The Maxwell School of Syracuse University
AFRICA AND CONFLICT: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, MAXWELL SCHOOL, WASHINGTON DC
Dr. Constance J. Freeman, Adjunct Professor
FALL SEMESTER, 2016
COURSE OVERVIEW
(Draft)
COURSE PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy underpinning this course is to bring the study of conflict in Africa alive by taking it out of the realm of the purely theoretical into a more real and vibrant context which is ideally applicable on the ground. The topic is huge and could not be exhausted in many semesters, so choices have been and will be made, as we go along.
Basically, we will move from the theoretical considerations of causes and consequences covered in the first few weeks to more concrete case studies on leadership and an examination of three specific conflicts. Student contributions will be critical to the learning process as they will present and lead the discussions on selected consequences of conflict and case studies of ongoing African conflicts. We will also take a closer look at the history and experiences of several African leaders seeking insights into the role of leadership in promoting or ameliorating conflict. Speakers who have had unusually close contact with these leaders will share insights into their character and performance.
While historical content will be referred to throughout, the primary time span of focus will be the several decades from the end of the cold war to the present. The overall emphasis will be to examine internal African realities and forces to the extent possible from an African point of view.
As is appropriate in a graduate course, participatory learning will be stressed. This will, of course, include class participation and presentations, but additionally, students are urged to share with the class any useful or interesting reading material they find as we go along. With student concurrence, final integrative papers will be circulated to the class. The point is not to conquer a body of material or set of facts but to inform ways of thinking about the implications of conflict in Africa which will provide a context for future learning.
The course breaks down into four component parts:
1. Presentations at weekly class sessions (see outline of class sessions below): These will include lectures and class discussion, contributions from guest speakers with specific expertise, and student presentations of consequences and conflict case studies.
2. Literature and reading: Assignments and suggestions are designed to be as flexible as possible to accommodate a cross section of student backgrounds and interests. The core reading assignment is contained in the three books listed below as basic books. Students will also choose one book from the expanded list upon which to do a book review (see booklist for further information). In addition to the basic books, some suggested readings or referrals to books on the expanded list will be provided as we go along, including from students via the email list. Recommended sources for keeping up on events in Africa include: The Economist and a news summary on conflict issues compiled by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies which can be found on their web pages at .
3. Small Group Work on Specific Topics: Students will work in pairs to present and lead class discussion on three critical consequences of conflict or three case studies
4. Final Integrative Essays: Students will be expected to integrate what they have learned into a final paper which demonstrates acquisition of the core material, individual analysis, and critical insights which may be useful to fellow students as well.
BASIC ASSIGNED BOOKS
THESE BOOKS PROVIDE BASIC BACKGROUND FOR THE COURSE. The first, Meredith, is a very readable overview of African events since independence. The last two, Williams and Englebert, serve as basic textbooks elaborating on the theory which will be discussed in the class. Students may choose between the last two books.
Meredith, Martin, The Fate of Africa, A History of Fifty Years of Independence. US: Public Affairs of the Perseus Books Group, 2011.
This book is long, 700 pages, but will be particularly useful to students who are relatively new to the study of Africa. Written by a journalist; it is an easy read but given its length students may need to pick and choose among the chapters.
Williams, Paul, War and Conflict in Africa. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2011.
A much more formidable undertaking, this book emphasizes political factors behind conflict although it contains a fairly thorough study of the overall field including international intervention.
OR
Englebert, Pierre & Dunn, Kevin, Inside African Politics. Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2013.
Essentially a text covering African politics and not just conflict, this book reads better than Williams and is more recent. It provides a sound grounding in the theoretical causes of conflict, though less content than Williams on practical approaches to solving it. Englebert cites many other authors of African politics, giving readers a comprehensive overview of the field. Since the book is very long, for the purposes of this class it is suggested that students concentrate on the first four chapters, the second half of Chapter 6 and Chapter 8.
SPECIFIC STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS
In addition to reading relevant material to prepare for the topic of each week, students will be evaluated on their performance on the following:
1. Small Group Presentations of Selected Consequences or Conflict Case Studies: This year I am expanding student presentation options to include discussion of specific consequences of conflict as well as the conflict case studies done in the past. Students will each find a partner and together they will choose either a consequence or conflict case to report on and discuss with the class during half of a class session or for one hour.
