The Ghana Armed Forces as a Foreign Policy Tool in Ecowas Military Intervention Since the End of the Cold War

Abstract

The study explored the significance of Ghana’s participation in international peacekeeping as a tool in the pursuit of the country’s foreign policy objectives. In pursuance of the mission of the Ghana Armed Forces, it provides troops for United Nations, Commonwealth, African Union and sub-regional peacekeeping operations. Through secondary and primary data, the study interrogated the role of the GAF in Ghana’s foreign policy formulation and implementation in the area of PSOs in West Africa between 1990 and 2016. Secondly, the study rationalized Ghana’s participation in these PSOs and how it has inured to achieving our foreign policy objectives. Findings from the study suggests that participation in international peacekeeping has been a core foreign policy tool since 1957 and the GAF participation in international peacekeeping constitutes one of the various ways through which Ghana’s foreign policy is conducted. Also the GAF implements foreign policy and ensures peace in the sub region by providing troops for United Nations, Commonwealth, African Union and sub-regional peacekeeping operations, which are all in tandem with Ghana’s foreign policy of good neighbourliness and multilateralism. The GAF has effectively served Ghana’s foreign policy in the international stage and especially in the ECOWAS sub region. The study concludes that the GAF participation in international peacekeeping constitutes one of the various ways through which Ghana’s foreign policy of Pan Africanism; membership of international organizations, good neighbourliness and the maintenance of international peace and security are projected. The study recommends that the GAF must be well briefed and coached on Ghana’s foreign policy and be made aware that participating in international peacekeeping operations do not only constitute service to the GAF but plugs into the implementation of Ghana’s foreign policy.