Humanitarian intervention and conflict resolution in West Africa

Description:

The end of the Cold War has been characterized by a wave of violent civil wars that have produced unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and suffering. Although mostly intra-state, these conflicts have spread across borders and threatened international peace and security. One of the worst affected regions is West Africa which has been home to some of Africa's most brutal and intractable conflicts for more than a decade. This volume locates the peacekeeping operations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) within an expanded post-Cold War conceptualization of humanitarian intervention. It examines the organization's capacity to protect civilians at risk in civil conflicts and to facilitate the processes of peacemaking and post-war peace-building. Taking the empirical case of ECOWAS, the book looks at the challenges posed by complex political emergencies (CPEs) to humanitarian intervention and traces the evolution of ECOWAS from an economic integration project to a security organization, examining the challenges inherent in such a transition. -- Publisher description.

subjects: Conflict management,  Economic Community of West African States,  Humanitarian intervention,  International cooperation,  National security,  Peace-building,  Regionalism,  National security, africa,  Peace,  Intervention (international law),  Africa, west, social conditions,  Gestion des conflits,  Coopération internationale,  Consolidation de la paix,  Droit d'ingérence humanitaire,  Régionalisme,  POLITICAL SCIENCE,  Political Freedom & Security,  Law Enforcement

Places: West Africa