Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy
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Item The African Union and the quest for peace and security in Africa: 2002-2012(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Appiah, J.A significant challenge that confronted the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) throughout its establishment was the successful management of intra-state conflicts. The OAU was criticised for its lack of intervention in these conflicts due to its Charter provision of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states. The launch of the African Union in 2002 signalled a new era in the quest for peace and security in Africa. The AU initiated important steps towards the creation of an African Peace and Security Architecture for the management and maintenance of conflicts. The AU's Constitutive Act further gives the right of intervention in the internal affairs of members to the Union. Since its establishment, the AU has lunched military and diplomatic operations in Burundi, Sudan, Somalia, Comoros, Togo, Ivory Coast, Niger, Madagascar, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Libya among others. The main objective of this study is to assess the African Union's management of the African Peace and Security Architecture since its formation to see what has been achieved via interventions and what remains problematic in the quest for peace and security in Africa. The study hypothesised that although the African Union's doctrine of non-indifference has galvanized its young institutions of peace and security into making significant strides in the conduct of peace operations on the continent, it has had very limited effect on the success of interventions. The research findings noted that whiles the AU has demonstrated commitment to address conflicts in Africa; it faces severe capacity constraints that does not auger well for the Union's future in peace and securityItem Breaking the cybersecurity dilemma: Balancing national security and human security in cyberspace(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Otoo, C.In today's world the ubiquity of cyberspace brings cyber-threats and the measures to counter them to the apex of the modern security dialogue. In the post-Snowden era, national approaches to cybersecurity seem to be sparking a 'digital arms race' rather than fostering more security. Hence cyberspace presents a dilemma of epic proportions which challenges the traditional notions of state-centric security within the arena of international relations. The reason for this is the supranational architecture of cyberspace which makes it difficult for states to unilaterally securitize existing and emergent cyber-threats. It would be shown that when the individual is presented as a threat actor rather than the referent object of security, cyber-insecurity arises. Since cyberspace is a confluence of the human and electromagnetic operating environments, colonized by a multiplicity of actors, the security actions of states affect both the system and the actors within it. Furthermore, the intent of securing cyberspace through its militarization and balkanization would engender anarchy within this land of binary code, along with its unintended effect of increasing tensions within the comity of nations. One of the conundrums in cyberspace is that its' use as an operational domain for surveillance and cyber-warfare increases the threat exposure of citizens, the very people the state is sworn to protect. This paper interrogates the cybersecurity dilemma and explores the utility of the application of human security to cyberspaceItem The chasm between rising incomes and human development and its potential for conflict in resource intensive countries(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Appiah, S.Sub-Saharan Africa is home to much of the world's mineral reserves. South Africa produces 77% of the world's platinum and 46% of its chromite. The Democratic Republic of Congo produces 53% of the world's cobalt and 21 percent of the world's industrial diamonds. Angola is the fifth producer of diamonds in the world and Nigeria is the world's tenth largest producer of oil. Until the 1990s, this region did not generate much revenue from this wealth. This situation changed in the latter part of the 1990s. The 20 resource intensive countries in the region started gaining more money for their extractive exports partly as a result of increasing demand from China. This has contributed to what is now over a decade of consistent high economic growth. This has never before happened in the region's history. The extractives industry now produces about one-third of the GOP of the region and the 20 resource intensive countries contribute 79.6% of the region's GOP. The problem is that the economic growth has not translated into better human development in resource intensive countries-rather it seems to have widened the inequality gap. The 2005 United Nation's report on the World's Social Situation stated that, "violence associated with NATIONAL and international acts of terrorism should be viewed in the context of social inequality and disintegration". It added, "Violence is more common where inequalities are greater". Th is paper assesses the possibility of increased conflicts in the region if the regions extractives driven growth is not accompanied with better human development for its growing youthful populationItem Forced migration and transformation of refugees(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Coffie, A.There has been much talk about the transformational experience of refugee hosting communities, but relatively little about the impact of these societies on the forced migrants. Using the case of Liberian refugees in Ghana, this paper examines the transformational experience of refugees during the forced migration experience. The paper specifically examines how the structures of forced migration interact with the refugee's agency to transform both the resources of the refugees and the structures of forced migration. The research argues that the resource transformational experience of refugees is a result of the complex interplay between the structures of forced migration and the refugee's agency. Drawing on social constructivism's mutual constitution of structure and agents, the study highlights the various structures that refugees encounter as having different influences on different agents (refugees). It also provides a context within which to understand and examine how refugees as agents operate within structures of constraint and opportunity, which more or less likely leads to resource gains and lossesItem Hacktivism and its implications for international security in the 21st century(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Oduro-Marfo, S.Hacktivists by their non-state and often transnational nature, can due to internet technology, sit anywhere in the world and put pressure on any government to demand transparency, accountability and protection of human rights among others. Hacktivism thus immediately presents a complex for states. States are increasingly facing political activism that is pursued not only by residents within the state but immensely aided by several faceless internet users across the world. Again, hacktivists in the name of promoting global public interest go to the extent of accessing classified state information and leaking them into the public domain. This deepens the complex posed by hacktivism to states. If the secret actions and intentions of a state are leaked, that state cannot be sure of the reactions of its citizens and the international community to the declassified information. While hacktivists claim that their activities promote global public interest, targeted states have often decried hacktivism as a danger to international security. The hacktivist thus is a modern actor that potentially changes the dynamics of the international system and as such is worthy of academic investigation. The budding literature on hacktivism however, has paid more attention to the usage of hacktivism as a tool of protest; the legality of hacktivism and the ramifications of hacktivism for diplomacy. In this light, this study redirects focus to the implications of hacktivism for international security, foreign policy formulation and the theoretical debate in international relations regarding how states behaveItem Interrogating the concept and practice of collective security regimes in the 21st Century(University of Ghana, 2015-04-17) Darkwa, L.Although the end of the Cold War ushered in a period of enhanced security and development cooperation in the world, existing regimes for collective security have not been able to effectively prevent and respond to the contemporary security threats confronting the world today. Whilst the military security of states continue to constitute a significant consideration in the assurance of international security generally, the world is now confronted with non-military security threats that undermine military, social, economic and political security of states and their citizens. These new threats challenge the cooperation frameworks that have undergirded the collective security regime of the international community and expose states and regions to significant security risks. Using a literature review of existing works to profile the contemporary security challenges and documentary analysis of extant security frameworks, the paper interrogates the strengths and limitations of the current international collective security architecture and proffer options for enhancing its utility in addressing contemporary security challengesItem 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 security