Journal of Contemporary International Relations and Diplomacy

Ungoverned Spaces and the Challenges of Counterterrorism in West Africa Sub-Region

2024-09-12T03:18:56+00:00

In recent times, terrorist groups; Islamic fundamentalists; separatist agitators; armed bandits and other criminal elements have begun harnessing the availability of ungoverned spaces in West African States. From such locations, they launch their horrific acts of terror aimed at destabilizing the corporate existence of these states and the overall peace and security of the sub-region. Porosity of border security, poverty and ungoverned spaces are linked as stimulants to terrorism in the West African sub-region. It is against this backdrop that this paper examined the issues and challenges of terrorism and counterterrorism in West Africa. The paper is anchored on the fragile state theory, which argues that terrorism oozing from ungoverned spaces and porosity of borders have adverse effects on the security of the region. The study relied essentially on secondary sources of documentary evidence through thorough literature review. Findings revealed that the region became volatile and easily susceptible to terrorist activities because the ungoverned spaces provided them unhindered operational bases. Therefore, the paper concluded and recommended that West African States should build a synergic security architecture in the form of independent inter-region police force recruited from member countries, and deployed to transnational borders to carry out routine border patrol in collaboration with national customs and immigration personnel. Sequel to aforementioned recommendation, governments of West African States, in collaboration with their National Security Advisers, are to provide intelligence information and report to the region’s inter-region police to enhance their security duties and ensure peace and orderliness in the sub-region.

Democracy and Development in Africa: Demystifying Democracy as the Best Form of Government

2024-09-12T03:18:49+00:00

The resurgence of coups d’etat in Africa has resuscitated discussions about the suitability of democracy as an agent of development on the Continent. The dominant impression in extant literature suggests that the inefficiencies of democratic regimes provide the attractive invitation to military rule. Despite the encomiums showered on democracy as the global best form government, many years of its practice in Africa have resulted in massive underdevelopment. It has not delivered on its promise of free and fair elections, freedom of the press, association and others. Under the watch of democracy, many African countries have transited from one-party to dominant-party states while rigging and related electoral vices continue to fester. Police brutality and human rights abuses are rampant while insecurity and inequality have reproduced themselves in many forms. This paper contends that democracy is culpable in the business of stifling development in Africa hence, the complexity and continuity of Africa’s crisis of underdevelopment questions the validity of Western imposition of Democracy as the best form of government. It adopts an amalgam of the Liberal Democratic and Centre-Periphery Models to situate the failure of democracy in Africa within the context of metropolitan interference in African politics, with attendant African petit bourgeois attachment to foreign finance capital. Consequently, it denounces democracy as the best form of government and insists that Africa’s best form of government is that which arises out of her sociological experience and censorship to address critical aspects of her political economy.

The Challenges of President Muhammadu Buhari's (PMB) Cash Nigeria Transfers as Poverty Reduction Strategy in Nigeria

2024-09-12T03:18:41+00:00

Poverty has been on the increase in Nigeria. In 2016, the Federal government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) established the National Social Investment Programs (NSIPs), including Cash Transfers (CTs). The cash transfers programme targeted the poorest of the poor by giving eligible households N5000 monthly (transferred bi-monthly), with the aim of graduating them out of poverty after three years of implementation. This paper analyzed the challenges that impeded the successful implementation of the PMB cash transfers. Using qualitative case-study methods, six Nigerian States were studied. Findings revealed that the program encountered several challenges such as poor targeting, inconsistent and incomplete payments, inadequate monitoring, bribery among other issues that resulted in its failure to lift the “poor beneficiaries” permanently out of poverty. For any future cash transfers to make positive impacts, it is recommended that Nigeria’s policymakers ensure that the challenges identified in this paper are adequately addressed.

