The State, Security, and Intervention beyond West Africa: examining the arc of instability and conflict on the continent of Africa

Abstract

Considering the tense moments of crises and conflicts which West Africa went through before the end of the Cold War, it was least expected that the post-cold-war era would unleash another moment of crisis—one that would be even more devastating to the entire continent. However, the end of the Cold War, and the events at the aftermath of 9/11, saw not only West Africa, but the entire African continent, immersed in a series of ongoing critical security paradoxes. This paper attempts to contribute to, and build upon, the insights of a key expert, Emmanuel Aning Kwesi, on the West Africa security conundrum as enunciated in the publication, “West Africa Security Perspectives: Kwesi Aning Explains,” published by the Danish Institute for International Studies. Emanuel Kwesi Aning, a Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Ghana, was tasked to explain how the West African subregion found itself smeared by critical security scenarios. Aning, in his discourse, focused on eight critical security challenges in the sub-region, including the weak nature of the state, the rise and existence of organised crime, illegal mining, climate change, demography and urbanization, armed robbery at sea and piracy, security, and intervention. This paper continues the dialogue with Kwesi Aning by summarizing the eight critical security paradoxes into three major areas: the character of the state, the nature of security, and the necessity for external intervention. This paper also goes beyond the West African scenario in which Professor Kwesi Aning situated his discourse and submits that this challenge is not only for West Africa, but for the entire continent.