Almost ten years ago, on 10 December 1999, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted the Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security and hence passed “probably (...) the most ambitious instrument on the regulation of collective security ever attempted to date” (Abass 2000: 212). After three military interventions in the 1990ies ECOWAS, a purely economically
intended community at the beginning, was in need of better legal foundations for its missions. The interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau were largely characterized by political disputes mostly between anglophone and francophone members of ECOWAS, by weak legal foundations and massive shortcomings in financing, training and equipping the military missions. None of the three interventions can be seen as a pure success. There is even
a controversy debate whether the ECOWAS interventions might have prolonged instead of shortened the civil wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau (see Howe 1996).
The Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security was therefore the attempt to put future ECOWAS interventions on better ground. The outcome was promising, but still bears many deficiancies. Some relate to the provisions made in the Protocol, some relate to the nature of ECOWAS. The sucess or failure of ECOWAS´ military engagement in securing peace in the region is vital for the all-african efforts to build up regional peace-keeping powers within the framework of the African Union and furthermore for the decentralization of the peacekeeping efforts of the United Nations. If ECOWAS found a way to manage matters of peace and security at its own this could be a encouraging example for other regions in the world. Reality however shows a different picture. The present paper wants to examine how succesful exactly ECOWAS was in creating the
Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security (in the following short “the Mechanism”) and to what extent the Mechanism can be a solution to the failures made at prior military interventions. For this purpose in the following the ECOWAS intervention in the Liberian civil war in 1990 will be examined against the background of earlier ECOWAS protocols and the against the Mechanism.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Economic Community of West African States
2.1 The Beginnings from 1975 to 1989
2.2 Excursion: The civil war in Liberia
2.3 The ECOWAS intervention in Liberia at first sight
2.4 Assessing ECOWAS legal foundations to the ECOMOG mission
2.5 The ECOWAS Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-keeping and Security
3. Evaluation of the Mechanism and Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the effectiveness of the "Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security" adopted by ECOWAS in 1999. It investigates whether this new mechanism successfully addresses the legal and operational failures observed during earlier military interventions, specifically the 1990 Liberian civil war, while analyzing the institutional and political challenges inherent in West African collective security.
- Evolution of ECOWAS from an economic community to a regional security actor.
- Legal and structural analysis of early protocols vs. the 1999 Mechanism.
- Case study of the ECOMOG intervention in the Liberian civil war.
- Political dynamics between anglophone and francophone member states.
- Impact of neopatrimonialism and regime security on regional peace efforts.
Excerpts from the Book
The ECOWAS intervention in Liberia at first sight
Knowing that the international community particulary the United States, “historical godfather and Cold War patron of Liberia” (Adebajo 2002: 49), and the United Nations Security Council did not pay much attention to the disaster occuring in West Africa, ECOWAS felt the need to act on their own although it had never launched such a complex military mission on its own. The civil war in Liberia broke out at a time when all eyes were focused on the end of the Cold War and the forthcoming Gulf War. Also the wish to signal to the world that African subregional organizations were capable of responding to immanent challenges gave motivation to the establishment of an own peacekeeping force (Howe 1996: 152).
Therefore, on 30 May 1990 an ECOWAS summit in Banjul, Gambia, established a five-member Standing Mediation Committee (SMC) with a mandate to mediate disputes and conflicts (Weller 1994: ECOWAS Decision A/DEC.9/5/90; doc. nr. 20). As the MSC decided on the establishment of ECOMOG its own establishment seems crucial for questions of authorization and responsibility in dealing with the Liberian crisis. It could not be drawn from the decision at hand, however, who voted for the establishement of the SMC. According to the ECOWAS Treaty of 1975 all security issues has to be dealt with by consensus (see Haacke/Willimas 2008: 131). Körner states that Nigeria enforced the decision to establish the SMC with the self-confidence of a regional power (Körner 1999: 47).
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Outlines the historical context of ECOWAS security interventions and sets the research objective to analyze the efficacy of the 1999 Mechanism.
The Economic Community of West African States: Provides an overview of the organization's institutional origins and its initial transition from an economic body to one increasingly involved in security matters through early protocols.
The Beginnings from 1975 to 1989: Describes the foundation of ECOWAS institutions and the adoption of initial non-aggression and mutual defense protocols.
Excursion: The civil war in Liberia: Details the outbreak of the civil war and the factors that led ECOWAS to treat it as a regional security issue rather than a domestic conflict.
The ECOWAS intervention in Liberia at first sight: Examines the formation of the Standing Mediation Committee and the subsequent deployment of ECOMOG without explicit prior legal mandate.
Assessing ECOWAS legal foundations to the ECOMOG mission: Critically evaluates the legal basis for the 1990 intervention within the existing 1975 treaty and 1978 protocol frameworks.
The ECOWAS Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-keeping and Security: Analyzes the structural changes introduced by the 1999 Mechanism, focusing on the Mediation and Security Council and its decision-making processes.
Evaluation of the Mechanism and Conclusion: Assesses the lingering challenges of power rivalry, political abuse of mandates, and funding constraints, concluding that while improvements exist, systemic issues remain.
Keywords
ECOWAS, ECOMOG, Liberia, Conflict Prevention, Security Mechanism, Mediation and Security Council, Regional Security, Collective Security, Military Intervention, Neopatrimonialism, Peacekeeping, West Africa, Protocol, Political Stability, Human Rights.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on the transition of ECOWAS from an economic organization to a regional security actor, specifically analyzing the 1999 Protocol relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
Key themes include regional security governance, the legal evolution of ECOWAS protocols, the dynamics of regional military interventions, and the influence of national interests on multilateral action.
What is the primary research question?
The research asks how successful ECOWAS was in creating the 1999 Mechanism and to what extent this tool resolves the failures identified during prior military interventions like the one in Liberia.
Which scientific methodology is applied in the study?
The study employs a document-based analysis, reviewing historical ECOWAS treaties, protocols, and academic literature to evaluate legal provisions and institutional decision-making structures.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the history of ECOWAS from 1975, a case study on the Liberian civil war, a legal assessment of early ECOWAS mandates, and a critical evaluation of the 1999 Mechanism's institutional setup.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as ECOWAS, ECOMOG, Conflict Prevention, Regional Security, and Neopatrimonialism.
How did the 1999 Mechanism aim to change decision-making?
It introduced the Mediation and Security Council (MSC) to streamline intervention decisions, though the paper argues it still allows for potentially problematic low-threshold decision-making.
What role does the rivalry between anglophone and francophone members play?
The rivalry is identified as a persistent challenge, influencing the support for and the composition of ECOWAS military missions and institutions like the MSC.
What conclusion does the author reach regarding the effectiveness of the Mechanism?
The author concludes that while the Mechanism shows high ambitions, it still suffers from systemic shortcomings like vague decision-making processes, lack of funding, and the potential for member states to use ECOWAS to pursue national political goals.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Isabel Meyer (Autor:in), 2009, ECOWAS: The Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peace-Keeping and Security, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/157547
