Conflict security and development in Africa has generated such a constant international debate in the recent decades. The prevailing discourse on these matters has rather been pessimistic. The prevalence of armed conflicts within certain phases of the African colonial state, the regression of socio-economic indicators, poor democratic processes as a result of the bad leadership from political elites and widespread corruption. We must underscore that conflicts are inevitable in society however if poorly handled it retard the enforcement of the right to development. This grounded in the human rights-based approach which seeks to ensure that the state who is duty bearer put in mechanisms to ensure that the generic needs of society are identified secured and protected. On the whole this paper presents an examination of conflict security, causes of conflict security and their effects on the right to development, the nexus between conflict security and development within the paradigm of the human security, generic and the human rights-based approach.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Conceptualizing Conflict Security and Development
2.1 Conflict
2.2 Security
2.3 The Right to Development
3. Causes of Conflicts and Implications on Development
3.1 Inept Leadership
3.2 Corruption
3.3 Poverty
3.4 Unemployment, Lack of Education and Population Pressure
4. Effects of Conflict security on Development
4.1 Poor Reconstruction
4.2 Unemployment
4.3 Death and Loss of Lives
4.4 Refugee problem
5. A way forward to Conflict Security and the Right to development
5.1 Committed and Sincere Leadership
5.2 Even Distribution of Resources
5.3 Promotion of the rule of Law
5.4 Respect, Fulfilment and Protection of Human Rights
6. Relationship between Conflict Security and the Right to Development
7. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Themes
This paper examines the nexus between conflict, security, and the right to development within the African context, employing a human rights-based approach to explore how political instability and ineffective governance impede sustainable development.
- The impact of internal conflicts on socio-economic development in Africa.
- Root causes of conflict including inept leadership, corruption, and poverty.
- Consequences of conflict on human security and state infrastructure.
- Strategic requirements for sustainable peace and development through governance.
- The role of international human rights standards in post-conflict reconstruction.
Extract from the book
Causes of Conflicts and Implications on Development
The general causes of conflict are sub-divided into root, secondary and tertiary causes.
Inept Leadership
Africa has consistently suffered from the problem of inept leadership which has retarded political integration and unity in almost all African states. Given the heterogeneous composition of most African states, perhaps what is needed most are the virtues of administrative tact, political tolerance and social justice. These essential ingredients are to be provided by the continent’s leadership. Unfortunately, the realities on ground in most African nations have revealed that most African leaders are weak, corrupt and unpatriotic. Apart from retarding national integration and socio-economic developments, the attitudes of these rulers have sparked off widespread bloody violence. Sudanese, Nigerian, Algerian, Liberian and current crisis in the English part of Cameroon lends credence to the fact that African leaders have failed to forge peace and national unity in their respective countries.
Based on these conflicts and current observation, one cannot but agree with Adedeji, when he posit that: what African countries have lacked during most of their history, as independent states are leaders who are unifiers, chiefs in the true sense, who bind wounds, hold everything and everyone together, mobilize and motivate their people, pursue a policy of inclusion rather than exclusion and are seen by one and all to be of the highest integrity and beyond suspicion. The point therefore is that African leadership must be acceptable to all sections of the community if the process of integration is not to be halted. Until then, a recurrence of conflicts across Africa may continue to be a common phenomenon which down plays on the right to development.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces the debate surrounding conflict and security in Africa and outlines the paper's focus on the human rights-based approach to development.
2. Conceptualizing Conflict Security and Development: Provides foundational definitions for conflict, security, and the right to development as an inalienable human right.
3. Causes of Conflicts and Implications on Development: Analyzes structural triggers such as poor leadership, corruption, and systemic poverty that fuel internal conflicts.
4. Effects of Conflict security on Development: Discusses the tangible consequences of war, including infrastructural destruction, unemployment, and humanitarian crises like displacement.
5. A way forward to Conflict Security and the Right to development: Proposes solutions centered on sincere leadership, the rule of law, and the protection of fundamental human rights.
6. Relationship between Conflict Security and the Right to Development: Explores the interdependent nature of peace and developmental progress, highlighting the failures of current state-society relations.
7. Conclusion: Synthesizes the core argument that peace and human rights are essential prerequisites for the attainment of the right to development.
Keywords
Conflict, Security, Right to Development, Africa, Human Rights, Inept Leadership, Corruption, Poverty, Peace, Governance, Socio-economic Development, Civil War, Reconstruction, Rule of Law, Human Security.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The work explores the critical nexus between conflict, security, and the right to development, specifically analyzing how instability prevents the realization of human rights in Africa.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Key themes include the root causes of internal conflicts, the systemic failures of political leadership, the impact of corruption, and the necessity of human security for sustainable growth.
What is the core objective of the paper?
The main objective is to identify how conflict disrupts the right to development and to propose governance strategies that can foster peace and progress.
Which methodology is employed in this study?
The study utilizes a conceptual and analytical approach grounded in international human rights theory and the paradigm of human security.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The main body covers the conceptual definitions of conflict and security, the structural causes of African conflicts, their socio-economic consequences, and potential pathways for reform.
Which keywords characterize the essence of this document?
Key terms include Conflict, Security, Right to Development, Governance, Human Rights, and African socio-economic stability.
How does the author define the relationship between conflict and development?
The author describes them as two sides of the same coin, where the presence of conflict signifies an absence of development, and vice-versa.
What specific role does the 'human rights-based approach' play?
It identifies the state as a duty-bearer responsible for securing the generic needs of society to facilitate the right to development.
What is the significance of the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document mentioned in the text?
It provides a global framework for human security, defining it as the right to live in freedom and dignity, free from poverty and despair.
What solution does the author propose for the 'refugee problem'?
The author emphasizes that sustainable peace, growth, and the rule of law are required to end the conditions that lead to mass displacement.
- Citation du texte
- Benjamin Mekinde Tonga (Auteur), 2018, Conflict, Security and the Right to Development in Africa, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/988363
