Browsing by Author "Attuquayefio, P."
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Item Between Conflict and Co-Operation: Globalisation and the Future of International Relations(2008) Attuquayefio, P.In the past decade or two, the concept of Globalisation has received extensive hype in academic and developmental dialogue. While an overwhelming number of such discussions cite globalisation as involving the removal of some form of boundary and other cooperative phenomena, a critical examination of all the processes globalisation stimulates reveals that it has the potential of generating or sustaining conflict in international relations. This article examines the co-operative aspects of globalisation. It also explores some positions that point to the possibility of increased conflict in international relations. In looking at the prospects for co-operation this article discusses Immanuel Kant’s tripod of courses namely-democracy, membership in international institutions and economic interdependence.it also presents the territorial argument and the neo-liberal perspective of increase in international co-operation due to realisation of common interests and the gradual elimination of cultural barriers . As regards the prospects for conflicts in international relations, the article discusses the challenges arising from the globalisation of political values as well as culture, threats from the internet, challenges of social injustice and international terrorism. On the basis of the discussion the article concludes that the future of international relations insofar as globalisation is concerned, lies between conflict and co-operation. Consequently, it recommends that the apparent mass delusion about the absolutely positive aspects of globalisation must be replaced by conscious efforts by all stakeholders in international relations to ensure that the factors that generate conflict are acknowledged and efforts made at addressing them, while those that enhance co-operation are encouraged.Item Between the Tiger and the Deep Blue Sea: A Critique of Western Perspectives on Contemporary Sino-Africa Relations(2012) Attuquayefio, P.; Darkwa, L.; Torto, B.Within the last ten years, China has made significant economic and political inroads in Africa. It has enhanced relations with a significant number of African countries and its trade volume increased from US$20billion in 2001 to an excess of US$114.8billion in2010. China’s involvement in Africa has generated interests from many quarters within the international community. While it appears that most African countries are keen on replicating China’s success story in Africa, perspectives on Sino-African relations largely emanating from the West, generally pointing to some form of continental exploitation by China. These perspectives are based on China’s dealings with countries such as Sudan, Zimbabwe and Guinea, largely considered as countries with politically repressive governments, disregard for environmental corollaries, unequal negotiating ground between China and African countries, and excessive control of Africa’s resources. Operating from a realist conceptualization of international relations, and using mainly qualitative data, this article presents a critique of the West’s perspectives on contemporary Sino-African relations. It proceeds on the hypothesis that contemporary Sino-African relations are mutually beneficial to China and Africa. It concludes that on the basis of the mutual benefits, African countries are likely to sustain their relations with China.Item Changing perspectives in the didactics of international affairs in Ghana(Changing Perspectives on the Social Sciences in Ghana, 2014-05) Attuquayefio, P.; Darkwa, L.The sheer velocity of global trends outpaces developments in many areas of study. This statement rings no truer than in the practice and discipline of International Relations in Ghana. The early study of the discipline in Ghana was subsumed under the study of Political Science, restricted largely to the areas of foreign relations, economic integration and international law and heavily influenced by the writings of practitioners from the immediate post-independence period. However, dynamic changes in world politics have necessitated and indeed provided the impetus for a movement towards re-engineering conventional thinking on International Relations in Ghana. In particular, the dynamics of the pre and post-Cold War eras, intractable armed conflicts within the sub-region and the twin processes of globalization and integration have necessitated the acquisition of additional expertise and skill sets by international relations practitioners. Consequently, it has become imperative to provide educational instruction which would equip practitioners with the needed tools. Using a mix of primary and secondary materials, the chapter reviews the evolution of the didactics of international affairs in Ghana, highlighting the epochal transformations and offering recommendations on ways of enhancing the utility of the discipline through the content and methodology of teaching.Item Co-opting Human Security and Deductions for Security Policy-Making in Ghana(2012) Attuquayefio, P.Popularized in development and security parlance by the Human Development report of 1994, human security emphasizes prevention and protection of people from critical and pervasive threats that violently disrupt lives. Its conceptual basis derives from the inadequacy of the state-centric conception of security to comprehensively address threats to people, particularly those of a non-military nature. Despite agreement over the importance of making the individual the referent object of security, specific threats that should be considered under human security are inconclusive. Additionally, critics argue that human security merely echoes aspects of human rights and development studies and as such, has nothing new to offer. These issues continue to hamper efforts to co-opt the concept into the mainstream of security dialogue and policy-making. Through content analysis of secondary data, this article presents obstructions to the co-optation of human security into the mainstream of the security dialogue and policy-making and juxtaposes it against trends that appear to be promoting its integration in relevant fields of endeavour. It argues that far from being an abstract idea, human security meets a tangible need. Using Ghana as a case study, the article hints at possible implications of the co-optation of human security on security policy-making in Ghana.Item Drones, the US and the New Wars in Africa.