Olusola Ogunnubi
Biographic Data
| ID | 200396 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Olusola Ogunnubi |
| GIVEN NAMES | Olusola |
| FAMILY NAME | Ogunnubi |
| SIGNATURE | OGUNNUBI O |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Zululand |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-5005-9519 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 33 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 77 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 3 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The de-radicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration project in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism strategy: Operation Safe Corridor in context
In the years since the emergence of Boko Haram, the terror threat posed by the sect’s violent extremism has remained a challenge for the Nigerian government. The failure to contain it has been attributed to the government’s over-reliance on military strategies. While conventional approaches are useful in weakening the operational capacity of domestic terrorism, they do not provide a long-term solution. The use of military strategies to quell ideo…
Ecowas Protocol on Free Movement and the AfCFTA in West Africa: Costs, Benefits and Challenges
Soft power in therapeutic comedy: Outlining Nigeria’s creative industry through digital comic skits
Literature on the substance and ideational value of soft power is not in short supply. In Africa, although these studies are only beginning to emerge, many aspects of possible soft power sources are yet to be exhaustively explored. In this study, we examine the communicative function of humour beyond its therapeutic and entertainment value but as a soft power variable for nation branding. The aim of this article is therefore to provide an analysi…
Re-centering Cultural Performance and Orange Economy in Post-colonial Africa: Policy, Soft Power, and Sustainability
Religion and Global Politics: Soft Power in Nigeria and Beyond
Religion and Global Politics: Soft Power in Nigeria and Beyond examines the deployment of religious soft power in African states and the potential it has for transforming perceptions of the continent. The contributors refocus the attention on religion away from the ‘misery’ discourse of conflict and violence towards the domain of international relations, diplomacy and foreign policy in Africa. Through this shift, the contributors analyze the ways…
Re-Centering Cultural Performance and Orange Economy in Post-colonial Africa: Policy, Soft Power, and Sustainability
Nollywood, the Orange Economy and the Appropriation of Nigeria’s Soft Power
Nigeria’s ‘Border Diplomacy’: Rhetoric or Substance for Regional Hegemonic Leadership
Following independence in 1960, Nigeria intentionally crafted a ‘big brother' honorific title for itself inspired by a Pan-Africanist Afrocentric ideology which it pursues through altruistic sharing of its human, military and economic resources. Successive governments have internalized this Africa-focused foreign policy thrust to establish a putative regional influence in Africa. However, despite belatedly signing the African Continental Free Tra…
Russo-African Relations and electoral democracy: Assessing the implications of Russia's renewed interest for Africa
After decades of diplomatic disengagement from Africa, Russia is making a strong bid to facilitate bilateral relations with more African states. Many analysts regard this as an attempt to project power and influence outside of Russia's immediate borders in Eastern Europe and to whittle down the West's influence in Africa. The deepening ties between Russia and African states have led to the incursion of Russian political operatives and disinformat…
Music and dance diplomacy in the Covid-19 era: Jerusalema and the promotion of South Africa’s soft power
South Africa's soft power has been in the ascendancy since its emergence from the end of apartheid rule. As a regional hegemon in Africa, Pretoria also wields the most impressive soft power assets on the continent. Although South Africa has produced cultural exports that command global appeal, there is a dearth of studies on the soft power and diplomacy of the country, in particular the attraction of its music and dance in the global arena. As th…
An appraisal of bilingual language policy implementation in South African higher education
The demand for promoting bilingual and multilingual language policies in African universities can be regarded as a decolonial force for driving pedagogical changes in teaching and learning. In South Africa, there have been polemic debates particularly on the need to include African languages as alternatives to English. This article intervenes in the increasing tensions about language policy implementation in tertiary institutions. The study utili…
Pentecostalism, Electoral Prophetism and National Security Challenges in Nigeria
In advanced democracies, professional pollsters forecast electoral outcomes with varying degrees of accuracy. The culture of public opinion polls is not yet fully entrenched in Nigeria due to over-politicization of issues. However, there seems to be a thin line between the spiritual and the temporal, with some religious leaders taking it upon themselves to predict outcomes which are often not achieved. This occurs in a tense environment character…
Humanitarian crisis in north‐eastern Nigeria: Responses and sustainable solutions
