Managing intra-state conflicts in Africa: the African Union as an effective security actor

Solf, Ali M.O. (2014) Managing intra-state conflicts in Africa: the African Union as an effective security actor. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis seeks to analyse and explain the role of the African Union (AU) in managing intra-state conflicts in Africa. It first identifies the key reasons for the establishment of the African Peace and Security Architecture, namely the failure of the UN and the international community to intervene in remote conflicts in Africa throughout the 1990s and the reluctance of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign nations. Then, it points to the gap between the optimism of the AU’s founders and its implementation record: in fact, the AU’s capability to stop conflicts in Africa has produced mixed results at best.

Focusing on three different case studies – Burundi, Darfur, and Somalia – this thesis unravels the key factors behind the AU’s performance in promoting peace and security. More specifically, it argues that the AU’s effectiveness to achieve its goals is contingent upon four conditions: the internal process, the mandate of the mission, the commitment of AU member states, and external support. By developing this argument, this thesis highlights the importance of both organisational processes and external factors with the view to contributing to the general literature on effectiveness of international and regional organisations in managing intra-state conflicts.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: International and Regional Organisations Intra-state Conflicts Peace and Security Peace Operations Humanitarian Intervention
• Subjects: J Political Science > JZ International relations
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences
• Supervisor's Name: Carbone, Mr Maurizio
• Date of Award: 2014
• Depositing User: Mr Ali Solf
• Unique ID: glathesis:2014-5977
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 11 Feb 2015 16:45
• Last Modified: 09 Jun 2015 14:24
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/5977