(2014-09) Attuquayefio, P.Among the evolving challenges to global peace and security are the growing incidents of terrorism in Africa. With cases in Nigeria, Mali, Algeria, Somalia and Libya among others, the continent is fast earning a moniker as a major frontier in the US-led Global War on Terrorism. A key counterterrorism measure in this regard has been the controversial reliance on Drones. This paper examines terrorism in Africa and the US’ response in the context of drones. It argues that notwithstanding the politico-legal conundrums, drones are a useful complement to multidimensional strategies that can yield game-changing interventions in the fight against terrorism in Africa.Item Exploring Suicide Terrorism and its Threat to International Security(2006) Attuquayefio, P.Suicide Terrorism as a phenomenon dates back to the biblical Sampson and his destruction of the Philistine temple. Modern expressions of the phenomenon are however traceable to the 1972 attack at the LOD Airport in Tel Aviv where a member of the Red Army organization blew himself up, killing and wounding several people. The popularity of the phenomenon received a great boost by events of the September 11, 2001 against the United States of America (USA). Since then, the international community has witnessed many more of such attacks than had occurred previously. With the popularity of the phenomenon and the continued presence of some of the issues that motivate such attacks, there is no gainsaying that the International Community will continue to witness such attacks. This article attempts to examine the phenomenon of suicide terrorism and the threat it poses to international security. In doing this, it attempts an examination of the concept of suicide terrorism and the motivations or rationale for the phenomenon. In particular, it attempts an explanation of why efforts at managing the phenomenon have not achieved much. The central argument in this regard is that the international community has failed to manage the phenomenon successfully because of certain misconceptions that have influenced strategies developed to deal with the phenomenon. Consequently, such strategies have rather than quell the incidence of suicide attacks, provoked a cycle of retributive actions that in themselves constitute terrorism.it concludes by calling for the de-emphasis of harsh military tactics in addressing the phenomenon. In its place, it proposes a transformational approach that utilizes both combative and non-combative approaches to addressing the phenomenon of suicide terrorism.Item Killing to Protect? Land guards, State Subordination and Human Rights in Ghana.(2012) Darkwa, L.; Attuquayefio, P.Since the return to constitutional rule, Ghana has intensified efforts to promote human rights. However there are several challenges with the promotion of property rights, especially with regard to land ownership. This challenge ,borne out of the tensions between the modern and the traditional state is exacerbated by the plural legal systems in place as well as the challenges of rapid urbanisation and a high unemployment rate, particularly in Greater Accra Region. The liberal market system promoted by Ghana’s return to constitutional rule led to increased investment in land and demands for greater security in land title. This led to efforts aimed at land reform. These notwithstanding, the inability of the state to enforce its rules and elicit compliance have meant that the land market remains a minefield. The consequence has been the emergence of private security service providers who employ illegal means of enforcement to protect land and landed property. Popularly known as land guards, these security providers are the nightmare of land owners in Greater Accra region. Using primary and secondary sources, this paper examines the rationale behind the demand and supply of land guard services and the implications of such services on property rights in Ghana. We conclude that the weak law enforcement capabilities of the state and rampant corruption in the land management institutions facilitate conflicts in land markets and encourage people to resort to individual security mechanisms. We argue that as long as such illicit security measures are employed, the state’s authority and monopoly over the use of force will remain irrelevant in the land sector.Item Post-Conflict Reconstruction in Liberia-Whither the Peace Dividends?(2008) Gebe, B.Y.D.; Attuquayefio, P.In 1989, Liberia was plunged into one of the most devastating civil wars ever witnessed in the West African sub region. After eight year of war during which several factions of the warring parties emerged, a truce was reached leading to the election in July 1997, of Charles Taylor as President of the Republic of Liberia. Taylor’s ascendancy to the presidency however did not end the conflict. Challenged by factions that were made up basically of his former allies, namely the Liberians United for Reconstruction and Development (LURD) in 2001 and later by the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), an International Criminal Court arrest warrant hanging over his head, amidst the conclusion of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Accra, Taylor was forced into exile in Nigeria in 2003. In 2005, following democratic elections supervised by the United Nations, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf assumed power as President of the Republic of Liberia. Since then, Liberia has been engaged in a process of post-conflict reconstruction. With considerable UNMIL presence in Liberia, a significant number of aid agencies present and a population worn out by years