Since 2009, the North‐Eastern part of Nigeria has been engulfed with the scourge of Boko Haram attacks leading to a severe humanitarian crisis and food insecurity within the region. Studies have shown that in the various internally displaced persons' (IDPs) camps, women and children are malnourished, depicting that there is a shortage of food. More importantly, upon the return of many of the local population into surrounding border communities, r…
South Africa’s soft power and the diplomacy of nuclear geopolitics
Insurgency in the border communities of North-Eastern Nigeria: Security responses and sustainable solutions
In the past 10 years, the North-Eastern part of Nigeria has been engulfed by the scourge of Boko Haram attacks, leading to a high level of insecurity, severe humanitarian crisis and food insecurity within the region. To date, unceasing attacks are still recorded within the region, with the border communities suffering the most. This article discusses the efforts of various state and non-state actors (both local and international) towards addressi…
Soft power or wasteful entertainment? Interrogating the prospect of ‘Big Brother Naija
Understanding that states’ material capabilities must be complemented with subtle power resources, the competition for global influence is preconditioned, in part, on the soft power generated abroad. Nigeria’s capacities in these two realms of power resources are reflected in the Afrocentric roots of its foreign policy. The influence of its creative industry in Africa is evident but requires further scrutiny. The authors explore the soft power pr…
Soft Power and the Currency of Sports: (Re)imagining South Africa’s Rising Hegemony in Africa
Commenting on the utility of sports as a development facilitating instrument, Nelson Mandela, in 2000, remarked that it “has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else can. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair”. Madiba’s iconic statement captures the changing reality of the international system wherein states appreciate the soft power potential of…
South African Foreign Policy Review: Volume 2
In recent years, the three Volumes of the South African Foreign Policy Review are no doubt a significant reference in the scholarship of this discipline. Notably, Volume 2 of this biannual Series p
The Ideational Value of Soft Power and the Foreign Policy of African Regional Powers
In the past two decades, studies on ‘regional power dynamics’ have emerged detailing the potential leadership role of rising powers across regions. However, contributions on regional powerhood in Africa neglect the utility of ‘soft power’ for conceptualising the foreign policy behaviour of African regional powers. Given the evident incapacity of a single actor to command absolute strength and secure overwhelming influence within its regional sphe…
S outh A frica's integration efforts within the S outhern A frican D evelopment C ommunity: R egional supremacy or coalition
Regional integration has manifested itself to be an integral part of Africa's postcolonial economic growth blueprints. It was viewed as a mechanism for African states to enhance their development and work collectively, improve their cooperation, and enhance peace and security. Nevertheless, regional integration initiatives are often seen to succeed when spearheaded by regional hegemons. By narrowing this to southern Africa, from 1994 after the fi…
A “Schengen” Agreement in Africa? African Agency and the Ecowas Protocol on Free Movement
Established in 1975, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was conceived, primarily to facilitate free trade and movement of persons, goods and services within the sub-region. Although preceding the lauded Schengen Treaty which created a single external border for the European Union (EU) in 1985, the ECOWAS Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and Goods established in 1979 aimed to convert borders from walls into “bridges”. T…
Soft Power: The Fourth ‘Tentacle’ of South Africa’s Foreign Policy
Studies on South African post-apartheid foreign policy have evolved through four distinctive strands: the estimative, the new dispensation, the ambiguity and strategic engagement. In this article, I attempt to illustrate that a burgeoning thread is noticeable in recent times within the fourth strand offering a marked perspective on the ideational and utilitarian substance of soft power for South Africa’s foreign policy and within the discursive c…
Nigeria’s Soft Power Sources: Between Potential and Illusion
South Africa’s foreign policy aspirations and the National Development Plan (NDP 2030): The role of soft power
Chapter 7 of the NDP 2030 articulates a foreign policy vision for South Africa over two decades. While the NDP acknowledges the place of ‘soft power’ in realising this vision, it remains doubtful whether South Africa will indeed take advantage of the enormous gains offered by soft power as a foreign policy lever. This paper examines the role of soft power in achieving the foreign policy mandates prescribed in the Plan. It argues that, like other …
South Africa and the Question of Hegemony in Africa
This article examines the viability of mainstream neo-realist international relations scholarship for understanding regional power dynamics within Africa by offering a critical evaluation of the categorization of South Africa as a hegemonic power on the continent. Using the theoretical framework of hegemonic stability theory, it argues that there is a somewhat weak link between South Africa’s foreign policy character and its hegemonic disposition…
Can Nigeria be Africa's hegemon
