A01=Mathurin C. Houngnikpo
african
African Military
African political transitions
Animal Kingdom
armed forces legitimacy
Atm Machine
Author_Mathurin C. Houngnikpo
authoritarian regime studies
Category=JP
Category=JPWS
Central African Republic
civil
Civil Military Relations
Civil Military Relations Theory
Civil Society
Civil Supremacy
civilian
Colonial Administration
Complements State Security
Concerted Efforts
control
Democratic Civil Military Relations
Democratic Oversight
democratic oversight security forces Africa
eq_bestseller
eq_isMigrated=1
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eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
eq_society-politics
International Humanitarian Law
Leaving Office
lynne
military
Military Control
military coups analysis
Military Expenditure
Military Juntas
National Security Strategies
postcolonial governance Africa
publishers
Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodies
relations
rienner
Security Sector
security sector accountability
Security Sector Governance
Security Sector Reform
Socioeconomic Development
supremacy
United Nations Regional Centre
Product details
- ISBN 9781409404149
- Weight: 544g
- Dimensions: 156 x 234mm
- Publication Date: 28 Jul 2010
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Hardback
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The relationship between civil society and the armed forces is an essential part of any polity, democratic or otherwise, because a military force is after all a universal feature of social systems. Despite significant progress moving towards democracy among some African countries in the past decade, all too many African militaries have yet to accept core democratic principles regulating civilian authority over the military. This book explores the theory of civil-military relations and moves on to review the intrusion of the armed forces in African politics by looking first into the organization and role of the army in pre-colonial and colonial eras, before examining contemporary armies and their impact on society. Furthermore it revisits the various explanations of military takeovers in Africa and disentangles the notion of the military as the modernizing force. Whether as a revolutionary force, as a stabilizing force, or as a modernizing force, the military has often been perceived as the only organized and disciplined group with the necessary skills to uplift newly independent nations. The performance of Africa's military governments since independence, however, has soundly disproven this thesis. As such, this study conveys the necessity of new civil-military relations in Africa and calls not just for civilian control of the military but rather a democratic oversight of the security forces in Africa.
Mathurin C. Houngnikpo, The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, USA