• The consequences of violent conflict are many and varied. Given time limitations I have chosen three which it could be argued have the most lasting impact: Rape as a Weapon of War, Child Soldiers and Refugees/Migration. I will be happy to consider substitutions if a student pair wishes to make an argument for such a substitution.
• The reality of conflict on the ground can best be discovered through a review of case studies. There are a number of conflicts or conflict threatening situations currently bubbling on the continent, so it was hard to narrow it down. I have chosen three: Nigeria has two ongoing insurgencies which might evolve into full-blown armed conflict; Congo as a country just coming out of a conflict which lasted for decades, still faces numerous threats to its stability; and South Sudan as a case of constant reversion back into conflict ever since independence. Once again, student pairs are invited to make a case for alternative conflict like Mali or Somalia if they would prefer to report on it.
• Consequences presentations will take place on September 29 and October 13 and case studies are scheduled for November 17 and December 1.
• Students should pair up to decide on which presentation they would like to make during the first week of class. Specific assignments will be made on a first come first serve basis via email to me. If you cannot decide by the second class, I will make an attempt to match remaining students with topics still available.
2. Book Reviews: Each student will chose a book from the expanded booklist (see separate document) upon which to write a short (3-5 pages) book review which summarizes the main themes of the book, identifies critical or new insights and makes recommendations to fellow students. These papers will be due October 13 in hard copy to the professor and circulated electronically to the class. Students will make short presentations (3-4 minutes) of their books to the class on October 27 which will expose everyone in the class to a broader range of books on Africa.
3. Final Integrative Essays: On December 8, students will turn in a final analytical essay on the themes of the class, based upon the answer to one of a list of questions which will be distributed half-way through the course. These 10-12 page essays are designed to demonstrate overall understanding of the material, creative thinking and application of general concepts to specific situations including the student presented consequence topics and conflict case studies. The final paper exercise is designed to help students pull together what they have learned into a meaningful whole for future reference and use.
ASSESSMENT: Student Assessment will be:
• 30 percent for the in-class presentations of a consequence topic or case study and general class participation,
• 30 percent for the combined written book review/class presentation; and
• 40 percent for the final integrative essay.
OUTLINE OF CLASS SESSION
SEPTEMBER 1: Introduction:
• Class Introductions including student background and primary interests
• Class Outline, Concepts, Expectations and Assignments
• Is Africa Unique?
• African Conflict and Its Importance to Africa and the World
SECTION I: Violent Conflict: Theory of Causes and Consequences
SEPTEMBER 8: VIOLENT CONFLICT: POLITICAL CAUSES
• Power: Authoritarianism, Neo-patrimonialism, Big man rule
• Ethnicity
• Religion
SEPTEMBER 15: VIOLENT CONFLICT: ECONOMIC CAUSES
• Corruption
• Resources Curse
• Poverty
SEPTEMBER 22: VIOLENT CONFLICT: INSTIUTIONAL BASES Herb Howe Leading Discussion
• African Military Forces including intelligence units
• Regional Military Forces
• Humanitarian interventions
• Private Security Forces
SEPTEMBER 29:
INDEXES AND MEASURES:
• Fund for Peace, Failed/Fragile States Index as example
Pauline Baker, President Emeritus, Fund for Peace (confirmed)
(The Fund for Peace, Fragile States Index, 2016)
CONSEQUENCES: Student Lead Discussion
• Rape as a Weapon of War
OCTOBER 6: LEADERSHIP -- ITS ROLE IN AFRICAN CONFLICT (Intro to Section II)
• Overview: Amb. Prudence Bushnell, Former Dep. Asst. Sec. for Africa and Leading Expert on Leadership
OCTOBER 13: CONSEQUENCES – Student Lead Discussion (Written Book Reviews Due)
• Refugee and Migration
• Child Soldiers
• General Class Discussion of Causes and Consequences
OCTOBER 20: NO CLASS
SECTION II: Leadership and Approaches to Conflict Mitigation (Cures)
OCTOBER 27:
• Leadership Profile:
Alphonso Dhlakama, Mozambique rebel and opposition leader, RENAMO
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary, Charles Snyder (confirmed)
• Student Book Review Presentations
NOVEMBER 3:
• Leadership Profile:
Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe
Amb. Charles Ray, Former US Ambassador to Zimbabwe (confirmed)