Assessing the Impact of Boko Haram's Terrorist Activities in the North East Region of Nigeria

2024-09-12T03:18:34+00:00

This paper examined the impact Boko Haram in Northeast with special reference to the Lake Chad Basin (LCB). It will focus on the growing climate of insecurity in the region owing to the emergence of terrorism across the country particularly in the Northeast geopolitical zone. The analytical foundations was built upon the meaning of security, insecurity, tensions in the Northeast making reference to (LCB), the impacts on socio-political and economic relations among the occupants of the region such as high rate of death, unemployment, poverty as well as malnutrition in the North East Nigeria. It will proceed to the causes and the sustaining factors driving the insecurity in the region, the difficulties and failure facing Nigerian government to eliminate the Boko-Haram. The work uses secondary sources of data collection such as journal articles, newspaper, magazine, internet materials, books and others. This paper applied social identity and structural functionalism theories to better explain and analyze factors that aided the terrorist group. The paper discovered that the reason for the continuous attack of the Northeast region by the Bokoharam sect includes religious indoctrination, existence of porous border etc. the paper recommend that government should provide adequate border security and that there should be a campaign for the de orientation of religious radicalism in the region.

Climate Change and Violent Conflict in the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin

2024-09-12T03:18:26+00:00

The purpose of this article is to analyse how climate change is a major threat to security in the Sahel and Lake Chad basin. The region is already experiencing the effects of climate change, such as more frequent droughts, floods, and desertification and to expatiate how these effects are leading to food insecurity, water scarcity, and displacement, which are in turn creating conditions that can lead to violent conflict, using the descriptive cum exploratory research design. The paper relied on qualitative data collected from secondary sources. Findings in the paper revealed that, the link between climate change and violent conflict is complex and there are many other factors that contribute to conflict in the region. However, climate change is a major threat that can exacerbate existing tensions and make it more difficult to resolve conflicts peacefully. The paper recommended measures to address the threat of climate change and violent conflict in the Sahel and Lake Chad basin, it is important to take a comprehensive approach that addresses both the root causes of conflict and the effects of climate change: investing in sustainable development and climate adaptation programme, promoting peacebuilding and conflict resolution, providing humanitarian assistance to those affected by climate change and building the resilience of communities to the effects of climate change, by taking a comprehensive approach, which is possible to mitigate the threat of climate change and violent conflict in the Sahel and Lake Chad basin to build a more peaceful and sustainable future for the region.

UNHCR Synergy with Nigerian Government and the Security Concerns of Vulnerable Cameroonian Anglophone Refugees in Cross River State, Nigeria, 2017-2023

2024-09-12T03:18:18+00:00

The influx of Cameroonian refugees seeking humanitarian protection in Nigeria indicates the severity of the conflict and the desperate conditions that force people to flee their homes. The separatist movements in Anglophone Cameroon and clashes with government forces have led to widespread violence, displacement, and human rights abuses. As a result, over 60,000 refugees have crossed into Nigeria between 2017 and 2023. However, while studies have explored the causes of the conflict and the humanitarian challenges faced by the refugees in their various settlements, this research assesses how the synergy between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Nigerian Government has impacted the security concern of Cameroonian refugees in Cross River State, Nigeria. Theoretically, the study was anchored on the Global Governance Theory. Survey and documentary methods were used to
gather data. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, logical deductions and statistical inferences. Findings include underfunding of the UNHCR and the apparent inability of the Nigerian Government to tackle the security concerns of the vulnerable Cameroonian refugees in Cross River State. The study recommends adequate funding to improve basic services and infrastructures within the refugee settlements.

