Failed Democratic Transition in Cameroon: A Human Rights Explanation

Dicklitch, Susan

doi:10.1353/hrq.2002.0007

Cited by 34 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…47 More specifically concerning Cameroon, Dicklitch hits the nail on the head by arguing that '[t]he French have been willing to support the Biya regime in order to maintain political and economic stability as well as continued French influence and access to Cameroonian natural resources'. 48 Cameroon's President Paul Biya, a reluctant reformer to say the least, certainly more than benefited from France's help, and clearly maintained power because of it. Even significant human rights abuses and blatant electoral fraud could not deter the African regime's backers in Paris.…”

Section: Democratizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undermining cooperation: donor-patrons and the failure of political conditionality

Emmanuel

2010

Democratization

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This study extends the debate concerning the feasibility of using foreign assistance to leverage political reforms in developing countries. This research combines both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in an effort to expand on the work done by previous scholars. Conclusions of the empirical analysis point to the finding that political conditionality is most effective when close cooperation exists between donors. This coordination, however, is frequently sabotaged by self-interested donor-patrons, illustrated by the case of Cameroon and France. This pattern is generalizable and significantly undermines the overall success rate of a political conditionality approach.

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Section: Democratizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Undermining cooperation: donor-patrons and the failure of political conditionality

Emmanuel

2010

Democratization

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“…As Biya’s hand played out, the second half of 1991 would go to the advantage of the regime. According to Susan Dicklitch (2002: 171) ‘[t]he campaign of civil disobedience ended in mid-October 1991 following government repression and detention of opposition members and protestors.’ Paul Biya at this time looked to consolidate his position in his speech to Cameroonian people on 11 October 1991. In this declaration Biya announced the conveying of the Yaoundé Tripatite Meeting to discuss a limited number of issues, such as access to the media for political parties and changes to the electoral code.…”

Section: Part I: Cameroon In the Early 1990smentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Together the CPDM and MDR formed a narrow majority coalition by only four seats (94 of 180 seats or 52.2%). To cement the deal between the two parties, Biya used patronage to win over the support of key individuals, offering ministerial posts to their partners in the coalition (Dicklitch, 2002: 165). In handing out these favors, Biya was forced to dramatically increase the size of his executive cabinet, from 25 seats to 37.…”

Section: Part I: Cameroon In the Early 1990smentioning

confidence: 99%

‘With a Friend like this . . .’: Shielding Cameroon from Democratization

Emmanuel

2012

Journal of Asian and African Studies

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The following paper uses the case-study of Cameroon to examine how critical donors can shield their close allies from pressure to pursue political liberalization. As the wave of democratic reform swept through Africa in the early 1990s, similar to that going through North Africa and the Middle East today, domestic opposition pushed the ruling clique in Cameroon towards pluralism. However, in this case, instead of encouraging democracy, France helped President Paul Biya to maintain his grip on power. As will be demonstrated, massive amounts of French aid helped the regime survive both internal and external pressure for change. Under a political conditionality approach other secondary donors tried to use their foreign assistance to help push for liberal-democratic reforms in Cameroon. However, such efforts are frequently undermined by what the donor perceives as its self-interest. This research attempts to illustrate this general point by examining the relationship between Cameroon and France and the maintenance of authoritarianism in the defense of common interests.

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“…Jeidoh Duni and Robert Fon are, respectively, the paralegal coordinator and the lawyer on the programme discussed here; Nuhu Salihu is Africa Programme Coordinator for Village AiD, the funder-partner in the programme, and Sam Hickey was a trustee of Village AiD at the time the research was carried out. human rights (Dicklitch 2002). The national institutions required to guarantee these rights have yet to be established, leaving arbitrary arrest and detention, extrajudiciary execution of civilians, imprisonment of journalists, torture and corruption commonplace (Amnesty International, 2003).…”

Section: Rights and Citizenship In Cameroon: The Politics Of Belongingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring a Political Approach to Rights-Based Development in North West Cameroon: From Rights and Marginality to Citizenship and Justice

Hickey

Duni²,

Fon

et al. 2010

SSRN Journal

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Rights-based approaches to development promise to deliver many development goals, particularly in terms of creating a political environment conducive to development. As citizens become empowered through rights-based approaches to make increased demands on the state, it is envisaged that good, more accountable governance will emerge, as states fulfill their obligations to citizens. It is not clear, however, that the promotion of rights-based approaches by NGOs is likely to achieve this. Although processes of state and citizenship formation are critical for development, the sequencing of such processes and their outcomes, and the patterns of causality between them, remain historically and contextually specific. This paper reveals both the potential and the problems that arise when certain rights-based approaches engage with the politics of promoting progressive social change. It explores this challenge of transformation through a case study of a participatory rights-based programme that seeks to assist a marginal pastoral group in North West Cameroon to be empowered citizens. The programme has been relatively successful in catalysing underlying processes of sociopolitical and has improved the quality of local governance. However, the programme's explicit, often confrontational engagement with the power relations underpinning exclusion and exploitation has been both a strength and a liability in advancing progressive social change. This raises critical challenges for the strategic, theoretical and philosophical dimensions of rights-based approaches.

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Failed Democratic Transition in Cameroon: A Human Rights Explanation

Cited by 34 publications

References 8 publications

Undermining cooperation: donor-patrons and the failure of political conditionality

Undermining cooperation: donor-patrons and the failure of political conditionality

‘With a Friend like this . . .’: Shielding Cameroon from Democratization

Exploring a Political Approach to Rights-Based Development in North West Cameroon: From Rights and Marginality to Citizenship and Justice

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