A Military Model for Conflict Resolution in Sub-Saharan Africa

The roots of African political, social, economic, and military instability can often be found in colonial and Cold-War historical circumstance.This has made regional conflict resolution a problem so complex that it defies single-state solutions.The time has arrived, however, when Africans no longer can afford to look to external patrons to settle regional conflicts.Africans are increasingly aware of this change and exhibit a growing determination to solve their own problems.The recent history of Sub-Saharan Africa is marked more by the existence than by the absence of conflict within and among states.And although a comprehensive method for dealing with these conditions remains elusive, one element of the problem has undergone significant change.With the return of the Republic of South Africa to the family of African nations, the assets and experience of that country can now be considered when seeking new ways to preserve peace in the region.This article advances a concept for a new model for deterring and settling regional conflicts.The model is based on an analysis of the major source of conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa--instability--and on the many conflicts that have occurred despite attempts to settle them.It reflects as well lessons learned by African military forces when confronted with the duties and responsibilities of peacekeeping, whether under the auspices of the UN or of a regional organization.Finally, the potential contribution of South Africa to new forms and functions for conflict resolution can foster new perspectives for governments frustrated by their long-standing inability to deter or resolve ethnic, religious, economic, or politically motivated conflict in the region. Challenges of StatehoodExternal powers played a critical role in shaping modern Africa, and this to such an extent that it has been said, "while Africans created and continue to create their own history, they do so under conditions that, in many cases, they do not control."[1] The most dramatic phase of external involvement on the continent began with what is now called "the scramble for Africa" in the 1880s and 1890s.[2] It resulted in the advent of European colonialism and ended, as far as most Africans are concerned, with majority rule in South Africa in April 1994.Many Africans view the legacy of the colonial era as the root cause of the conflict and instability in Sub-Saharan Africa today

Conflict resolution · Development economics · Economics · Geography · Political economy · Political science · Sociology · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law

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