• Leadership Profile:
Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria
Amb. John Campbell, Former US Ambassador to Nigeria (Invited)
NOVEMBER 10:
• Leadership Profile:
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President, Liberia
Stephen Cashin (confirmed), Pan African Capital Group and long-term political associate of Johnson-Sirleaf (confirmed)
• CURES: Negotiations with an emphasis on Track II Diplomacy
Steve McDonald, Visiting Fellow, Wilson Center, Leadership and Building State Capacity Program (confirmed)
NOVEMBER 19:
• CURES: Truth and Reconciliation Commissions
• One Student Presentation of Conflict Case Studies:
(Congo, Nigeria or Sudan)
NOVEMBER 24: NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING
DECEMBER 1:
• Two Student Presentations of Conflict Case Studies:
(Congo, Nigeria and Sudan)
SECTION III: WRAP-UP
DECEMBER 8: (Final Analytical Essays Due)
• Role of the Outside World
• US Security Programs and Goals in Africa
DECEMBER 15: Final Overview
• Discussion of Final Papers
• Left over/out Topics
• General Evaluation and Ideas for Next Year
AFRICA AND CONFLICT: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, MAXWELL SCHOOL, WASHINGTON DC
Dr. Constance J. Freeman
FALL SEMESTER, 2016
BOOK LIST
STUDENT BOOK REVIEWS:
Oral and Written Book Reviews: In addition to the basic background reading discussed on the course overview, each student will chose a book from this list upon which to write a short (3-5 pages) book review which summarizes the main themes of the book, identifies critical or new insights and makes recommendations to fellow students. These reviews will then be shared with the class in 3-4 minute presentations. There will be only one student per book and they will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis via email to the professor by the third class session on September 15.
The point of this exercise is to acquaint everyone with a broader range of literature than any student could read during the semester, and to stimulate further interest in reading more widely on African conflict after the class has concluded. Book Reviews will be due in electronic and hard copy format on October 13 and presented to the class on October 27. Oral book reviews should inform fellow students about the content and value of the book and make recommendations about whether other students would find it useful or not.
The list below includes a great variety of books and styles. Some are complex academic tomes designed for the scholarly, while others are easier reads utilizing a more journalistic style. Some are novels. All topics on the syllabus are not necessarily covered, and some deal with topics outside the syllabus. Books were chosen because I believe they are useful and readable. At least knowing about them through student reviews will help all students to get a broader view of the implications of conflict for Africa. It is hoped that you will all be inspired to read more than the one book required for the assigned review.
FUNCTIONAL TOPICS:
Reno, William, Warfare in Independent Africa. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.
This academic and sometimes confusing text provides some of the best insights into the role, motivations and activities of rebels in Africa during the 20th and 21st centuries. Dividing them, at times awkwardly, into five categories, Reno tries to explain past changes in the landscape of violent conflict and speculate about what is to come. Not an easy read, but worth it.
Englebert, Pierre, Africa: Unity, Sovereignty and Sorrow. Boulder Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009.
From the same author as one of the recommended texts, this book presents the thesis that a major, often unrecognized cause of conflict and predation in Africa is the concept of sovereignty which, since exogenously awarded, is not predicated on government accountability to their populous. Academic and theoretical, it is nevertheless fascinating in its originality.
Collier, Paul, Wars, Guns and Votes, Democracy in Dangerous Places. London: Random House, 2009.
Working from precepts developed in his earlier book, Bottom Billion, Collier moves on to demonstrate that democracy is frequently a cause of conflict instead of a deterrent, as is more commonly argued. Countries in the poorest strata cannot be expected to resist the forces corrupting elections which will likely help to reignite conflict. Written for a popular audience, this book also provides extensive documentation.
Marks, Susan Collin, Watching the Wind, Conflict Resolution During South Africa’s Transition to Democracy. Washington DC: United States Institute of Peace, 2000. This is a first-hand participant description of successful conflict resolution in South Africa.
