Tim Murithi is a Research Fellow with the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town and the Head of the Justice and Reconciliation in Africa Programme at the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, South Africa. He is author of The African Union: Pan-Africanism, Peacebuilding and Development published by Ashgate, and The Ethics of Peacebuilding published by Edinburgh University Press.

Africa's international relations have often been defined and oriented by the dominant international and geopolitical agendas of the day. In the aftermath of colonialism the Cold War became a dominant paradigm that defined the nature of the continent's relationship with the rest of the world. The contemporary forces of globalization are now exerting an undue influence and impact upon Africa's international relations. Increasingly, the African continent is emerging as a vocal, and in some respects an influential, actor in international relations. There is a paucity of analysis and research on this emerging trend. This timely book proposes to fill this analytical gap by engaging with a wide range of issues, with chapters written by experts on a variety of themes.

The emerging political prominence of the African continent on the world stage is predicated on an evolving internal process of continental integration. In particular, there are normative and policy efforts to revive the spirit of Pan-Africanism: the 21st century is witnessing the evolution of Pan-Africanism, notably through the constitution and establishment of the African Union (AU). Given the fact that there is a dearth of analysis on this phenomemon, this volume will also interrogate the notion of Pan-Africanism through various lenses - notably peace and security, development, the environment and trade.

The volume will also engage with the emerging role of the AU as an international actor, e.g. with regard to its role in the reform of the United Nations Security Council, climate change, the International Criminal Court (ICC), the treaty establishing Africa as a nuclear-free zone, Internally Displaced Persons, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), international trade, the environment, public health issues, security, and development issues. This book will assess how the AU's role as an international actor is complicated by the difficulty of promoting consensus among African states and then maintaining that consensus in the face of often divergent national interests. This book will in part assess the role of the AU in articulating collective and joint policies and in making interventions in international decision and policy-making circles.

The Handbook will also assess the role of African social movements and their relationship with global actors. The role of African citizens in ameliorating their own conditions is often underplayed in the international relations discourse, and this volume will seek to redress this oversight. Throughout the book the various chapters will also assess the role that these citizen linkages have contributed towards continental integration and in confronting the challenges of globalization.

Contents

Introduction: The Evolution of Africa's International Relations, by Tim Murithi

Part I

Theories and Historical Evolution

1. Theoretical Approaches to Africa's International Relations, by Dr Thomas Tieku

2. Pan-Africanism and the International System, by Dr Sabelo J. Ndlovu-Gatsheni

3. Africa's Continental and Regional Integration, by Dr Fredrik Söderbaum

4. The Impact of Globalisation on Africa, by Berouk Mesfin

5. Africa's International Relations Beyond the State: Insights from Nigeria's Niger Delta, by Cyril Obi

6. The Emergence of a Statebuilding Agenda in Africa, by Dr Erin McCandless

Part II

Institutional Developments

7. The African Peace and Security Architecture, by Dr Solomon Dersso

8. The AU New Partnership for Africa's Development, by Dr Tony Karbo

9. The African Union and Regional Economic Communities: A Partnership for Peace and Security?, by Dr John Akokpari

Part III

Issues and Policy Areas

10. The AU Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, by Dr Mireille Affaa

11. The AU Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development Policy Framework, by Elias Omondi

12. The AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality, by Dr Toni Haastrup

13. An African Continental Conflict Prevention Policy Framework, by Dr Joao Gomes Porto

14. African Solutions for African Problems? Concepts and Emerging Realities of African Ownership of the Continent's Peace and Security Agenda, by Markus Koerner

15. Security Cooperation in Africa: Do African Actors Offer an Alternate Conception of Security?, by Romain Esmenjaud

16. Africa and International Trade Policy: Contesting the World Trade Organisation and Economic Partnership Agreements, by Dr Emzeat

17. The US African Growth and Opportunity Act: The Challenges of Implementation, by Dr Abdul Karim Bangura

18. Africa and International Migration, by Dr Bina Fernandez

19. Power-sharing in Conflict Resolution Efforts in Africa, by Dr Katia Papagianni

Part IV

Global Governance and Africa

20. African Diplomacy at the United Nations: The Challenge of Security Council Reform, by Dr Obijiofor Aginam

21. Africa's Contribution to International Peace Operations, by Cedric de Coning

22. Africa and the International Criminal Court, by Dr Thomas Obel Hansen

23. Africa, Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, by Dr Kwesi Sansculotte-Greenidge

24. Africa and R2P: Between Imperialism and Partnership, by Dr Adam Branch

25. Africa and Protection: Assessing the Responsibility to Protect and the Protection of Civilians, by Walter Lotze

26. Africa and International Human Rights: Assessing National Institutions, by Lisa Sekaggya

27. Africa and Global Climate Change: Impacts, Vulnerability and Climate Policies, by Dr Elena Lioubimtseva

28. Africa and the Global Trade in Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons, by Dorcas Ettang

29. Africa and the UN Peacebuilding Commission, by Dr Grace Maina

30. Africa and the UN Ten-Year Capacity Building Programme, by Dr Valerio Bosco

31. Africa and the Bretton Woods Institutions: The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, by Professor Paul Clements

32. Africa and Official Development Assistance, by Professor George Klay Kieh, Jr.

33. The AU and Terrorism, by Dr Kwesi Aning

34. The Challenge of Terrorism and the Islamist Unknown in North Africa, by Valentina Bartolucci

35. Africa and Private Military Companies, by Yvette Selim

Part V

Africa and International Partnerships

36. Africa and the European Union: An Assessment of the EU-Africa Joint Strategy, by Andrew Sheriff

37. The European Union and the East African Community Trade Agreements, by Professor Kenneth Omeje

37. The European Union and the East African Community Trade Agreements, by Doreen Alusa

38. The EU and Development in Africa: From ACP to EPA, by Dr Lorenzo Fioramonti

39. Africa and China, by Dr Henning Melber

40. Africa and the US AFRICOM, by Dr Jack Mangala

41. Africa and India, by Dr Zachariah Mampilly

42. Africa and Japan: TICAD and Beyond, by Dr Seifudein Adem

43. Africa and Latin America, by Gustavo Barros de Carvalho

44. IBSA - BRICSA and its Impact on Africa, by Professor Gladys Lechini

45. Conclusion: The Prospects for Africa's International Relations, by Dr Tim Murithi

Bibliography

Index