Does the reference to regional hegemony in the African context apply to Nigeria? This study examines this question in line with increasing claims in academic and diplomatic circles of Nigerian hegemony in Africa. While scholars and leading opinion holders have described Nigeria's influence in Africa as typical of a regional hegemon, this paper interrogates the substance of this argument in the context of the nature of the country's foreign policy…
Nigeria’s Soft Power Sources: Between Potential and Illusion
A “Schengen” Agreement in Africa? African Agency and the Ecowas Protocol on Free Movement
Established in 1975, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was conceived, primarily to facilitate free trade and movement of persons, goods and services within the sub-region. Although preceding the lauded Schengen Treaty which created a single external border for the European Union (EU) in 1985, the ECOWAS Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and Goods established in 1979 aimed to convert borders from walls into “bridges”. T…
Effective Hegemonic Influence in Africa: An Analysis of Nigeria's 'Hegemonic' Position
This paper examines the utility of the hegemonic stability theory in understanding regional power dynamics within Africa. The study operationalizes the concept of regional hegemony by drawing insights from a comparative foreign policy analysis of African regional powers, with emphasis on Nigeria. Using a largely qualitative methodology supplemented with primary data, the paper examines the underlying assertions of Nigeria's perceived 'hegemonic' …
South Africa's foreign policy and the strategy of soft power
The increasing importance of soft power in global politics is recognised both in the literature and among scholars and practitioners of international relations. There is a rich literature on the dimensions and characteristics of soft power in countries such as the US, China, Brazil, Norway and Canada. The application of soft power in analysing the activities of middle and regional powers/hegemons has also been extensively explored. However, this …
A Failing Regional Power? Nigeria’s International Status in the Age of Boko Haram
Given its population size, economic strength, military capability and foreign policy directions, in past years Nigeria has been considered a major regional power in Africa. Clearly, this makes the country relevant at international and global levels. However, its status as a regional power on the continent is increasingly being affected as a result of the notorious terrorist activities of Boko Haram. Once a major contributor to peacekeeping operat…
Soft power or wasteful entertainment? Interrogating the prospect of ‘Big Brother Naija
Understanding that states’ material capabilities must be complemented with subtle power resources, the competition for global influence is preconditioned, in part, on the soft power generated abroad. Nigeria’s capacities in these two realms of power resources are reflected in the Afrocentric roots of its foreign policy. The influence of its creative industry in Africa is evident but requires further scrutiny. The authors explore the soft power pr…
Russo-African Relations and electoral democracy: Assessing the implications of Russia's renewed interest for Africa
After decades of diplomatic disengagement from Africa, Russia is making a strong bid to facilitate bilateral relations with more African states. Many analysts regard this as an attempt to project power and influence outside of Russia's immediate borders in Eastern Europe and to whittle down the West's influence in Africa. The deepening ties between Russia and African states have led to the incursion of Russian political operatives and disinformat…
Soft Power and the Currency of Sports: (Re)imagining South Africa’s Rising Hegemony in Africa
Commenting on the utility of sports as a development facilitating instrument, Nelson Mandela, in 2000, remarked that it “has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else can. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair”. Madiba’s iconic statement captures the changing reality of the international system wherein states appreciate the soft power potential of…
The Discordant Soft Power Tunes of South Africa’s Withdrawal from the ICC
South Africa’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) elicited a mixed bag of responses. However, irrespective of whether one supports the decision or not, it is evident t
South Africa’s Emerging “Soft Power” Influence in Africa and Its Impending Limitations: Will the Giant Be Able to Weather the Storm
South Africa benefits from a symbolic hegemonic identity drawn from its enormous soft power resources. Whereas South Africa has been widely referenced as a regional hegemonic power capable of using its soft power influence to deepen its global status, there are contradictions to Pretoria’s increasing soft power claim. In this article we undertake a discursive analysis of some of these soft power limitations. The main argument raised is that despi…
Recalibrating Africa's Geo-Political Calculus: A Critique of South Africa's Hegemonic Status
This article critiques the increasing claims in scholarly and diplomatic circles of a putative South African hegemony in Africa. On the backdrop of the recalibration of Nigeria's GDP making it Africa's largest economy, there have been counter arguments that South Africa's regional influence is dwindling as a result of its staggering economy among other domestic impediments. In this paper, I take the position that although South Africa's capacity …
The de-radicalization, rehabilitation and reintegration project in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism strategy: Operation Safe Corridor in context