Wrong, Michela, It’s Our Turn to Eat, The Story of a Kenyan Whistle Blower. London: Harper Collins Publishers, 2009.
Corruption is one of the major causes of discontent and therefore conflict. This is a journalistic account of corruption in Kenya and the story of John Githongo who tried to stop it. It reads like a novel.
Burgis, Tom, The Looting Machine, Warlords, Oligarchs, Corporations, Smugglers and the Theft of Africa’s Wealth. United States: Public Affairs, 2015
Burgis has written a complex review of corruption in Africa as perpetuated by African strongmen, shadowy middle men of all sorts and multinational companies. He stresses Chinese involvement and explains why the resource curse is so harmful to development in Africa. His technical detail is interspersed with anecdotes to make the book more readable.
Olopade, Dayo, The Bright Continent, Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa. New York: First Mariner Books, 2015.
This book intends to change the conventional outsider’s view of Africa from a place where little works, to an environment in which unusual ingenuity (kanju she calls it) stimulated by a lack of conventional support systems results in unusual and creative solutions to development challenges. Organized around five maps or functional areas, Olopade provides important insights into the operations of the African informal economy.
Cohen, Herman J. The Mind of the African Strongman, Conversations with Dictators, Statesmen, and Father Figures. Washington DC: New Academia Publishing, 2015
This is a charming book which chronicles the exceptional African career of Ambassador Hank Cohen through his memories of conversations with 16 different African Presidents. Written in digestible bites of 10 pages or less, the book contains an amazing amount of history of Africa’s first 50 years of independence.
Sommers, Marc. The Outcast Majority. Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 2015. Sommers opens his book asserting that “the status quo won’t work” because it ignores the realities facing a massive and growing cohort of youth in the developing world. Elite youths are the only ones who receive official attention, leaving the masses out of the development equation and therefore excluded from development planning. If they continue to be ignored, these youth could become the source of far-reaching conflict. Sommers also includes a readable critique of much current development theory.
SPECIFIC CONFLICTS:
Trefon, Theodore, Congo Masquerade, The Political Culture of Aid Inefficiency and Reform Failure. London: Zed Books, 2011.
A part of the African Arguments series, this book takes a more “African point of view” than many. It paints a pretty devastating picture where little works, from reform efforts to donor initiatives, yet many Congolese seem to survive and function, designing their own systems as they go. The best arguments I have seen yet for retaining Congo’s borders, rather than instituting more radical federalism.
Stearns, Jason K., Dancing in the Glory of Monsters, The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa. United States: Perseus Books, 2011.
The book is a readable account of the Congo war from its beginnings after the Rwanda genocide until the end of the past decade. It highlights leaders as well as conflicts, and causes as well as geography.
Kingsolver, Barbara, Poisonwood Bible. New York: Harper Collins, 1998.
This novel depicts Congo from the pre-independence period through the struggles to establish a viable country as seen through the eyes of a Missionary family. The religious zealotry of the father brings out emphatically the attitudes of superiority typically exhibited by many colonialists. The experiences of the daughters illuminate different aspects of Congo. A shocking and vivid book.
Hochschild, Adam, King Leopold’s Ghost. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
This book is a classic in its graphic descriptions of the predations of Belgian colonialism in Congo, which forms the background, if not the basis for the conflicts which were to come. A popular book, it reads well, although its descriptions are not for the faint hearted.
Van Reybrouck, David. Congo, The Epic History of A People. London: Fourth Estate, 2014.
This amazing book takes the reader through Congo’s history from the pre-colonial period to the present in a most readable fashion. The author draws linkages between the various periods in Congo’s history and bases his narrative largely on the stories and memories of Congolese who lived through the events. In particular his treatment of the two latest Congo wars is the clearest I have seen. Strongly recommended for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of Congo.
Harper, Mary, Getting Somalia Wrong, Faith, War and Hope in a Shattered State. London: Zed Books, 2012.
