Since independence, the West African subregion has been the arena for a number of large-scale conflicts and civil wars, as well as various low-intensity conflicts, with conflicts largely clustered around subregional conflict systems. Contrary to perceptions however, the subregion in its...

This book seeks to critically examine the challenges of fragility and security in West Africa, along with the factors of resilience. It seeks to investigate key drivers of conflict and violence, and the way in which they impact the countries of the subregion. Along with emerging threats and...

Trends in conflict and violence -- An overview of conflict and violence in West Africa -- Emerging threats : trafficking, maritime piracy, and religious extremism -- The complex challenges of youth and migration -- The struggle for greater fairness and equity : the challenge of regional...

Australia, India, Japan, and the US are coordinating security activities in the Indo-Pacific under the guise of the ‘Quad’, a highly informal intergovernmental organization that some observers describe as an embryonic military alliance. For others, it is a loose group amounting to little...

There are few questions of greater significance in African international relations than China's actions in and engagement with other states. Chinese infrastructure, businesses, and people have blanketed the continent and revolutionized lifestyles, transportation, and political economies. The...

Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, known popularly as “Farmajo”, was declared Somalia’s new president-elect after defeating incumbent president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on February 8, 2017. Farmajo’s victory took many by surprise, not least because Hassan Sheikh’s reelection --- given the size of...

The hardening rivalry between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is now taken as a given, and many will agree that the theater of this strategic competition is the Indo-Pacific. Spanning the Pacific and Indian Ocean worlds, this region is a vast, maritime arena that defies control...

The geopolitical situation of Eastern Africa is complex and volatile due to several socio-economic, security and political factors. These range from poverty to terrorism to maritime insecurity. This vast region—home to highly diverse states and peoples—is also rich in natural resources such...

The Middle East occupies the minds of policymakers, security experts, and geopolitical pundits arguably far beyond what the region’s territorial scope and economic heft appear to warrant. Notwithstanding the significance of hydrocarbon production from the region to the functioning of the...