A Critical Assessment of Israel-Hamas War in the Israel-Palestine Conflict

2024-09-12T03:18:10+00:00

At dawn on Saturday, October 7, 2023, the Hamas militant Palestinian group, that controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, launched dastardly surprise attacks on Israel. It was the deadliest attack on the State of Israel since its War of Independence in 1948 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973. This paper critically examined the Hamas phenomenon in the war and the possibility of achieving a Palestinian State, not by war but by diplomatic engagement of all stakeholders. The theory of Fourth Generation Warfare is adopted to understand the situation better in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and particularly the Hamas war strategy. The study adopted a qualitative research approach for an in-depth exploration of perspectives, experiences, and narratives related to the conflict. It gathered data from documentaries, articles from learned journals, the mediascape, government official statements and websites, to capture the diverse viewpoints and narratives surrounding the conflict and war. The international media watch has tracked the battlefield exchanges (reports) and diplomatic shuttles between major stakeholders’ capitals. The Gaza Strip enclave has suffered monumental destruction and a horrific humanitarian catastrophe. Ceasefire had met with stiff opposition from the combatants. The conclusion is that Palestinian struggles for statehood since 1948 had hardly led them to achieve their goal. Given the generational historicity of the conflict, it is hard to decipher whether war or diplomacy would eventually bring about peace. But efforts must be continued on the diplomatic channels to manage the conflict.

Russia-Ukraine War and the Imperatives of a New Global Order

2024-09-12T03:18:03+00:00

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has illuminated the inherent problems within the current global order and accentuated the urgent need for a re-imagined framework that addresses these issues. This study underscored the multifaceted nature of Russia-Ukraine War and the imperative of international efforts to seek a sustainable resolution. Using secondary data and content analysis. Findings reveal that Russia-Ukraine War is rooted in a complex web of historical, cultural, and geopolitical factors which the escalation of the conflict was exacerbated by issues related to the continuous encroachment of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into territories considered to be sphere of influence of Russia, Crimea's annexation, the rights of Russian-speaking populations, and Ukraine's alignment with Western institutions. The study conclude that the conflict has contributed to a reevaluation of alliances and strategic partnerships on the global stage. It has also raised questions about the effectiveness of international institutions and the challenges posed by information warfare, energy security, and arms control. The study recommends that the international community should reaffirm its commitment to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and other relevant agreements. Violations of these norms, as witnessed in Crimea, should be met with condemnation and diplomatic pressure.

The United States Geostrategic and Economic Interests in the Middle East and Arab-Israeli

2024-09-12T03:17:55+00:00

The Arab-Israeli conflict is a paradigm shift from other global conflicts, partly due to its protracted nature and the inherent influence of third-party states like the United States and the erstwhile Soviet Union in the Middle East crisis. The paper is projected to review the unabated Arab-Israeli conflicts and the United States expressed geo-political and economic interests in the Middle East. Thus, the paper adopted the desk research method and third-party intervention theory as explanatory frameworks. It was discovered that the protracted Arab-Israeli crisis festered on because of the desire of the United States to use Israeli forces to curtail Arab civilization from challenging Western culture and ensure access to the oil in the Middle East. This was made possible due to inability of the United Nations to enforce its resolutions. These became harbingers of troubles in the Middle East, hence Arab-Israeli conflict became a continuum. In effect, the unity of the Arab world, a review of United States arms and financial supports to Israel and a more functional United Nations to de-radicalize relationships in the Middle East are recommended as possible solutions.

The United States Foreign Policy towards Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia, and the Omission of Nigeria

2024-09-12T03:17:48+00:00

In December 2022, the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit was held in Washington DC, which had 49 heads of African states in attendance. As a follow-up, the United States Vice President, Kamala Harris, on March 27, 2023, was on state visits to Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia. However, she did not stop in Nigeria. What does skipping Nigeria tell us about the U.S. foreign policy currently? This paper seeks to analyze Kamala Harris's trips to Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia as well as what the United States' decision to skip Nigeria tells us about its current African foreign policy. The balance of power theory underpins this study. Secondary data sources were used. The study found out that Nigeria was excluded from the United States visit to Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia due to insecurity and terrorism, questionable democracy, and human rights issues which are aligned to and constitute the US core national interests, economically, politically, and strategically. The state visit was aimed at restoring the U.S. damaged African relations. The study recommended that Nigeria must tackle the problems of bad governance and questionable democracy, terrorism, youth unemployment, and human rights issues for the development of stronger ties with the United States of America.