent in the global security setting agenda, and that it required to infuse its lenses to the debate, in essence, “colouring it African”. This was structured in the thematic delineations of Global Security Agenda Setting; African Regional Economic and Security Institutions in Emerging Discourse on Global Security; Environmental, Economic and Social Dimensions of Global Security and Human Rights and Democracy in Contemporary Global Security. However, three days of deliberation shed light to the fact that Africa has indeed contributed to the expanded definition of global security especially in the area of human and development security.

This book initiates a profiling of Africa’s role in global security agenda setting, a task that requires much more research and critical debate. It points to the need to further develop African perspectives and platforms, not necessarily only to make its voice louder in the international arena, but because no society can develop and find security on the basis of knowledge, values and practices that do not materialize from within those societies. This publication forms part of the continuing partnership between the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies of the University of Nairobi, building on earlier work by the two institutions, and in particular their collaboration in the penultimate publication African Regional Security Issues in the Age of Globalisation (2004).

Product details

Date of Publication

2006

Publisher

Heinrich Böll Stiftung Regional Office, East and Horn of Africa, Nairobi

Number of Pages

201

Licence

CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0

ISBN / DOI

9966 - 9772 - 7 - 9

Table of contents

Contents

Preface v

Global Security Agenda Setting

State of the World 2005: Redefining security, Michael Renner . 1
Security in our one world, Ralf Fücks . 12
African thinkers and the global security agenda, Professor Samuel M. Makinda . 21

Human Rights and Democracy in Contemporary Global Security

Promotion of democracy as a goal of US foreign policy: African responses, Professor Macharia Munene. 40
Promotion of democracy as a goal of US foreign policy in Africa, Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o . 61
African human rights, democracy and the global security agenda, Maina Kiai and Anthony Kuria . 69
An African feminist perspective on security and early warning mechanisms: IGAD, Anita Kiamba and Attiya Waris . 86
Laying the foundation for peace: The role of governments, businesses, and civil society in building a more secure world, Erik Assadourian . 106

Environmental, Economic and Social Dimensions of Global Security

Resource dimensions of the global security agenda, Michael Renner. 120
Western views on African responses to economic, social and environmental dimensions of the global security agenda, Professor Gilbert Khadiagala . 128
Environmental and social dimensions of global security, Elvin Nyukuri . 146
Building peace through environmental cooperation, Ken Conca, Alexander Carius, and Geoffrey D. Dabelko . 162

African Regional and Security Institutions and the Global Security Agenda

Contemporary African responses to existing security scenarios: Challenges and opportunities of engagement for West African states, Dr. Kayode Soremekun . 182
Contemporary African responses to existing security scenarios: Challenges and opportunities of engagement for SADC, Dr. Naison Ngoma . 202
Correlating African regional and security institution initiatives to the emerging global security agenda, Dr. Anthoni van Nieuwkerk . 222
Sustainable globalization, Ralf Fücks . 247
Sources of African security condition and agenda setting, Dr. Ludeki Chweya . 252
References . 274
Index . 281
Contributors . 288