The Future of African Peace Operations

 

Available from Zed Books or in North America from: http://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/F/bo23364698.html

Or open source ebook available here: https://www.academia.edu/24792227/Future_of_African_Peace_Operations_From_Janjaweed_to_Boko_Haram

CIC interview on this book: http://peaceoperationsreview.org/interviews/cedric-de-coning-a-unique-model-of-african-peace-operations/

IPI book launch seminar report & video: https://www.ipinst.org/2016/05/au-un-strategic-partnership-for-peace-security#6

Synopsis:

Increasingly, African leaders have been making greater efforts to safeguard the peace and stability of their nations. With threats ranging from Islamist insurgencies to an Ebola pandemic, the realities of protecting their citizens within these complex conflict zones have revealed a widening divide between the theory and practice of peacekeeping in Africa.

The Future of African Peace Operations provides the first—and long overdue—comprehensive overview and analysis of peacekeeping efforts in Africa. With the African Union’s newly created African Standby Force becoming fully operational in 2016, this timely study argues that governmental response to these challenges will require a unique and distinctively African model of peacekeeping, as well as a radical revision of the current security framework. Analysing high-profile case studies, such as the operations against Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, this book contains practical insights from both academics and practitioners and will be a vital resource for policy makers, researchers, and anyone seeking insights into the immense security challenges that Africa faces today.

Endorsements

“This book argues that African peace operations have come of age, and it sets the stage
for considering what the strategic options are for peacekeeping in Africa in the coming
decade. I will highly recommend it to all scholars and practitioners working on African
peace and security issues.”
(Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo)

“This book is a welcome and timely addition to the literature and discourse on Africa’s
future in the world of peace operations, and it is hoped that it would positively impact
the shape and design of Africa’s peace operations in the near future.”
(Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, director, Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy,
and member of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Independent Panel on
Peace Operations)

“The African Union is taking an ever-larger role in peace operations on the continent.
How are they to be financed? And how do the African Union, the United Nations, and
Africa’s regional economic communities relate to one another? This invaluable and
timely book charts the complex challenges faced by African peace operations today.”
(Alex de Waal, executive director of The World Peace Foundation, and author of Darfur:
A Short History of a Long War)

“This close examination of current issues in African peace operations is a major contribution to the debate within African institutions themselves; it is most timely for the
UN as it seeks to reflect in its practice a new level of understanding of the need for strategic coherence with partnerships in Africa and elsewhere.”
(Ian Martin, executive director of security council report, and member of the UN
High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations)

“Essential for understanding the history and complexity of peacekeeping on the continent
and the human dimensions of the problems involved.”
(Lt Gen Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, former Force Commander of the United Nations
mission in the DRC)

“The editors have assembled a highly qualified team of African analysts and practitioners
to shed considerable light on an important question: how effective is the emerging “African model” of stabilization operations?”
(Paul D. Williams, George Washington University)

“With a formidable, multinational group of authors, this book charts the political, policy
and practical nuances of the task as Africans takes charge of building peace in Africa. This is a very welcome and timely aid to our understanding of these issues.”
(Dan Smith, director, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute)

“The contributors to this outstanding volume provide interesting views from a wide
angle on the future of peace operations in Africa. This book provides policy makers
and practitioners on the various political, security and humanitarian levels excellent
food for thought and discussion.”
(Maj Gen (ret) Patrick Cammaert, former military adviser and force commander, UN
Department of Peacekeeping Operations)

“A much-needed comprehensive overview of the emergence of an African model of
peace operations. It brings together leading African experts who offer a frank analysis
of recent developments in African security institutions and policy responses.”
(Thierry Tardy, senior analyst, EU Institute for Security Studies)

“An important book. It puts a much needed focus on the changing nature and role of
African peace operations, and is a must-read for academics, practitioners and students
working with issues related to African security.”
(Thomas Mandrup, Royal Danish Defence College and Stellenbosch University)

“This book provides a rare combination of well-researched informative analysis with
clear policy recommendations. Clear and current, the book will be of use to practitioners,
researchers, and students.”
(Jane Boulden, Queen’s University Canada)

“From its outset the peacekeeping project has found its greatest challenges in Africa.
This collection, written for the most part by African researchers with frontline knowledge,
and offering clear and practical proposals, should be warmly welcomed by those
in positions to shape policy in Africa and beyond.”
(Norrie MacQueen, University of St Andrews)