journal of african peace and security

Par Kwesi Aning

Africa's security environment is undergoing profound transformation, partly in response to fundamental events and processes that have been taking place since the late 1980s (Aning, 2007; Arnould & Strazzari, 2017; Metelits, 2016; Murithi, 2014). These include the demise of the Cold War and the fall of communism, the phenomenon of globalisation and shrinking time and space, and the emergence of intrastate conflicts as the most prevalent and deadly form of armed conflicts. Equally significant have been the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the concomitant war on terrorism, the 'Arab Spring' and the war in Libya, and the growing threat of transnational organised crimes that include the resort to terrorism by sub-state actors. Others relate to the growing actorness of Africa's regional and sub-regional organisations that operate alongside the state, the changing meaning of sovereignty and the chequered record of democratic experimentation in Africa.