Conflict Trends 2024/4
This edition of Conflict Trends begins with three articles focused on national dialogues in Africa. The first article, written by Distinct Obuzor Imaka and Tonye Marclint Ebiede, discusses national dialogues in the context of fragile states. Their article conceptualises national dialogues and highlights the successful examples that have taken place in Africa. However, many states […]
National Dialogues in Africa’s Fragile States: Power Struggles, Diversity Management, and the Precarious Fight Against State Collapse
National dialogue has emerged as a way to manage diversity, resolve conflict, and create space for inclusive reform.
The Palaver Tree and the Notions of National Tribunal and Republican Confessional: Reclaiming the African Conflict Resolution Ethos in National Dialogues
Drawing from indigenous African worldviews to reimagine national dialogues as more than elite negotiation forums or procedural frameworks, using the palaver tree, a central symbol and practice of African communal deliberation
The Pitfalls of Regionalising National Dialogues
The EAC’s intervention during the Burundi political crisis from 2015 to 2019 demonstrates the opportunities and challenges presented by regionalising national dialogues in peace processes
The African Union’s Pace of Integration: The Sahelian Crisis as a Challenge to Supranational Expectations
The security crisis in the Sahel offers a clear example of challenges faced, highlighting the major obstacles to peace and security that confront the AU’s integration process at the continental level.
‘Something for Something’: The Face of Peace and Security in Africa under Trump 2.0
One of the defining characteristics of this US Administration is the emergent doctrine of ‘something for something,’ whereby US engagement in global affairs, is conditional upon tangible benefits, primarily economic or strategic resources.