of war, it is not far-fetched to expect that the peace achieved will last. This notwithstanding, examples of post-conflict countries that have relapsed into violent conflict abound in Africa. This together with indications of some unresolved issues relating to the conflict makes it prudent to question the extent to which the peace dividends if any achieved, can be sustained. This study thus, attempts to examine the post conflict reconstruction of Liberia based on information gathered on the field. It is with the aim of ascertaining the extent to which the peace reached is sustainable.Item Security in the 21st century: Trends, prospects and challenges(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Attuquayefio, P.Within the social sciences, the concept of security and its implications for policy has attracted considerable attention particularly since the end of the Cold War. At the core of this is a constructivist move geared towards representing security in terms that reflect its contemporary usages. The evolving expansion of the notion of security has engendered policy relevant scholarship on a variety of issues. The panel explores some implications of the expanding conceptualisation of security in the 21st Century focusing on the trends, prospects and challenges. In Breaking the Cybersecurity Dilemma: Balancing National Security and Human Security in Cyberspace, Otoo explores the relevance of human security as a solution to the cybersecurity dilemma that arises as a result of the use of cyberspace as an operational domain for surveillance and cyber warfare. In Interrogating the Concept and Practice of Collective Security Regimes in the 21" Century, Darkwa examines the strengths and limitations of the current international collective security architecture and proffers options for enhancing its utility in addressing contemporary security challenges. In "Hacktivism and its Implications for International Security in the 21" Century'; Oduro Marfo also focuses on the implications of hacker for international security, foreign policy formulation and the theoretical debate in international relations regarding how states behave. In Historicising Security Policy Making in Africa: A Human Security Dimension, Attuquayefio attempts to influence a recalibration of security policy making by tracing the development of security policies in Africa and juxtaposing it by contemporary realities in security consideration. Finally, Appiah assesses the possibility of increased conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa if the regions extractives driven growth is not accompanied with better human development for its growing youthful population in The Chasm between rising Incomes and Human Development and its potential for Conflict in Resource Intensive Countries.Item Security policy making in Africa: A human security perspective(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Attuquayefio, P.The rubrics for security policy making in Africa since independence have been largely dictated by a confluence of intern al and external factors. These have included the country's colonial heritage; the Cold War and its vestiges at some point; post-independence governance dynamics that manifested in political instability and the inability of successive regimes to adequately define the boundaries between regime and state security. In all these the object has oscillated from maintaining the territorial integrity of the polity, to ensuring sovereignty both from an internal and external dimension. Consequently, the concept of National Security has provided the framework as well as serve as the lynchpin for security policy making. With the growing reality of population-centered threats worldwide, human security considerations are becoming sine qua non for effective security policy making globally. Within the African context, this demands the recalibration of the understanding and implementation of security policy. This paper traces the development of security policies in Africa and juxtaposes it by contemporary realities in security consideration. This is aimed at justifying the need for population centeredness in the consideration of securityItem Towards Sustainable Post-Conflict Development in Africa: The Promise of Human Security(2013) Attuquayefio, P.Since the end of the Cold War, rebuildinginfrastructure, political and social institutions, and generally creating conditions that sustain peace and development in post conflict countries have become a staple in the business of the international community. The recent Arab Springs in North Africa and ongoing challenges in Syria have generated even more post-conflict and peace-consolidating concerns for the international community. At the center of these conflicts are human beings. Any meaningful plan for post-conflict development must therefore protect and empower individuals affected by violent conflict. This is in accordance with human security which generically advocates for the individual as the referent object of security. This notwithstanding, the current practice is dominated by the liberal democratic paradigm and traditional notions of security that stress the security of the state often above the security of the individuals living in the state. Consequently,the focus has tended to be on improving macro-economic indices, organizing democratic elections and building democratic institutions in a manner that make these institutions look like ends rather than means to an end. The implication has often been the inability to restore confidence in post-conflicts governments timely enough to garner support from war-affected population for sustained post conflict development. It is therefore not surprising that a number of post-conflict countries are challenged by the threat of relapse. In interrogating the context of post-conflict development, this paper argues that a holistic application of the human security framework is the lynchpin to preventing relapse in post-conflict countries. It further notes that in its application, human security should remain at the core of strategy rather than ancillary to other strategies.