Political Instability in Guinea-Bissau

Ricardo Real P. de Sousa is an Assistant Professor in International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FCSH) of the University of Beira Interior (UBI), where he serves as the President of the Department of Sociology. He is an integrated researcher at the Centre for International Studies – Iscte, at the International University of Lisbon (IUL). He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) at Erasmus University of Rotterdam (EUR) in the Netherlands. His research focuses on multilateral security institutions, external interventions, and conflict resolution, particularly with case studies centered on Africa.Jens Herpolsheimer is a post-doctoral researcher at the Research Centre Global Dynamics, based at Leipzig University (Germany), and Head of the Junior Research Training Group “African Regional Economic Communities in Global Politics,” funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft in the Emmy-Noether program. He holds a PhD in global studies from Leipzig University and is the author of Spatializing Practices of Regional Organizations during Conflict Intervention (Routledge, 2021). Other publications have focused on the security cooperation of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, African regional organizations, interregional maritime security cooperation, and practices of regional security governance, as well as Africa-EU relations.Jara Cuadrado is Professor in Contemporary History at the University of Valladolid and Deputy Director of the Observatory of African Studies at the same University. PhD in International Security from the UNED (Madrid) with a thesis titled Early warning systems in the prevention of armed conflicts. A comparative study in West Africa. Her research interests focus on studies of armed conflict and political violence, international security, conflict prevention and early warning policies, particularly in Africa. She was a visiting scholar at IPRI (New University of Lisbon) and SOAS (University of London) and participated in two projects in Africa.

"This volume offers an important alternative to conventional accounts of Guinea-Bissau as a ‘marginal’, ‘weak’, ‘failed’ or ‘narco’ state. Its nuanced reassessment of the entanglements between state, society, regional and global dynamics is essential for anyone interested in the political actors, structural challenges, and complex history of this often-misunderstood place."Rui Lopes, a researcher at the Institute of Contemporary History, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal. Head of the research project Amilcar Cabral: From Political History to the Politics of Memory (2016-19)."This work brings together a distinguished group of authors with expertise in Guinea-Bissau. Focused on the issue of instability, it explores a diverse array of relevant themes, making it an essential resource for understanding the state and politics of Guinea-Bissau. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the country."Álvaro Nóbrega, Universidade de Lisboa-ISCSP, Portugal."Political Instability in Guinea-Bissau constitutes an essential contribution to the academic work on Guinea-Bissau. Rather than taking a traditionally nationalist methodological approach to understanding politics in the country, this anthology simultaneously explores its micro-political undercurrents while situating them within their regional and global contexts. Guinea-Bissau is exceptionally interesting as a site of localized politics, yet even more so in terms of its irregular international entanglements. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in Guinea-Bissau specifically, as well as the intersection between development politics and global dynamics more broadly. It is highly recommendable."Henrik Vigh, Professor, Head of the Centre for Global Criminology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. "Political Instability in Guinea-Bissau”How can we make sense of the “perennial crisis” that seems to define Guinea-Bissau?This book offers a crucial contribution for academics, students, and analysts seeking to understand the country’s complex political and social landscape. Across 13 chapters, it unravels the intricate power dynamics at play through a comprehensive and multilevel approach, examining historical legacies, the agency of political leaders, structural conditions, and the role of civil society actors.Drawing on a diverse range of conceptual and analytical tools, the chapters explore themes such as non-developmental patrimonialism, political institutions, and gender perspectives. The book also sheds light on the instrumentalization of ethnic and religious cleavages, as well as the persisting influence of external actors at both regional and international levels.The result is a rich and nuanced dialogue that deepens our understanding of Guinea-Bissau’s enduring challenges and political complexity.Teresa Nogueira Pinto – Professor at Lusófona University, Portugal

• 1: Introduction: The multi-level politics of ‘instability’ in Guinea-Bissau 2: Amilcar Cabral Today: Collective Memory and Contemporary Social Narratives in Guinea-Bissau (and beyond) 3: The leadership of João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira in Guinea-Bissau (1980-1999 and 2005-2009) 4: Betrayed hopes – or the end of the regime of Kumba Yalá 5: Non-developmental neopatrimonialism in Guinea-Bissau and political instability 6: Instability in Guinea-Bissau Through an Analysis of its Political Institutions: Early 1990s-2023 7: Resisting State Politics 8: The 2019 National Elections in Guinea-Bissau: A Quantitative Analysis on Religious and Ethnic Voting 9: Gender and Social and Political Instability: Guiné-Bissau Padi Só Fidju Matchu! 10: Institutional Conflict-Prevention Policies: The Case of Guinea-Bissau in West Africa (2012-2018) 11: Regional conflict management and global politics: ECOWAS in Guinea-Bissau 12: Senegal and Guinea-Bissau: from global to regional geopolitics? 13: Cocaine and political (in)stability in Guinea-Bissau