In the years since the emergence of Boko Haram, the terror threat posed by the sect’s violent extremism has remained a challenge for the Nigerian government. The failure to contain it has been attributed to the government’s over-reliance on military strategies. While conventional approaches are useful in weakening the operational capacity of domestic terrorism, they do not provide a long-term solution. The use of military strategies to quell ideo…
Nigeria’s ‘Border Diplomacy’: Rhetoric or Substance for Regional Hegemonic Leadership
Following independence in 1960, Nigeria intentionally crafted a ‘big brother' honorific title for itself inspired by a Pan-Africanist Afrocentric ideology which it pursues through altruistic sharing of its human, military and economic resources. Successive governments have internalized this Africa-focused foreign policy thrust to establish a putative regional influence in Africa. However, despite belatedly signing the African Continental Free Tra…
Insurgency in the border communities of North-Eastern Nigeria: Security responses and sustainable solutions
In the past 10 years, the North-Eastern part of Nigeria has been engulfed by the scourge of Boko Haram attacks, leading to a high level of insecurity, severe humanitarian crisis and food insecurity within the region. To date, unceasing attacks are still recorded within the region, with the border communities suffering the most. This article discusses the efforts of various state and non-state actors (both local and international) towards addressi…
Music and dance diplomacy in the Covid-19 era: Jerusalema and the promotion of South Africa’s soft power
South Africa's soft power has been in the ascendancy since its emergence from the end of apartheid rule. As a regional hegemon in Africa, Pretoria also wields the most impressive soft power assets on the continent. Although South Africa has produced cultural exports that command global appeal, there is a dearth of studies on the soft power and diplomacy of the country, in particular the attraction of its music and dance in the global arena. As th…
Pentecostalism, Electoral Prophetism and National Security Challenges in Nigeria
In advanced democracies, professional pollsters forecast electoral outcomes with varying degrees of accuracy. The culture of public opinion polls is not yet fully entrenched in Nigeria due to over-politicization of issues. However, there seems to be a thin line between the spiritual and the temporal, with some religious leaders taking it upon themselves to predict outcomes which are often not achieved. This occurs in a tense environment character…
Humanitarian crisis in north‐eastern Nigeria: Responses and sustainable solutions
Since 2009, the North‐Eastern part of Nigeria has been engulfed with the scourge of Boko Haram attacks leading to a severe humanitarian crisis and food insecurity within the region. Studies have shown that in the various internally displaced persons' (IDPs) camps, women and children are malnourished, depicting that there is a shortage of food. More importantly, upon the return of many of the local population into surrounding border communities, r…
South Africa’s soft power and the diplomacy of nuclear geopolitics
The Ideational Value of Soft Power and the Foreign Policy of African Regional Powers
In the past two decades, studies on ‘regional power dynamics’ have emerged detailing the potential leadership role of rising powers across regions. However, contributions on regional powerhood in Africa neglect the utility of ‘soft power’ for conceptualising the foreign policy behaviour of African regional powers. Given the evident incapacity of a single actor to command absolute strength and secure overwhelming influence within its regional sphe…
S outh A frica's integration efforts within the S outhern A frican D evelopment C ommunity: R egional supremacy or coalition
Regional integration has manifested itself to be an integral part of Africa's postcolonial economic growth blueprints. It was viewed as a mechanism for African states to enhance their development and work collectively, improve their cooperation, and enhance peace and security. Nevertheless, regional integration initiatives are often seen to succeed when spearheaded by regional hegemons. By narrowing this to southern Africa, from 1994 after the fi…
South Africa and the Question of Hegemony in Africa
This article examines the viability of mainstream neo-realist international relations scholarship for understanding regional power dynamics within Africa by offering a critical evaluation of the categorization of South Africa as a hegemonic power on the continent. Using the theoretical framework of hegemonic stability theory, it argues that there is a somewhat weak link between South Africa’s foreign policy character and its hegemonic disposition…
The impact of the electoral system on the level of women’s legislative representation in post-apartheid South Africa
In just two decades after the demise of apartheid in South Africa, women’s legislative representation has grown in leaps and bounds rising from nearly nothing to over 40%, which is twice the world average of 20%. While this trend can be attributed to a number of factors, this paper casts a spotlight on the role of the electoral system structure vis-à-vis the changes in women’s representation. The paper investigates how the proportional representa…
Recalibrating Africa's Geo-Political Calculus: A Critique of South Africa's Hegemonic Status
