Preview

Political Instability in Modern African State

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2793 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Political Instability in Modern African State
POLITICAL INSTABILITY IN MODERN AFRICAN STATE, CAURSE, EFFECT AND SOLUTION
INTRODUCTION
The constant drumbeat of headlines about Darfur, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia, Liberia as well as the other states in Africa that are beleaguered by political instability have made the causes of failed states and intra-state political conflicts a major issue, both academic and practical. The International Day of Peace which was established by a United Nation resolution in 1982, and is marked every year on September 21, is a global event whose activities are significant in highlighting the worldwide efforts towards conflict resolution and peace building. This day is however more relevant to the continent of Africa where most conflicts have taken place, with some running into decades, with limited solutions. Therefore seen from the perspective of political instability and as a “drifting continent”, many questions come up, which demand more than just simple answers, or repeated mythical notions about Africa’s problems, as purely inherent in the African way of doing things. That there are problems in Africa for several decades even after many countries in the continent went through transitions from colonialism to independence, is not a deniable fact.

However the African situation is not as bleak as portrayed in the media or by Africanists. In terms of political instability in Africa, it is also undeniable that the continent has had some difficult moments during the last fifty years or so. But what is still unexplained in the many analyses that have been looking at events in Africa is the fact that in almost all the cases of political instability in Africa, it is evident that the major problem is leadership. In this context, Africa has seen its freedom heroes turn into dictators, while plunder of natural resources, politics of exclusion and deprivation to tilt the balance of power continues to dominate the public sphere. Moreover, these problems have been pointed out and fought

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    2009 Dbq Ap World

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    For years after the Berlin Conference, various European powers raced to occupy and colonize land in Africa. It was a time of growth for Europe, but what was it for Africa? Africa’s fate was being decided for it by the European invaders. Not all AFricans just stood by and watcher, however. There was a wide range of actions and reactions to the Scramble for Africa from the Africans themselves, from giving in peacefully to attempting to fighting back with all of their might.…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    The African communities, over different time and space, were not able to cope up with the Europeanised socio-political norms and laws, after gaining their independence from their ‘white’ rulers. The European colonisers had successfully converted the African ‘barbaric tribes’ into so-called ‘civilised communities’ by enforcing their ‘superior’ culture, religion, language and aesthetics with the help of the gunpowder; yet they could not erase from the minds of the several million slaves the idea of their own roots which they had left behind in the ‘black continent’ ever since the beginning of the policy of colonisation and the establishment of socio-political and economic hierarchy and supremacy by the Europeans. The African communities after gaining freedom from their ‘white’ rulers were however unable to manage the state of beings, leading to widespread misery, desperation, melancholy and desolation in their own community. They, as a matter of fact, had inherited not only a so-called ‘civilised’ religion, language, dress code or food habits from their European masters but also imitated the Europeans in their exercise of ‘political power’, ‘corruption’ and ‘oppression’, after gaining liberation from the ‘whites’.…

    • 3376 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    After World War II, the people of Africa fought to end the effects of European imperialism in order to achieve political independence and reclaim African culture. However, tensions caused by artificial political boundaries established by European powers exacerbated preexisting tribal and religious divisions. The newly ‘freed’ African states were unstable and struggled to deal with these conflicts, often resulting in civil wars and genocide. During this struggle, Africa received very little support to help develop African economies or governments from the very countries who caused Africa’s weak infrastructure. 19th-century European imperialism was a major factor in causing the political weakness within African states, but the fact that the solution…

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The author criticises the failure in leadership of most African countries and reflects that Africa still needs to go a long way to improve, but at the end, it will prosper.…

    • 1050 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    African Genocides

    • 1956 Words
    • 8 Pages

    During the 1960’s, most African countries previously held by the Europeans were released from colonial rule. The Europeans didn’t put in place any government or infrastructure before they relinquished control. This vacuum of power led to an influx of totalitarian regimes and dictatorships followed by a pandemic of poverty across the continent. Many of these dictators aligned with the Soviet Union, who further exploited Africa’s vast natural resources with no compensation given to the local people. In the past half century, some of the Soviet aligned dictators and hierarchies have been toppled in violent civil wars and replaced by democratic elections. However this new concept of African “democracy” has not brought peace and prosperity with…

    • 1956 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Africa has seen its fair share of controversy politically. This is apparent from the readings we discussed in class: They Poured Fire on us from the Sky, A Grain of Wheat, and Half of a Yellow Sun. In each of these books, the author or authors tie in ways politics or government itself impacted the continent of Africa. The countries I chose to compare with these books are two that experienced dramatic change, whether that be from rebellion from nationals, a new religion trying to make its presence known, or corruption within the political system itself. Through the 20th and 21st centuries Egypt and Angola experienced these changes and much more.…

