Regional Security Structures

Collective Security in Africa: The Tension Between Theory and Practice

“…Subregional organisations in Africa did, however, conduct several peace enforcement operations between 1990 and 2003. 1998-1999. AMISOM in Somalia (since March 2007, with its robust mandate that makes provision for offensive operations, can also be considered a peace enforcement operation.…”

South African Defence Since 1994

“…First, supporters of NOD assume that regimes which accept NOD rule through popular consent rather than by force, which is not always the case in developing countries. 43 Second, and in addition, NOD requires largescale participation of people in the defence of a country, and weak states will not be in favour of such an option as the arming of its population could contribute to its own overthrow in a system of territorial defence. 44 Third, NOD is criticised for being a Eurocentric idea that originated during the Cold War as a way to ease strategies of escalation and to restructure the defence of West Germany within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).…”

Geopolitical constraints and institutional innovation

“…Cooperative security is intended to be inclusive and to promote consultation over confrontation, reassurance over balancing, and information sharing, transparency and burden sharing among security partners. 21 Cooperative security promotes both dialogue and socialisation into shared norms as a crisis-prevention mechanism via confidence-and security-building measures. Cooperative security is also a model for forming ad hoc military coalitions for crisis management by lowering the transaction costs of multilateral cooperation.…”