Armed Conflict in Africa

Armed Conflict in Africa addresses two core questions: why has Africa been so sorely afflicted by violence in modern times and what can be done to bring about a more peaceful future? These questions are of obvious importance. Since the end of the Cold War, Africa has experienced more armed conflicts and endured more direct and indirect casualties of war than any other continent. The violence has been both pervasive and brutal. During the last decade of the twentieth century, endemic violence has played a key role in inhibiting social and political progress and preventing Africans from experiencing the unprecedented economic growth that so many other peoples enjoyed. Allowing these problems to fester can only lead to further problems in the new millennium. The purpose of this work is to encourage its readers to face rather than evade the problem of war and to encourage critical and creative thinking about these vital concerns. The book fills a gap in contemporary scholarship on Africa by offering a multi-disciplinary examination of the roots of conflict and suggesting a range of possible solutions. The eight contributing authors are well-respected thinkers originating from a number of different countries. Some are scholars while others have been active in public life. They have been trained in a variety of academic disciplines and have very different approaches and interpretations. The book has thematic coherence but is not informed by any single ideology or methodology. Rather, it seeks to stimulate critical analysis by presenting the reader with conflicting perspectives resting on the assumption that the first step on the road to problem solving is to understand the problem. The book focuses first on analysis of the roots of conflict and then on conflict resolution.