With the embers of the Westgate Mall attack slowly cooling off, the Kenyan government’s policies have faced heavy scrutiny. As the global security environment changes and instances of terrorism increase throughout the…
Latest posts - Page 51
Conflict
The 9/21 Attack on Westgate Mall: Understanding the Youth Factor in Violent Radicalization in Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa
by Alfred Ndumo Muteru
Al-Shabaab has begun to mobilize support by taking advantage of political and socio-economic vulnerabilities of the youth in Somalia's neighboring countries. After two and a half decades of counterproductive military interventions, peacebuilding processes may need to be reconsidered and instead focus on inclusive ideas that do not overlook the importance of the youth.
Essays
Mapping Reconciliation Processes in Africa: A Project Set to Fail or A Possible Gateway to Further Research?
by Cori Wielenga
Reconciliation has become an important term in the national discourse, particularly within Africa. Yet what reconciliation actually refers to, how it should be implemented, and how to assess its level of effectiveness remains a challenge for many States. This piece explores the creation of a database to map reconciliation processes across the African continent, questioning whether such a project would be destined to fail, or a gateway to further research.
Essays
Why Peacebuilding in Eastern Congo Often Goes Wrong, and Why It Is So Hard to Get Right
by Christoph Vogel and Joschka Havenith
Why is building peace in a context such as the Congolese conflicts so hard? Despite many efforts, including the presence of the largest United Nations peacekeeping mission, international treaties, and peace talks, peacebuilding in eastern Congo has become a difficult task with a myriad of complexities. Havenith and Vogel seek to understand these challenges.
Essays
Al-Shabaab Terror in Kenya: Implications for Peace and Security in the Region
by Shadrack W. Nasong'o
With the terrorist group Al-Shabaab coming forward and taking responsibility for the recent Westgate Attack in Nairobi, the debate over the implications for security across the region has been rejuvenated. Shadrack W. Nasong'o's analyzes these through several lenses: doubts about the efficiency of the Kenyan intelligence and security agencies, Kenya's continued military presence in Somalia, the recruitment of non-Somali East Africans among Al-Shabaab, and the desperate nature of this specific attack in light of Al-Shabaab's own defeat within Somalia.
Ghana's 2012 Elections
The Consolidation of Democracy in Ghana: The 2012 General Elections in Perspective
Essays
The Westgate Mall Siege: Reassessing Kenya’s Security Architecture
by Awino Okech
The Westgate siege affirms an observation made by many concerned Kenyans over the years, and more fervently since March: that there is a nexus between the high levels of insecurity in the country and the operational weaknesses of our security forces. This paper looks inward at the state of Kenya's security system and lessons that can be learned from the Westgate siege.
Conflict
Transnational Threats to Peace in Africa
by Prosper Addo
This article illustrates the scope and magnitude of threats within Africa by focusing on drug- trafficking, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW), and terrorism and will offer suggestions for effectively combating them and promoting peace and security within the continent.
