Jens Herpolsheimer – författare

This book studies relevant actors and practices of conflict intervention by African regional organizations and their intimate connection to space-making, addressing a major gap regarding what actually happens within and around these organizations. Based on extensive empirical research, it argues that those intervention practices are essentially spatializing practices, based on particular spatial imaginations, contributing to the continuous construction and formatting of regional spaces as well as to ordering relations between different regional spaces. Analyzing the field of developing practices of conflict intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU), the book contributes a new theory-oriented analytical approach to study African regional organizations (ROs) and the complex dynamics of African peace and security, based on insights from Critical Geography. As such, it helps to close an empirical gap with regard to the ‘internal’ modes of operation of African ROs as well as the lack of their theorization. It demonstrates that, contrary to most accounts, intervention practices of African ROs have been diverse and complexly interrelated, involving different actors within and around these organizations, and are essentially tied to the space-making. This book will be of key interest to students and scholars of African Politics, Governance, Peace and Security Studies, International or Regional Organizations and more broadly to Comparative Regionalism, International Relations and International Studies.

This book studies relevant actors and practices of conflict intervention by African regional organizations and their intimate connection to space-making, addressing a major gap regarding what actually happens within and around these organizations. Based on extensive empirical research, it argues that those intervention practices are essentially spatializing practices, based on particular spatial imaginations, contributing to the continuous construction and formatting of regional spaces as well as to ordering relations between different regional spaces. Analyzing the field of developing practices of conflict intervention by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU), the book contributes a new theory-oriented analytical approach to study African regional organizations (ROs) and the complex dynamics of African peace and security, based on insights from Critical Geography. As such, it helps to close an empirical gap with regard to the ‘internal’ modes of operation of African ROs as well as the lack of their theorization. It demonstrates that, contrary to most accounts, intervention practices of African ROs have been diverse and complexly interrelated, involving different actors within and around these organizations, and are essentially tied to the space-making. This book will be of key interest to students and scholars of African Politics, Governance, Peace and Security Studies, International or Regional Organizations and more broadly to Comparative Regionalism, International Relations and International Studies.

How can we make sense of the persistent political instability in Guinea-Bissau, a small country that has hosted extensive international interventions and made world news headlines over several decades? This book tackles this question, arguing for the need to understand politics in Guinea-Bissau as intricately linked to and deeply embedded in transnational, regional and trans-regional dynamics.Taking a multidimensional approach, the book brings together international scholars who have studied politics in Guinea-Bissau and Africa for many years, at different levels and from diverse perspectives. Together, the contributors provide an up-to-date analysis of crucial actors and processes, whilst also putting them in historical perspective. The volume connects the study of politics in Guinea-Bissau to a range of empirical phenomena and theoretical debates that have wider relevance far beyond its borders. In this way, it enables a better understanding of regional and international politics, demonstrating how apparently marginal cases are not marginal at all, but are actively entangled in broader multi-dimensional politics.With important new perspectives and insights both on Guinea-Bissau, and wider regional dynamics, this book will be an important read for researchers and policy makers involved in African politics and security issues.

How can we make sense of the persistent political instability in Guinea-Bissau, a small country that has hosted extensive international interventions and made world news headlines over several decades? This book tackles this question, arguing for the need to understand politics in Guinea-Bissau as intricately linked to and deeply embedded in transnational, regional and trans-regional dynamics.Taking a multidimensional approach, the book brings together international scholars who have studied politics in Guinea-Bissau and Africa for many years, at different levels and from diverse perspectives. Together, the contributors provide an up-to-date analysis of crucial actors and processes, whilst also putting them in historical perspective. The volume connects the study of politics in Guinea-Bissau to a range of empirical phenomena and theoretical debates that have wider relevance far beyond its borders. In this way, it enables a better understanding of regional and international politics, demonstrating how apparently marginal cases are not marginal at all, but are actively entangled in broader multi-dimensional politics.With important new perspectives and insights both on Guinea-Bissau, and wider regional dynamics, this book will be an important read for researchers and policy makers involved in African politics and security issues.