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African Regional Organizations, Peace Operations and the UN : Legitimacy and Disengagement

Upphovsperson: Gelot, Linnéa
Utgivare: | Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation | Göteborgs universitet | Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY
År: 2015
Ämnesord: United Nations, Regional organizations, Peacemaking, War, Armed Conflict, Peacekeeping, conflicts, Peace and conflict research, Freds- och konfliktforskning
This book analyses the new and difficult roles of regional organizations in peacemaking after the end of the Cold War and how they relate to the United Nations (UN). Regional organizations have taken an increasingly prominent role in international efforts to deal with international security. The book highlights the complex interaction between the regional and sub-regional organizations, on the one hand, and their relations with the United Nations, on the other. Thus, the general issues of UN and its authority are scrutinized from legal, practical and geopolitical perspectives. Taking on a broad geographical focus on Africa, the Arab world and Europe, the book also provides an extensive range of case studies, with detailed analysis of particular situations, organizations and armed conflicts. The authors scrutinise the heterogeneous relationship between the different organizations as well as the challenges to them: political resources, legal standing, financial assets, capabilities and organizational set up. Moreover, they investigate whether regional organizations, as compared to the UN, are better suited to deal with today’s intra-state conflicts. The book also aims to dissect the evolution of these institutions historically – in relation to Chapter VIII of the UN Charter which mentions the resort to 'regional arrangements’ for conflict management – as well as more generally in relation to the principles of international law and UN principles of peacemaking. This book, written by a mixture of established scholars, diplomats and high-level policymakers, will be of great interest to students as well as practitioners in the field of peace and conflict studies, regional security, international organisations, conflict management and IR in general.

Election-Related Violence : The Case of Ghana

Upphovsperson: Amankwaah, Clementina
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation |
År: 2013
Ämnesord: Ghana, elections, Electoral systems, Voting, Political violence, Ethnicity, politics, political parties, democracy
This Current African Issue gives an overview of the causes and experiences of electionrelated violence in relation to patronage politics in Ghana. Ghana has been framed b ythe international community as a unique bastion of democracy and peace on the African continent. Nevertheless, the country has come from a military regime like many of its democratic African counterparts and is still prone to some of the problems faced by its more turbulent neighbours. The three main guiding issues that this publication will address in relation to election-related violence in Ghana are: The causes of election-related violence in Ghana Who the people most likely to cause election-related violence are The role that “big men” play in election-related violence

Who needs to reconcile with whom? : the conflict’s complexity in northern Mali calls for tailored solutions

Upphovsperson: Gaasholt, Ole Martin
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation |
År: 2015
Ämnesord: Mali, Tuaregs, conflicts, political development, Political islam, Regional security, Political science, Statsvetenskap, Peace and conflict research, Freds- och konfliktforskning
While negotiations are taking place in Algiers, some observers insist on the need for reconciliation between Northern Mali and the rest of the country and particularly between Tuareg and other Malians. But the Tuareg are a minority in Northern Mali and most of them did not support the rebels. So who needs to be reconciled with whom? And what economic solutions will counteract conflict? This Policy Note argues that not only exclusion underlies the conflict, but also a lack of economic opportunities.

Sweden-Norway at the Berlin Conference 1884–85 : History, national identity-making and Sweden's relations with Africa

Upphovsperson: Nilsson, David
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Agrarian Change, Property and Resources |
År: 2013
Ämnesord: Sweden, Africa, Foreign relations, colonialism, International politics, Colonial history
The image of Sweden is one of a small, democratic and peace-loving country without the moral burden of a colonial past. However, in this Current African Issues publication, the notion that Sweden lacks a colonial past in Africa is brought into question. At the Berlin Conference 1884–85, the rules for colonisation of Africa were agreed upon among a handful of white men. With the blessing of King Oscar II, the united kingdoms of Sweden-Norway participated in the Berlin conference, ratified the resulting convention and signed a trade agreement with King Leopold’s International Congo Association. Thereafter, hundreds of Swedish militaries, seamen and missionaries took an active part in the brutal colonial project in the Congo. What was Sweden-Norway really doing at the Berlin Conference and in the ensuing Scramble for Africa? Is it now time to re-assess Swedish identity in relation to Africa, an identity so far centered on colonial innocence? Dr DAVID NILSSON is a researcher at the Division of History of Science, Technology and Environment, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. His research focuses on global longtermperspectives on sustainable development in Africa.