This article critiques the increasing claims in scholarly and diplomatic circles of a putative South African hegemony in Africa. On the backdrop of the recalibration of Nigeria's GDP making it Africa's largest economy, there have been counter arguments that South Africa's regional influence is dwindling as a result of its staggering economy among other domestic impediments. In this paper, I take the position that although South Africa's capacity …
South Africa's foreign policy and the strategy of soft power
The increasing importance of soft power in global politics is recognised both in the literature and among scholars and practitioners of international relations. There is a rich literature on the dimensions and characteristics of soft power in countries such as the US, China, Brazil, Norway and Canada. The application of soft power in analysing the activities of middle and regional powers/hegemons has also been extensively explored. However, this …
South Africa’s Emerging “Soft Power” Influence in Africa and Its Impending Limitations: Will the Giant Be Able to Weather the Storm
South Africa benefits from a symbolic hegemonic identity drawn from its enormous soft power resources. Whereas South Africa has been widely referenced as a regional hegemonic power capable of using its soft power influence to deepen its global status, there are contradictions to Pretoria’s increasing soft power claim. In this article we undertake a discursive analysis of some of these soft power limitations. The main argument raised is that despi…
Can Nigeria be Africa's hegemon
Does the reference to regional hegemony in the African context apply to Nigeria? This study examines this question in line with increasing claims in academic and diplomatic circles of Nigerian hegemony in Africa. While scholars and leading opinion holders have described Nigeria's influence in Africa as typical of a regional hegemon, this paper interrogates the substance of this argument in the context of the nature of the country's foreign policy…
Soft Power: The Fourth ‘Tentacle’ of South Africa’s Foreign Policy
Studies on South African post-apartheid foreign policy have evolved through four distinctive strands: the estimative, the new dispensation, the ambiguity and strategic engagement. In this article, I attempt to illustrate that a burgeoning thread is noticeable in recent times within the fourth strand offering a marked perspective on the ideational and utilitarian substance of soft power for South Africa’s foreign policy and within the discursive c…
Nigeria’s Soft Power Sources: Between Potential and Illusion
South Africa’s foreign policy aspirations and the National Development Plan (NDP 2030): The role of soft power
Chapter 7 of the NDP 2030 articulates a foreign policy vision for South Africa over two decades. While the NDP acknowledges the place of ‘soft power’ in realising this vision, it remains doubtful whether South Africa will indeed take advantage of the enormous gains offered by soft power as a foreign policy lever. This paper examines the role of soft power in achieving the foreign policy mandates prescribed in the Plan. It argues that, like other …
South Africa and the Question of Hegemony in Africa
This article examines the viability of mainstream neo-realist international relations scholarship for understanding regional power dynamics within Africa by offering a critical evaluation of the categorization of South Africa as a hegemonic power on the continent. Using the theoretical framework of hegemonic stability theory, it argues that there is a somewhat weak link between South Africa’s foreign policy character and its hegemonic disposition…
A Failing Regional Power? Nigeria’s International Status in the Age of Boko Haram
Given its population size, economic strength, military capability and foreign policy directions, in past years Nigeria has been considered a major regional power in Africa. Clearly, this makes the country relevant at international and global levels. However, its status as a regional power on the continent is increasingly being affected as a result of the notorious terrorist activities of Boko Haram. Once a major contributor to peacekeeping operat…
The Discordant Soft Power Tunes of South Africa’s Withdrawal from the ICC
South Africa’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) elicited a mixed bag of responses. However, irrespective of whether one supports the decision or not, it is evident t
Effective Hegemonic Influence in Africa: An Analysis of Nigeria's 'Hegemonic' Position
This paper examines the utility of the hegemonic stability theory in understanding regional power dynamics within Africa. The study operationalizes the concept of regional hegemony by drawing insights from a comparative foreign policy analysis of African regional powers, with emphasis on Nigeria. Using a largely qualitative methodology supplemented with primary data, the paper examines the underlying assertions of Nigeria's perceived 'hegemonic' …
S outh A frica's integration efforts within the S outhern A frican D evelopment C ommunity: R egional supremacy or coalition
Regional integration has manifested itself to be an integral part of Africa's postcolonial economic growth blueprints. It was viewed as a mechanism for African states to enhance their development and work collectively, improve their cooperation, and enhance peace and security. Nevertheless, regional integration initiatives are often seen to succeed when spearheaded by regional hegemons. By narrowing this to southern Africa, from 1994 after the fi…
A “Schengen” Agreement in Africa? African Agency and the Ecowas Protocol on Free Movement
