David Francis

External Interventions in Africa’s Internal Conflicts: Beyond the Quick Fix, Short-term & Exit Strategy Orientation: 

External Interventions in Africa’s Internal Conflicts: Beyond the Quick Fix, Short-term & Exit Strategy Orientation Dr. David J. Francis Director, Africa Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies, Dept. of Peace Studies, University of Bradford

Setting the Context: Africa’s Internal Conflicts: 

Setting the Context: Africa’s Internal Conflicts Mapping Conflict Situations in Africa 18 Active Wars & Armed Conflicts (2002) Africa: Home to Longest-running civil Wars Post-colonial Africa: Wrecked by both Inter-state & Intra-state Wars With Devastating Consequences

Some Labelling of Africa’s Wars & Armed Conflicts: 

Some Labelling of Africa’s Wars & Armed Conflicts

Regionalisation of Domestic Civil Wars in Africa: 

Regionalisation of Domestic Civil Wars in Africa Conflict Formation & Regional Security Complex in Africa Fire Next Door in West Africa & Great Lakes Region / Bad Neighbourhood Global Political Economy Dimension: War Economies Driven by forces of Globalisation Implications for Conflict & Development Interventions: Relevance of Regional Response

Some Dominant Theoretical Interpretations: Implications for Conflict Analysis: 

Some Dominant Theoretical Interpretations: Implications for Conflict Analysis A. Identify-based Wars Ethnicity: ‘Blood & Bone Debate’ Religion: Fundamentalist / Radical / Political Islam Contested Identities (e.g. Nationalism, Race/ Civilisational Clash) B. Resources-based Wars Resource-abundance / Resource-scarcity Debate Paul Collier’s ‘Greed & Grievance’ Thesis Political Economy Analysis: Neo-patrimonialism & Rentierism Implications for International Policy Approaches & Responses to African Conflicts Often Simplistic & Pigeonhole Analysis Inappropriate Policy Responses & Ill-defined Solutions

Politics of External Intervention: 

Politics of External Intervention Intervention ‘by whom’, ‘for what’, and what ‘expected outcome’? Who determines intervention (agency/structure, i.e. parliament, Prime Minister/President, Key Minister)? How is intervention ‘dressed up: humanitarianism, regime change or democratic engineering?

External Interventions in African Conflicts: Typology: 

External Interventions in African Conflicts: Typology Military Interventions / Forcible Interventions 1. UN Peacekeeping & Peace Support Operations 2. External Pivotal State Peacekeeping / Conflict Stabilisation Interventions (Mostly by former colonial powers) Mercenaries/Private Military Companies: ‘Private Peace’ Conflict Stabilisation Interventions 4. AU / Regional Organisations Peacekeeping & Conflict Management Interventions: AU: Darfur- Sudan ECOWAS/ ECOMOG: West Africa SADC –AAF: DRC / Great Lakes

B. Non-military Interventions / Non-forcible Interventions: 

B. Non-military Interventions / Non-forcible Interventions Conflict & Development Interventions: Donor Governments, EU, IFIs, & Global Governance Institutions (UN, IMF, World Bank) Development Aid (Bilateral & Multi-lateral): As Foreign Policy Humanitarian Emergency Response Media and ‘Hopeless Africa’ Intervention

Underlying ‘Philosophy’ of External Interventions in African Conflicts: 

Underlying ‘Philosophy’ of External Interventions in African Conflicts Ideology of New Internationalism: Tony Blair’s ‘Scar on the Conscience of the World’ Media ‘Hopeless’ Continent & the ‘Whiteman’ Burden: ‘Do something Mentality’ Normative & Moral Imperatives Global Public Good to ‘help’ Africa Common Security: Africa as ‘Soft Underbelly’ in the War on Terror Strategy for the Maintenance of International System Status Quo Externally imposed internal order: based on premise of internal decay This is the underlying principle of post-war peacebuilding in Africa, based on imposition of Liberal peace project

Missing Links & Gaps: 

Missing Links & Gaps Lack of Recognition of Role of West in Creation of ‘Hopeless Africa’ External Interventions based on Quick Fix, Short-term & Exit Strategy Focus on ‘Good Enough Government’ in Transition Societies, without Commitment to Peacebuilding

Beyond the Quick Fix Approach: 

Beyond the Quick Fix Approach Africa Centre’s / University of Bradford’s Work on External Interventions in African Conflicts Challenging dominant Donor-driven Analysis of African Conflicts and Intervention Strategies Encourage/Facilitate External Conflict & Development Interventions based on Local Ownership & Sustainability

Africa Centre’s Capacity Development for Peacebuilding: 

Africa Centre’s Capacity Development for Peacebuilding Some Programmatic Areas: Education for Peace Cluster Programme African Universities & Teacher Education Colleges Curriculum & Staff Development in Peace & Conflict Studies Second Generation Police & Military Forces Peacetime Training & Education 2. Human Security Cluster Social Reintegration of Child Soldiers in Africa