School of International Relations & Diplomacy

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Browsing School of International Relations & Diplomacy by Author "Okoth, Godfrey Pontian"

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    Civil-Military Relations and the African Standby Forces' Multidimensionism
    (Journal of African Conflicts and Peace Studies, 2016-08) Onditi, Francis; Okoth, Godfrey Pontian
    The feasibility of a multidimensional African Standby Force (ASF) and the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crises (ACIRC) is uncertain. This is despite the existence of a policy framework initiating the ASF and regional mechanisms (RMs). The policy was adopted and adapted to assume a multidimensional configuration, in May 2003 and in 2004 respectively. More than ten years after its establishment, there exist an unconcluded debate on whether the ASF and the regional mechanisms have achieved the multidimensional status-military, civilians and police components. It is in this sense that reference to civil-military relations (CMRs) has become almost a cliché of debates in the African Union’s (AU) peacekeeping space. Indeed, the sour relationship between the military and civilians has been described as a ‘hindrance’ to the attainment of full operation capability by ASF structures earmarked for 2015. Whilst, the realities of conflict in most parts of Africa is that militants have changed tact, rendering pure military operation ineffective, the most effective response is for peace support operation (PSO) actors to develop balanced structures to respond to these multifaceted peace and security threats facing the continent. In this article, the significance of both structural and institutional constraints are considered. The conclusion points to the need to adapt the ASF structures to the African PSO realities, but more critically, improve its configuration and design in the light of the lessons learnt since its establishment more than a decade ago.
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    Politics of African Peace Support OperationArchitecture: What next post-2015 African StandbyForce?
    (African Studies, 2017-09-15) Onditi, Francis; Okoth, Godfrey Pontian
    Peace support operation (PSO) institutions were established to support the African peace and security architecture in developing integrated capacities (civilian, police and military) for deployment in crisis situations. This institutional development is part of the transition from the Organisation of African Unity to the African Union (AU) within the Constitutive Act of 2000. Drawing from both operational and strategic challenges facing African Standby Force structures, this article explores the implications of civil-military dissonance on the attainment of integrated capacities, post-2015 peace and security arrangement. The study posits that whereas the PSO institutions have made significant gains in increasing their regional visibility, tensions between the military and civilians systematically edges out the latter from the centre of decision-making. Moreover, while AU bureaucrats superficially assert that PSO institutions have made efforts towards developing integrated capacities, cogent and deeper analysis shows this is not the case; instead the heightened civil-military tension is a reflection of decision-making dilemmas facing both the military executives and political elites. The article concludes by proposing a review of African PSO norms, doctrines, and policies in order to develop an incremental strategy towards achieving full operational capacity that is inclusive of civilians and police.
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    The Quest for a Multidimensional African Standby Force
    (African Conflict and Peacebuilding Review, 2016) Onditi, Francis; Okoth, Godfrey Pontian; Matanga, Frank K.
    One of the most novel ideas within the emerging African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) was the creation and adoption of the African Standby Force (ASF) policy framework in 2003–04. Since its adoption by the African Chiefs of Defense in May 2004, the focus has been on developing a multidimensional peace support operation platform. However, more than a decade after the adoption of the African common defense policy, the ASF’s plan to achieve multidimensional capacities by 2015 or beyond remains elusive. Th is delay has been attributed to several factors, including civil-military tensions. While the ASF structures have made significant efforts in training peacekeepers, the possibility for a multidimensional force in the foreseeable future has not only been delayed, but also significantly undermined. Th is article points to the need for greater focus on developing civilian and police personnel in order to equip the ASF with the right mix of capacities to respond to the unprecedented asymmetric conflicts in Africa.