Established in 1975, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was conceived, primarily to facilitate free trade and movement of persons, goods and services within the sub-region. Although preceding the lauded Schengen Treaty which created a single external border for the European Union (EU) in 1985, the ECOWAS Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons and Goods established in 1979 aimed to convert borders from walls into “bridges”. T…
Soft Power and the Currency of Sports: (Re)imagining South Africa’s Rising Hegemony in Africa
Commenting on the utility of sports as a development facilitating instrument, Nelson Mandela, in 2000, remarked that it “has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else can. Sport can awaken hope where there was previously only despair”. Madiba’s iconic statement captures the changing reality of the international system wherein states appreciate the soft power potential of…
South African Foreign Policy Review: Volume 2
In recent years, the three Volumes of the South African Foreign Policy Review are no doubt a significant reference in the scholarship of this discipline. Notably, Volume 2 of this biannual Series p
The Ideational Value of Soft Power and the Foreign Policy of African Regional Powers
In the past two decades, studies on ‘regional power dynamics’ have emerged detailing the potential leadership role of rising powers across regions. However, contributions on regional powerhood in Africa neglect the utility of ‘soft power’ for conceptualising the foreign policy behaviour of African regional powers. Given the evident incapacity of a single actor to command absolute strength and secure overwhelming influence within its regional sphe…
An appraisal of bilingual language policy implementation in South African higher education
The demand for promoting bilingual and multilingual language policies in African universities can be regarded as a decolonial force for driving pedagogical changes in teaching and learning. In South Africa, there have been polemic debates particularly on the need to include African languages as alternatives to English. This article intervenes in the increasing tensions about language policy implementation in tertiary institutions. The study utili…
Pentecostalism, Electoral Prophetism and National Security Challenges in Nigeria
In advanced democracies, professional pollsters forecast electoral outcomes with varying degrees of accuracy. The culture of public opinion polls is not yet fully entrenched in Nigeria due to over-politicization of issues. However, there seems to be a thin line between the spiritual and the temporal, with some religious leaders taking it upon themselves to predict outcomes which are often not achieved. This occurs in a tense environment character…
Humanitarian crisis in north‐eastern Nigeria: Responses and sustainable solutions
Since 2009, the North‐Eastern part of Nigeria has been engulfed with the scourge of Boko Haram attacks leading to a severe humanitarian crisis and food insecurity within the region. Studies have shown that in the various internally displaced persons' (IDPs) camps, women and children are malnourished, depicting that there is a shortage of food. More importantly, upon the return of many of the local population into surrounding border communities, r…
South Africa’s soft power and the diplomacy of nuclear geopolitics
Insurgency in the border communities of North-Eastern Nigeria: Security responses and sustainable solutions
In the past 10 years, the North-Eastern part of Nigeria has been engulfed by the scourge of Boko Haram attacks, leading to a high level of insecurity, severe humanitarian crisis and food insecurity within the region. To date, unceasing attacks are still recorded within the region, with the border communities suffering the most. This article discusses the efforts of various state and non-state actors (both local and international) towards addressi…
Soft power or wasteful entertainment? Interrogating the prospect of ‘Big Brother Naija
Understanding that states’ material capabilities must be complemented with subtle power resources, the competition for global influence is preconditioned, in part, on the soft power generated abroad. Nigeria’s capacities in these two realms of power resources are reflected in the Afrocentric roots of its foreign policy. The influence of its creative industry in Africa is evident but requires further scrutiny. The authors explore the soft power pr…
Nigeria’s ‘Border Diplomacy’: Rhetoric or Substance for Regional Hegemonic Leadership
Following independence in 1960, Nigeria intentionally crafted a ‘big brother' honorific title for itself inspired by a Pan-Africanist Afrocentric ideology which it pursues through altruistic sharing of its human, military and economic resources. Successive governments have internalized this Africa-focused foreign policy thrust to establish a putative regional influence in Africa. However, despite belatedly signing the African Continental Free Tra…
Russo-African Relations and electoral democracy: Assessing the implications of Russia's renewed interest for Africa
After decades of diplomatic disengagement from Africa, Russia is making a strong bid to facilitate bilateral relations with more African states. Many analysts regard this as an attempt to project power and influence outside of Russia's immediate borders in Eastern Europe and to whittle down the West's influence in Africa. The deepening ties between Russia and African states have led to the incursion of Russian political operatives and disinformat…
Political science (30 works) · Law (26 works) · Sociology (23 works) · Politics (22 works) · Economics (20 works) · Law (20 works) · Political economy (18 works) · Development economics (17 works) · Soft power (13 works) · International Development and Aid (12 works)