Academics on the Move : Mobility and Institutional Change in the Swedish Development Support to Research Capacity Building in Mozambique

Upphovspersoner: Fellesson, Måns | Mählck, Paula
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, African International Links |
År: 2013
Ämnesord: Higher education, Aid programmes, Capacity building, Research and development, Career development, Labour mobility, gender equality, Mozambique
In the competitive global knowledge economy, highly qualified individuals are increasingly recognised as being the key to development. In particular, doctorate holders are not only the most qualified in terms of educational attainment, but also those specifically trained to be at the forefront of innovation and in a position to drive advances in science, technology and knowledge of society. In developing countries with relatively weak research structures, not least with regard to PhD graduates, the training of PhDs has been intimately linked to the reproduction of human capacity in national research systems. This study examines the mobility of PhD graduates funded under the Swedish development aid program to build institutional research capacity in Mozambique from 1990 to 2013. Principal areas of investigation are extent and direction of geographic, sectoral and vertical mobility, perception and individual rationales for mobility and career choices and experience of the so-called "sandwich model".

Scrambling for the promised land : land acquisitions and the politics of representation in post-war Acholi, northern Uganda

Upphovsperson: Sjögren, Anders
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet |
År: 2013
Ämnesord: land tenure regimes, land acquisitions, political representation, state-scoiety relations, Uganda, Acholi, Political science, Statsvetenskap
In the wake of return to relative peace in Acholi region, northern Uganda, from 2006, land matters have taken centre stage. After having been displaced into camps for many years, people have started to go back home. Their return is complicated by many factors, including above all, land disputes. While the Ugandan constitution and land legislation protects customary tenure, the social and economic institutions that uphold this tenure regime have been severely weakened as a result of war and displacement. The combination of demographic changes following large-scale displacement and gradual return; social and economic conflicts emanating from biting poverty for most and accumulation by a few; uncertain territorial demarcations by way of changing and contested statutory and communal boundaries in the context of weak and subverted regulatory institutions, together deepen conflicts over resources. This article analyses these issues by examining a case of land acquisition in Amuru: a bid by the Madhvani business group to access huge tracts of land in western Acholi for purposes of growing sugar cane, and the heated debates and protests this case has generated, as played out by political representation in different arenas such as the media, courts and representative assemblies.

The Oil Industry in Uganda; A Blessing in Disguise or an all Too Familiar Curse? : The 2012 Claude Ake Memorial Lecture

Upphovsperson: Mbabazi, Pamela K.
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet |
År: 2013
Ämnesord: Uganda, Petroleum industry, natural resources, Economic growth, Government policy, Development strategy
As Uganda comes closer to full scale commercial production of its recently discovered oil resources, the state has much work to protect its economy from possible negative effects. Although much of the literature regarding oil globally, as well as in Uganda, paints a rather pessimistic picture, Dr. Pamela Mbabazi provides a set of alternatives, looking at oil as an opportunity rather than a curse. While oil is still in its infancy, many in Uganda have already predicted how it will play out over the next 50 years. While some are quick to point out the flaws and potential problem areas, Dr. Mbabazi suggests a more balanced approach, recognizing both the issue areas as well as the opportunities presented. Uganda has just celebrated its 50th anniversary as an independent nation. What is certain is that over the next five decades, oil will play a significant role in Uganda´s development. Thus, she argues that by heeding the suggestions made in this contribution, the government and key decision makers can help set Uganda on the right path to becoming Africa’s first oil success story. Dr. Pamela Mbabazi held the Claude Ake Memorial Chair in 2012-2013, working with the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University and the Nordic Africa Institute. She is Associate Professor of Development Studies, Mbarara University of Science & Technology, Uganda.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? : Donor-civil society partnerships and the case of hiv/aids work

Upphovspersoner: Follér, Maj-Lis | Haug, Christoph | Knutsson, Beniamin | Thörn, Håkan
Utgivare: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, Conflict, Displacement and Transformation |
År: 2013
Ämnesord: Mozambique, Rwand, a South Africa, Hiv, aids, aids prevention, International cooperation, Foreign aid, Civil Society, Partnership
Civil society organisations are today considered crucial indevelopment partnerships. This Policy Dialogue argues that current aid programs tend to turn such CSOs into businesses that are required to meet donor demands for reportable results, rather than to serve the needs of intended beneficiaries. Based on case studies drawn from HIV and AIDS work in Mozambique, Rwanda and South Africa, the report explores the methods donors use to govern development partnerships and their effect on the distribution of responsibility among partners. It further examines the responses by recipient organisations to these requirements, ranging from acquiescence to resistance. These case studies, drawn from the field of HIV/AIDS, are also invaluable in shedding light on wider issue of the governance of international development cooperation with civil society.

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