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African Security in the Anthropocene

  • Book
  • © 2023

Overview

Editors:
  1. Hussein Solomon

    1. Faculty The Humanities Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

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  2. Jude Cocodia

    1. Faculty The Humanities Political Studies and Governance, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Is comprehensive in scope, strong on theory, pragmatic in policy and reflects experience from the field
  • Shows the interconnectedness of the varied threats pushing the boundaries of (in)security
  • Treats (in)security issues in Africa as having common causes in the Anthropocene

Part of the book series: The Anthropocene: Politik—Economics—Society—Science (APESS, volume 36)

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
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  2. Introduction: African Security in the Age of the Anthropocene

    • Jude Cocodia, Hussein Solomon
    Pages 1-7

  3. (Re)Thinking Security for the African Context

    • Bianca Naude
    Pages 9-22

  4. Homer-Dixon’s Environmental Scarcity Theory and Potential for Conflict in the Nile River Basin (NRB)

    • M. K. Mahlakeng, Hussein Solomon
    Pages 23-50

  5. Climate-Security and the Anthropocene: The Case of Mali

    • Sanet Madonsela
    Pages 51-60

  6. Exploring the Interface Between the African State, African Security, and the African Union in the Anthropocene Age

    • Hussein Solomon, Jude Cocodia
    Pages 61-75

  7. Resource-Based Conflicts in Africa

    • Omololu Fagbadebo, Mzikayise S. Binza, Martin M. Kabange
    Pages 77-94

  8. African Armed Forces and the Need for Security: Making Sense of Realities

    • Dries Putter, Abel Esterhuyse
    Pages 95-107

  9. Identity, Cohesion, and Nigeria’s Security Question Amid Anthropogenic Pressures

    • Jude Cocodia, Ibaba Samuel Ibaba
    Pages 109-123

  10. The Role of Foreign Actors in African Security

    • Dauda Abubakar
    Pages 125-143

  11. Insecurity and Regional Actors’ Role in Securing Africa: An Analysis of the Role of ECOWAS, SADC, and IGAD in Countering Terrorism

    • Abdul-Jalilu Ateku, Isaac Owusu-Mensah
    Pages 145-164

  12. Conclusion: The Future of African Security: Final Thoughts

    • Hussein Solomon, Jude Cocodia
    Pages 165-169

  13. Back Matter

    Pages 171-188
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Keywords

About this book

Much has been written on security in Africa—its democratic deficit, poor civil-military relations, and myriad conflicts—but these are often treated in isolation from one another. This book takes a different approach, as it links all of these issues to the dynamics of the Anthropocene. Penned by African scholars on the continent and in the diaspora, it examines the different challenges not as separate entities but as outcomes of the Anthropocene Age. In this geological epoch, humans have become a global force—unfortunately, not necessarily for good. The interaction between humans and the climate, the effects of waste, the impact of pollution on marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the loss of biodiversity, and the change in the chemical composition of the soil, oceans and atmosphere are key identifiers of the age of the Anthropocene. This has fueled conflict and instability from the vast swathes of the Sahel to Somalia. Responding to these issues of insecurity without understanding their inter-connectedness and how this relates to the environment can only result in failure. From this perspective, the current structures in place are inadequate for the task of confronting insecurity at the state and continental levels, as represented by the African Union. What is needed is a radical reevaluation of Africa’s security architecture and approach to security. This necessitates pooling sovereignty on a continental and global level. It necessitates less state-centric responses that include civil society and the business community as equal partners of states in order to collectively confront insecurity in the age of the Anthropocene.


• The authors are  academics, policy makers and military veterans who have worked in building capacity on the African continent
• The book is comprehensive in scope, strong on theory, pragmatic in policy and reflects experience from the field.
• The authors approach makes the book easy, interesting and intriguing.



Editors and Affiliations

  • Faculty The Humanities Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

    Hussein Solomon

  • Faculty The Humanities Political Studies and Governance, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

    Jude Cocodia

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