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.
Author(s): Hussein Solomon, Jude Cocodia
Series: The Anthropocene: Politik―Economics―Society―Science, 36
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 192
City: Cham
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Contents
1 Introduction: African Security in the Age of the Anthropocene
1.1 Introduction
References
2 (Re)Thinking Security for the African Context
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Defining Security in the African Context
2.3 Two Securities and the Human Subject
2.4 Whither the African State?
2.5 Conclusion
References
3 Homer-Dixon’s Environmental Scarcity Theory and Potential for Conflict in the Nile River Basin (NRB)
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Environmental Scarcity Theory
3.2.1 Demand-Induced Scarcity
3.2.2 Supply-Induced Scarcity
3.2.3 Structural-Induced Scarcity
3.3 Theoretical Application: Environmental Scarcity Theory in the Nile River Basin
3.3.1 Demand-Induced Scarcity: Population Growth in the Nile River Basin
3.3.2 Supply-Induced Scarcity: Water Depletion and Degradation in the Nile River Basin
3.3.3 Land Degradation
3.4 The GERD Dispute: A Recipe for Nascent Conflict
3.5 Recommendations
3.5.1 African Union
3.5.2 Third-Party Involvement
3.5.3 Political Will Deficit
3.5.4 Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)
3.5.5 Third-Party Involvement
3.5.6 Political Deadlocks in the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA)
3.6 Conclusion
References
4 Climate-Security and the Anthropocene: The Case of Mali
4.1 Introduction
4.2 The Anthropocene
4.3 Climate-Security Nexus
4.4 Contextualizing Mali
4.5 The Origin of Mali’s Contemporary Conflict
4.6 Mali’s Climate Violence
4.7 Conclusion
References
5 Exploring the Interface Between the African State, African Security, and the African Union in the Anthropocene Age
5.1 Introduction
5.1.1 State Security, Human Security, and Inter-State Collaboration: Africa’s Regional Conundrum
5.1.2 Can the African Union be Less State-Centric?
5.1.3 How Do We Break This Impasse?
References
6 Resource-Based Conflicts in Africa
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Conflicts in Africa
6.3 Natural Wealth and Society: The Anthropocene Perspective
6.4 Resource-Based Conflicts in African Society
6.5 Corruption and Resource-Based Conflicts in Africa
6.6 Conclusion
References
7 African Armed Forces and the Need for Security: Making Sense of Realities
7.1 Introduction
7.2 A Word on Military Capabilities
7.3 African Militaries, Historic Realities, and National Identity
7.4 African Militaries and the Democratic Project
7.5 Africa’s Military Professionalism
7.6 Operational Complexities of African Militaries
7.7 Conclusion
References
8 Identity, Cohesion, and Nigeria’s Security Question Amid Anthropogenic Pressures
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Nigeria’s Dark Past
8.3 The Onset of the Civil War, Local Forces, Identity Politics, and the Failure of State
8.4 Oil as an Anthropogenic Pressure and the Nigerian Civil War
8.5 State-Sponsored Horizontal Inequality, Ethnic Tensions, and Instability in Nigeria
8.6 Ethnic Politics and the Resource Curse: Imprints of the Anthropocene
8.7 Conclusion
References
9 The Role of Foreign Actors in African Security
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Security Assemblages and Intervention in the Sahara-Sahel
9.3 Mali and the Sahara-Sahel: The Legacies of Foreign Intervention in the Age of the Anthropocene
9.4 Conclusion
References
10 Insecurity and Regional Actors’ Role in Securing Africa: An Analysis of the Role of ECOWAS, SADC, and IGAD in Countering Terrorism
10.1 Introduction
10.2 Conceptualizing Regional Security Cooperation
10.3 African Union Security Framework in Fighting Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Africa
10.4 Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Western, Eastern, and Southern Africa
10.5 Subregional Security Strategy in Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Eastern, Western and Southern Africa
10.5.1 Countering Violent Extremism in West Africa
10.5.2 Countering Violent Extremism in Southern Africa
10.5.3 Countering Violent Extremism in Eastern Africa
10.6 Conclusion: Weaknesses in Subregional and Inter-Subregional Security Cooperation in Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism
References
11 Conclusion: The Future of African Security: Final Thoughts
About the University of the Free State
About the Editors
About the Contributors
Book Endorsements
Index