    • 2031 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Beyond the rhetoric of traditional causes of conflicts which intermittently are also at the root cause of African territorial civil conflicts, this paper examines the question as to why conflict resurges in states where conflict has previously been resolved. From the perspective of two major theoretical frameworks in International Relations: Liberalism and Realism, this paper argues that mechanisms for conflict resolution are often short-termed and often not home-groomed to accommodate the needs of citizens emanating from a civil war. Liberals argue that this is primarily a failure of cooperation between external and internal actors or stakeholders in the peace process. To them, this lack of cooperation generates economic problems and inhibits mistrust which is the embryo for conflict resurgence. In contrast conflict resolution fails primarily as a result of factors emphasized by Realism. The conflict may not have been ripe for resolution because the practical meaning of recognition revealed large gaps between the ways that the parties defined their core interests. Against this background and given the depth of antagonism between the DRC government and MONUC on the one hand and rebel movements on the other, economic wealth of the Congo has failed to generate support for the peace process. Instead, it increased friction and placed additional political obstacles in the way of compromise. The paper also examines the potency of peacekeeping as a vehicle for conflict resolution. It argues that the design and conceptualization of peacekeeping albeit structural challenges like inadequate resources, ill-equipped personnel and lack of a clearly defined and sustainable vision are at the bedrock of cyclical conflicts. In examining the role of MONUC and other interveners in the Congolese peace process, the paper engages a conceptual thesis which…

    • 5239 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The origins of the conflict that has captured the headlines (see pages) are not, primarily, either regional or global but local. Since time immemorial, lawlessness and violence have had a toehold in and around the vast Sahara desert and the terrain that stretches eastward across to Somalia in the Horn of Africa. But in the past few years the anarchy has…

    • 2231 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Council (PSC) and the transformation of the organization from non-interference to nonindifference, all seemed perfect and hoped by many to bring sustainable peace to the…

    • 4268 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The term ‘state’ has been used to refer to a number of things, from a collection of institutions to a territorial unit and even a philosophical idea. The state, however, can be easily understood as apolitical and legal entity with power over the people in its territorial boundaries. This essay will examine a states characteristics as well as examine the causes of failed states in Africa by analyzing the case of Somalia.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The 1990s saw no diminution in the number of conflicts in Africa, and most forecasts predicted further increase. While Africa has had its share of inter-state wars, the majority of its conflicts were internal, and these internal conflicts appear to be increasing, as elsewhere. A tragic factor in this is that the civilian populations bear the brunt of the casualties in such conflicts, estimated at some 80-90 per cent of total casualties across the world. These conflicts cause not only casualties and refugees but contribute vastly to the spread of disease, malnutrition and starvation, social and economic decline and moral deterioration.…

    • 1274 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Corruption in Africa

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Today Africa is covered with corrupt leaders. Not a day goes by during which you don’t read something about how corrupt the continent of Africa and its leaders are, from the “little” leader at school to the “big” leader of a country. The citizens of the continent of Africa are forced to pay bribes left, right and center in order to get by. So, with money, however little it might be, and as long as you are willing to part with it, there is very little that you can’t achieve. If you can afford it, you can go a long way. To the poor who can’t, their fate is forever sealed. Unfortunately, the latter are the majority. With this happening each and every day of their lives, how does one expect the poor to ever develop?…

    • 540 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chairman and Ceo

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages

    * Big man replaces the rule of law: incompetent strongmen who take political power through coups or rigged election and use their positions as head of state to benefit only themselves and their cronies and becomes rich with their private militias and suppressed media. This lack of authentic leadership has helped undermine the exploitation of national economies and African citizen and undermined government parliamentary democratic model that pre-European colonist tried to Impose and caused many African refugee.…

    • 1224 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    This theoretical framework focuses on internal factors and the socio-cultural n order to explain political processes in Africa:…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lasting peace and stability remains one thing that for a long time has eluded the African continent both in the pre colonial and the colonial era. The scourges of slave trade, inter-tribal warfare and more importantly the imposition of colonial rule on the people of Africa made peace and stability on the continent quite elusive. Obviously, one would foresee emancipation and independence as a sure way to relative peace and stability. Unfortunately, the post-colonial conflict situation on the continent has proven more disturbing than ever in the history of the continent. The formation of the Organization of African Unity(OAU was seen as an effort to resolving the conflict situation on the continent, but hardly had the ink dried on the OAU’s Charter than the continent witness a myriad of civil wars and military coup d’états. The concept of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states and respect for the sanctity of boarders was to blame for the OAU’s inability to resolve these conflicts. Subsequently, amendments were made to the OAU Charter which led to the adoption of a new charter which marked the birth of the African Union in Addis Ababa on 26th May, 2001. The Union was launched in July 9, 2002 in South Africa to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). Among the AU’s objectives is the promotion of peace security and stability on the continent. Embedded in this objective is the Union’s role to intervene and resolve conflicts in the continent. Since its inception, the African Union has intervened in and helped to resolve a number of conflicts on the continent, some of which were in Burundi, Sudan (Darfur),and Comoros.…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics