African Perspectives on Global Pandemics and the Challenges of Peace and Security

Masake Pilisano Harris is associate dean for the School of Human Sciences and Education at the Namibia University of Science and Technology.Richard Obinna Iroanya is senior lecturer of the School of Military Science at the University of Namibia, Windhoek.

This timely collection coincides with both a period of reflection on the implications of the recent global COVID pandemic and the important resurgence of African perspectives on global issues. The editors draw from a diverse range of academics and policy makers to focus on how pandemics in general and COVID in particular affected how various state actors responded to and took advantage of the challenges that public health crises posed. Contributors cover specific case studies across the continent, from Nigeria to Namibia and Zimbabwe, as well as the wider dimensions of American and Chinese responses to the pandemic as they affected the African continent. Each chapter is grounded in political theories related to security studies and treats the centrality of public health crises to state security and people’s well-being. Given the diversity of approaches, readers may find it hard to compare the case studies. The collection is, nevertheless, useful for gaining a better understanding of African views on the pandemic and includes important voices that hitherto have not always been valued. Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty.

• Foreword by Hon. Dr. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah Introduction by Richard Obinna Iroanya & Masake Pilisano Harris Chapter 1: Pandemics and State Survival: Restating the Relevance of Realism in the Fight Against Covid 19 by Richard Obinna Iroanya & Nawases RosetaChapter 2: The Impetus and Challenges in Securitizing Pandemics and Lessons for the Future by Masake Pilisano Harris & Mbetu GamuchiraiChapter 3: The Politicization of Covid-19: US-China Hostility and Global Peace and Security by Mude Torgue, Makaye Peter & Nguluwe GabriellaChapter 4: The Politics of Quarantine and Nigeria’s National Security: A Focus on Pandemics by Eke Udochu & Stanley MalamatjaChapter 5: Implications of Covid-19 Pandemic for National Security: A Policy Consideration by Kennedy Kaumba Mabuku & Opeoluwa OyedeleChapter 6: Covid-19 Lockdown, Civil-Military Relations and Human Security: Perspectives from Namibian and Zimbabwean Experiences by Mude Torque, Shipena Dortea, & Nguluwe GabriellaChapter 7: Assessing the Challenges Experienced by the Namibian Security Sector in the Fight Against the Covid-19 Pandemic by Shipena Dortea, Fenni Taleiko Hamukwaya & Richard Obinna IroanyaChapter 8: Implications of Covid-19 (State of Emergency-lockdown) on the Commission of Crime and Criminality by Waneipo Ndilipunye Michael & Dzimiri PatrickChapter 9: Impact of Covid-19 on the Workforce and the Question of Job Security: The Plight of Workers from the Namibian by Libebe Lizazi, Masake Pilisano Harris & Mbukusa NchindoChapter 10: Managing Conflicts: The Impact of Covid-19 on Conflicts and Conflict Resolution in Africa by Kennedy Kaumba Mabuku & Vuma PhillipEpilogue: Africa and the World Beyond Covid-19 by Richard Obinna Iroanya & Masake Pilisano Harris About the EditorsAbout the Contributors