Jude Cocodia – författare

This book offers a detailed examination of the effectiveness of the peacekeeping operations of the African Union.Despite its growing reputation in peacekeeping and its status as the oldest continental peacekeeper, the performance of the African Union (AU) has hitherto not been assessed. This book fills that gap and analyses six case studies: Burundi, Comoros, Somalia, Mali, Darfur and the Central African Republic. From a methodological perspective it takes a problem-solving approach and utilises process tracing in its analysis, with its standard for success resting on achieving negative peace (the cessation of violence and provision of security). Theoretically, this study offers a comprehensive list of factors drawn from peace literature and field experience which influence the outcome of peacekeeping. Beyond the major issues, such as funding, international collaboration and mandate, this work also examines the impact of largely ignored factors such as force integrity and territory size. The book modifies the claim of peace literature on what matters for success and advocates the indispensability of domestic elite cooperation, local initiative and international political will. It recognises the necessity of factors such as lead state and force integrity for certain peace operations. In bringing these factors together, this study expands the peacekeeping debate on what matters for stability in conflict areas.This book will be of much interest to students of peacekeeping, African politics, war and conflict studies, and International Relations in general.

This book examines Indigenous alternative solutions to the conflict in Somalia that were available prior to the African Union’s (AU) peacekeeping operation – AMISOM. Bearing the long-standing stalemate with Al-Shabaab, this book contends that the AU should retrace its steps and utilise these Indigenous approaches else it would lose out in a protracted war. AMISOM was a product of the extremely biased mainstream/Western narrative that has done great harm on the continent. So it is high time Africans tell their story of what the issues really are and encourage its IGOs to do the same in addressing issues on the continent, Somalia inclusive. The Single Story Thesis was the method of analysis adopted for this book.

Much has been written on security in Africa—its democratic deficit, poor civil-military relations, and myriad conflicts—but these are often treated in isolation from one another. This book takes a different approach, as it links all of these issues to the dynamics of the Anthropocene. Penned by African scholars on the continent and in the diaspora, it examines the different challenges not as separate entities but as outcomes of the Anthropocene Age. In this geological epoch, humans have become a global force—unfortunately, not necessarily for good. The interaction between humans and the climate, the effects of waste, the impact of pollution on marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the loss of biodiversity, and the change in the chemical composition of the soil, oceans and atmosphere are key identifiers of the age of the Anthropocene. This has fueled conflict and instability from the vast swathes of the Sahel to Somalia. Responding to these issues of insecurity without understanding their inter-connectedness and how this relates to the environment can only result in failure. From this perspective, the current structures in place are inadequate for the task of confronting insecurity at the state and continental levels, as represented by the African Union. What is needed is a radical reevaluation of Africa’s security architecture and approach to security. This necessitates pooling sovereignty on a continental and global level. It necessitates less state-centric responses that include civil society and the business community as equal partners of states in order to collectively confront insecurity in the age of the Anthropocene.•The authors are  academics, policy makers and military veterans who have worked in building capacity on the African continent•The book is comprehensive in scope, strong on theory, pragmatic in policy and reflects experience from the field.•The authors approach makes the book easy, interesting and intriguing.

This book argues that these failures stem from a persistent neglect of the region’s complex historical, political, and socio-economic realities. Terrorism in the Sahel has deep historical roots, yet many analyses overlook this long continuum and treat the violence as a recent development. Such ahistorical approaches have contributed to repeated policy failures. Regional and international counter‑terrorism initiatives—from ECOWAS and the African Union to long-standing U.S. training programs and Russia’s newer military engagements—have achieved little in reversing the militants’ expansion. Heavy-handed operations, particularly by Russian forces, have further alienated local populations.National security strategies cannot succeed within a transnational conflict system that spans the Sahel’s vast, porous landscapes. International interventions have often reinforced authoritarian regimes while ignoring the structural drivers of radicalization and the infiltration of state institutions by militant actors.Drawing on historical analysis and contemporary field dynamics, this book traces the emergence of key Islamist movements, examines the socio-economic factors sustaining them, and provides a detailed profile of the major groups operating across the Sahel. It also evaluates the effectiveness of regional and global counter-terrorism actors. The concluding recommendations outline practical measures to reduce the influence of Salafist jihadism and promote genuine long-term stability in the region.