Publication

Policy makers and scholars alike have long argued that post-colonial Africa has experienced many civil wars but very few interstate-armed conflicts. Based on a new data set, Allard Duursma et al questions this consensus. They find that transnational links are a major feature of armed conflict in Africa. As a result, conflict resolution and prevention should no longer be seen as solely an internal matter for the country concerned. Policy makers must systematically integrate the political interests of neighbors and regional hegemons in their planning for peace negotiations and peace support operations.