Peace, Society, and the State in Africa – serie

For over fifty years, the people of South Sudan fought for the right to be citizens of an independent nation-state. When this goal was finally achieved, however, it quickly became evident that the South Sudanese nation was not nearly as cohesive as hoped. The result has been a catastrophic civil war. Spanning South Sudan’s nation-building struggle from its inception up until the current civil war, this book challenges the notion that the continued violence of this process can be reduced to either identity difference or the fault of individual leaders. Rather, it uses the leadership process to understand the complex progressions and relationships that have characterised South Sudan’s nation-building trajectory. The book argues that the core driving force behind the current conflict in South Sudan can be found not in ethnicity, the “resource curse” or power struggle, but in a set of destructive relationships that have fueled violence and oppression in the country for the better part of a century. This cyclical leadership process has entrapped the country in an increasingly destructive and contradictory nation-building process that continues to spiral and disintegrate.

For over fifty years, the people of South Sudan fought for the right to be citizens of an independent nation-state. When this goal was finally achieved, however, it quickly became evident that the South Sudanese nation was not nearly as cohesive as hoped. The result has been a catastrophic civil war. Spanning South Sudan’s nation-building struggle from its inception up until the current civil war, this book challenges the notion that the continued violence of this process can be reduced to either identity difference or the fault of individual leaders. Rather, it uses the leadership process to understand the complex progressions and relationships that have characterised South Sudan’s nation-building trajectory. The book argues that the core driving force behind the current conflict in South Sudan can be found not in ethnicity, the “resource curse” or power struggle, but in a set of destructive relationships that have fueled violence and oppression in the country for the better part of a century. This cyclical leadership process has entrapped the country in an increasingly destructive and contradictory nation-building process that continues to spiral and disintegrate.

In this book, Barney Walsh presents an in-depth study of China’s involvement in East Africa through specific focus on President Museveni of Uganda who has been uniquely influential in utilising China’s presence to shape regional security dynamics in his favour. Focussing primarily on the period 2010–2015, Walsh places the spotlight on the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ formed between Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, who undertook high-profile, exciting but controversial regional integration projects without Tanzania and Burundi. Key to those efforts were Chinese-funded mega-infrastructure projects, such as the Standard Gauge Railway and Uganda’s oil pipeline. Walsh’s analysis of the East African Community (EAC) reveals China’s role in ongoing security issues related to terrorism, resulting from the country’s role in small arms and light weapons (SALW) proliferation and the global ivory trade. Additionally, China is heavily implicated in the region’s ‘oil sector’, as it is a market for oil, involved in developing the sector, and a key partner in mega-infrastructure construction. Throughout this, though the EAC as an institution has been trying to stabilise regional security dynamics and strengthen its institutional role, it has been unduly influenced by the personalities and presence of key African leaders. Here, Museveni’s role in such processes has been crucial, as he has made great efforts to utilise Chinese engagement in order to shape regional processes.

In this book, Barney Walsh presents an in-depth study of China’s involvement in East Africa through specific focus on President Museveni of Uganda who has been uniquely influential in utilising China’s presence to shape regional security dynamics in his favour. Focussing primarily on the period 2010–2015, Walsh places the spotlight on the ‘Coalition of the Willing’ formed between Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda, who undertook high-profile, exciting but controversial regional integration projects without Tanzania and Burundi. Key to those efforts were Chinese-funded mega-infrastructure projects, such as the Standard Gauge Railway and Uganda’s oil pipeline. Walsh’s analysis of the East African Community (EAC) reveals China’s role in ongoing security issues related to terrorism, resulting from the country’s role in small arms and light weapons (SALW) proliferation and the global ivory trade. Additionally, China is heavily implicated in the region’s ‘oil sector’, as it is a market for oil, involved in developing the sector, and a key partner in mega-infrastructure construction. Throughout this, though the EAC as an institution has been trying to stabilise regional security dynamics and strengthen its institutional role, it has been unduly influenced by the personalities and presence of key African leaders. Here, Museveni’s role in such processes has been crucial, as he has made great efforts to utilise Chinese engagement in order to shape regional processes.

An illuminating and comprehensive interrogation of the impacts of corruption on state structures and institutions in Africa from two expert African scholars.Focusing on a variety of institutions and establishments – from the judiciary to the legislature, civil service to religion, tertiary education to national economies – and drawing on key countries across the continent, including Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, the book explains why national, continental and global initiatives addressing corruption have achieved such limited success. This provides a much-needed nuanced understanding of corruption which rejects stereotypical depictions of Africa as a corruption-ridden continent and also offers new insights into the international community's role in making and sustaining corrupt systems in Africa.