Regions as Security Providers: The Evolution of the West African Regional Security Complex
(2013) STVM21 20122Department of Political Science
- Abstract
- The purpose of this thesis is to explore the region in its role as a regional security provider through a within-case study of West Africa. The point of departure is on one hand that contemporary threats to international peace and security are increasingly regional, arising within states rather than from a global or out-of-region origin, and on the other hand that the regions among the world has become salient security providers. The theoretical and epistemological basis rests on social constructivist concepts and theories on the evolution of the West African Regional Security Complex. I have found that the processes of securitisation and desecuritisation among the states in West Africa are so interlinked that their security problems... (More)
- The purpose of this thesis is to explore the region in its role as a regional security provider through a within-case study of West Africa. The point of departure is on one hand that contemporary threats to international peace and security are increasingly regional, arising within states rather than from a global or out-of-region origin, and on the other hand that the regions among the world has become salient security providers. The theoretical and epistemological basis rests on social constructivist concepts and theories on the evolution of the West African Regional Security Complex. I have found that the processes of securitisation and desecuritisation among the states in West Africa are so interlinked that their security problems cannot reasonably be analysed or resolved apart from one another. The security interdependence between the states has been highly dependent on de jure changes in distribution of power, shifts in the pattern of amity and enmity, and alternations in penetration of external actors. Three characteristics have continued to hamper the evolution of the security complex: (i) the weak state capacity of its members resulting in a gap between agreed norms and rules of conduct, and institutional capacity and resources; (ii) the principles of state sovereignty and search for consensus in regional decision-making blocking collective conflict prevention and management; (iii) the phenomenon of presidentialism and prevailing pattern of executive dominance in member states and its repercussions on regional decision-making. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/3351471
- author
- Persson, Jan LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- STVM21 20122
- year
- 2013
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- West Africa, Regions, Security, Constructivism, Norms, Institutions
- language
- English
- id
- 3351471
- date added to LUP
- 2013-02-05 14:31:30
- date last changed
- 2013-02-05 14:31:30
@misc{3351471,
abstract = {{The purpose of this thesis is to explore the region in its role as a regional security provider through a within-case study of West Africa. The point of departure is on one hand that contemporary threats to international peace and security are increasingly regional, arising within states rather than from a global or out-of-region origin, and on the other hand that the regions among the world has become salient security providers. The theoretical and epistemological basis rests on social constructivist concepts and theories on the evolution of the West African Regional Security Complex. I have found that the processes of securitisation and desecuritisation among the states in West Africa are so interlinked that their security problems cannot reasonably be analysed or resolved apart from one another. The security interdependence between the states has been highly dependent on de jure changes in distribution of power, shifts in the pattern of amity and enmity, and alternations in penetration of external actors. Three characteristics have continued to hamper the evolution of the security complex: (i) the weak state capacity of its members resulting in a gap between agreed norms and rules of conduct, and institutional capacity and resources; (ii) the principles of state sovereignty and search for consensus in regional decision-making blocking collective conflict prevention and management; (iii) the phenomenon of presidentialism and prevailing pattern of executive dominance in member states and its repercussions on regional decision-making.}},
author = {{Persson, Jan}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Regions as Security Providers: The Evolution of the West African Regional Security Complex}},
year = {{2013}},
}