Civil Wars in Africa: Roots and Resolution [Hardcover]

Taisier M. Ali (Editor), Robert O. Matthews (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

A collection of case studies of nine African countries, "Civil Wars in Africa" provides a comparative perspective on the causes of civil war and the processes by which internal conflict may be resolved or averted. The book focuses on the wars in Ethiopia, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda as well as the experiences of Tanzania and Zimbabwe, where civil war was averted, to underline conditions under which conflict can most successfully be managed. John Kiyaga-Nsubuga focuses on Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Movement regime's attempt to bring peace to Uganda. John Prendergast and Mark Duffield look at Ethiopia's long civil war and the role of liberation politics and external engagement. Bruce Jones studies the ethnic roots of the civil war in Rwanda. Elwood Dunn explores political manipulation and ethnic differences as causes of civil strife in Liberia. John Saul examines the role of Western powers in establishing peace in Mozambique. Hussein Adam describes the collapse of the authoritarian regime in Somalia and the subsequent rise of inter-clan and sub-clan rivalry. Taisier Ali and Robert Matthews argue that the forty-year conflict in Sudan is much more complex than the usual view that it results from the pitting of the Arab, Islamic North against the African, Christian South. Shifting the focus to how internal unrest may be managed, Hevina Dashwood examines government initiatives undertaken to maintain stability in Zimbabwe and Cranford Pratt describes the policies and institutions developed by Nyerere that enabled Tanzania to avoid ethnic, regional, and religious factionalism and intra-elite rivalries. James Busumtwi-Sam explores multilateral third-party intervention, highlighting the changing role of the OAU and the United Nations and their effectiveness in averting war. The concluding chapter draws together findings from the individual case studies and incorporates them into the larger corpus of the literature. Taisier M. Ali, formerly professor of political economy at the University of Khartoum, is presently a visiting scholar in the Department of Political Science, University of Toronto. Robert O. Matthews is professor of political science, University of Toronto.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Civil Wars in Africa is an excellent book that makes a solid contribution to scholarship and to the literature on civil wars and conflict resolution." Ken Grundy, Department of Political Science, Case Western Reserve University "Civil Wars in Africa offers some unique insights into the processes of peace building. The scholarship is not only sound, it is meticulous and of the highest quality. The study represents a major contribution to research in this field because of its discussion of comparative lessons from the various case studies and its attempt to apply these lessons to future conflicts." Fen Hampson, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University

About the Author

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 322 pages
• Publisher: Mcgill Queens Univ Pr (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0773517774
• ISBN-13: 978-0773517776
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,955,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > History > Africa > Mozambique

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Civil Wars in Africa Revisted, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Civil Wars in Africa: Roots and Resolution (Paperback)

This a well written factual study of African civil wars. It clearly addresses the crisis without taking sides or introducing any ideological or other agendas. The chapters on Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Mozamique and Rwanda are outstanding. Moreover, the conclouding chapter brings in an outstanding and fresh perspective. In short this is an excellent book.