Africa's New Peace and Security Architecture: Converging the Roles of External Actors and African Interests

Peace and security have become priority issues for the African continent, and for the international community. The dynamics that Africa has developed on its own, as well as the dynamics currently involved in outside support for Africa, are concerned not exclusively, but in large measure, with military capabilities. In fact, in the past many examples indicate that mechanisms put in place by African nations themselves or by the international community have been unwilling or unable to intervene militarily in emergency situations to protect civilian populations. Against this background, the paper seeks to determine how and in what form external actors are supporting African efforts, and what shape future challenges may take. The paper will also discuss whether the ongoing debate on the military dimension is an indication of a ‘backlog’ of issues that demand more attention, or whether the discussion must be seen as an indication of an overly narrow focus on the military. Finally, the implications for development policy will be discussed. The paper concludes that ongoing African efforts and measures aimed at implementing a new peace and security architecture must be seen as positive. However, a number of structural deficits must still be overcome to implement a truly effective peace and security architecture.