This is an intriguing book on Somalia which questions some of the most basic Western assumptions about the hopelessness of the Somalia situation and delves below the surface for insights not normally accessed by Western analysis. A must and easy read for anyone who wishes to concentrate on Somalia
Patey, Luke, The New Kings of Crude, China, India and the Global Struggle for Oil in Sudan and South Sudan. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
A fascinating history of Sudan as seen through the prism of the oil Industry, in particular the role played by the Chinese and other Asian companies. It illuminates not only the impact of the companies on Sudan but the reverse as well, how Sudanese investments helped India and China to develop their overseas expertise. Well written and documented.
Caputo, Philip, Acts of Faith, A Novel. USA: Vintage Books, 2006.
Caputo’s 700 plus page novel interweaves a variety of actors from evangelists to entrepreneurs who have impacted upon the Sudanese war for many years. While a novel, its themes of idealism, courage and moral blindness reveal many of the deeper conundrums of this long standing war.
Campbell, John, Nigeria, Dancing on the Brink. New York: Council on Foreign Relations, Rowman and Littlefield, 2013.
Recently updated to include material inter alia about Boko Haram, this is a fascinating and readable discussion of Nigeria and the growing threat of more widespread armed conflict. Its author is a former US Ambassador to Nigeria who is currently responsible for Africa at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, Half of a Yellow Sun. London: Harper Collins, 2006.
Written by a Nigerian novelist, this book highlights the hopes, dreams and tragedy of the Nigerian civil war which has marked the country ever since. This history sets the scene for many of the conflicts flickering in Nigeria today.
Campbell, John, Morning in South Africa. Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield, 2016.
An insightful and well informed look at the South Africa of today through the lens of its history of apartheid and the 20 year aftermath. Unlike those predicting gloom and doom, Campbell ultimately sees a bright future for South Africa if it can continue to solve structural problems in health, education, and land reform. Significantly, he posits that South Africa’s democracy is deepening as it confronts the crises brought on by President Zuma’s antics.
Theroux, Paul, The Last Train to Zona Verde. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
While Theroux’s books are essentially travel narratives, this one is particularly good in depicting contrasting post conflict conditions in two countries recently recovering from conflict: Namibia and Angola. Theroux finds Namibia poor but well on its way while Angola is a disaster. (Freeman comment: I felt like I had time traveled back two decades in Africa when I visited Angola in the mid-1990s – nothing worked. Theroux’s description rings true to me.)
Bulawayo, Violet, We Need New Names, A Novel. New York: Back Bay Publishers, 2013.
This story of a young girl’s journey out of Zimbabwe and to the US provides a contemporary view of Zimbabwe as seen by a ten-year old street urchin.
LEADERSHIP AND CHILD SOLDIERS
Johnson-Sirleaf, Ellen, This Child Will Be Great. London: HarperCollins, 2009.
This is the autobiography of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf which includes good material on the Liberian civil war. Despite the title, the treatment is not especially arrogant.
Museveni, Yoweri Kaguta, Sowing the Mustard Seed, The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy in Uganda. London: MacMillan Publishers, 1997.
This autobiography concentrates on Museveni’s early years as a “freedom fighter.” His inclination to resort to arms as a solution to problems comes through in this book and provides insights into his future behavior as a leader.
Holland, Heidi, Dinner with Mugabe, The Untold Story of a Freedom Fighter who Became a Tyrant. London: Penguin, 2008.
Two personal in-depth encounters with Mugabe span the period in which the author studied how a man who seemed to have great idealism and righteous passion, ended up guilty of so many horrors again his people. It is basically a psychological portrait.
Jal, Emmanuel, Warchild, A boy soldier’s story. Great Britain: Abacus, 2009 and Beah, Ishmael, A Long Way Gone, The True Story of a Child Soldier . Great Britain: Harper Perennial, 2007.
Written in the style of novels, these two books are first-hand accounts of child soldiers; Jal was one of the lost boys from Sudan and Beah from Sierra Leone has become quite famous on the “lecture” circuit. From two who “escaped,” they bring to life the reality and horror of the child solider experience.
Minot, Susan. Thirty Girls, New York: Random House, 2014. This is a moving but balanced story of some of the girls kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army. It not only depicts their lives as “wives” of their captures but also the great difficulties they faced re-integrating after they escaped.
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