This concluding module aims to help participants reflect
critically on the application of "lessons learned”; first, for themselves as
individual participants; and second, "community of practitioners” who desire
better ways of scaling-up the capacity of their respective institutions to
contribute to managing peace and security challenges in Africa. Read more
- Teacher: Martha Mutisi
- Teacher: Charles Ukeje
Here you will find general information about the program as well as general document and audio/video repositories for the program.
- Teacher: Joao Gomes Porto
- Teacher: Martha Mutisi
- Teacher: Joao Gomes Porto
- Teacher: Martha Mutisi
- Teacher: Joao Gomes Porto
- Teacher: Martha Mutisi
- Teacher: Joao Gomes Porto
- Teacher: Martha Mutisi
Module 4 focuses on various types of third party so-called “soft” interventions into conflict situations, short of Peace Support Operations. Part I of the module focuses on a reflection on “soft power” through the analysis of the course’s main case-study (DRC). We will discuss “preventive diplomacy”, an often-used type of intervention (for example in order to support the peaceful conduct of elections or help mitigate post-election violence; or in support of confidence building measures to enable peace building, or as part of regional approaches to “unconstitutional changes of government”, etc). Starting with the case of DRC, we will review the legal and political mandates that back preventive diplomacy interventions, as well as negotiation and mediation of the AU, RECs and the UN. Diplomatic interventions often reflect divergent agendas of outside stakeholders - what are the best practices to manage this? Our main objective in Part One of this module is to enable participants to work out the required framework for successful negotiation and mediation efforts, including reflecting on the challenges and opportunities of mediation by Africa’s regional and sub-regional organisations. In the second part of the module, we will deepen our understanding of negotiation, mediation and other forms of third party so-called ‘benign’ intervention as specific methods and techniques. We will look at the conceptual basis of conflict mediation, compare examples from different African regions and undertaken a mediation simulation exercise.
In this module, we deal with the complexity of Peace Support Operations (PSOs) as a means of intervention in conflicts. Since the first intervention of the United Nations in Africa in the Congo in 1961, the number of operations on the continent has increased manifold and Africa houses some of the largest and oldest PSOs in the world.
As we examine the historical dimensions of PSOs in Africa and their evolution from strictly military operations to more hybrid ones, as we examine peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction efforts, trying to make meaning of the blurry lines that separate the concepts, especially in practice in the field, we investigate some of the contradictions found in nearly every current PSO, especially between:
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mandates and limited resources —human and logistical— that are made available;
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intended outcomes and actual impact on people and institutions;
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expression of legitimate and long term strategies at policy level and the uncontrollable and often counterproductive unfolding of events in operations.
In our attempt to understand PSOs, we examine the roles of the UN and the African Union and attempt to analyse how they have worked together or in separate directions sometimes dealing with the same conflict, and how their various doctrines have evolved over time.
We try to figure out the underlying dynamics of these contradictions with a view of identifying practical and relevant strategies for decision makers at mission and local levels.
We also investigate recent trends that point to the need for transforming PSO from military-led to more vigourously integrated missions. We discuss implications of this at various levels. We also focus on existing non-state mechanisms —local and indigenous—that ensure peace.
The first part of the module focuses on the examination of PSOs in Africa from a historical perspective, focuses on understanding various theoretical approaches in the discipline and on making meaning of the everyday dimensions of violent conflict.
The second part examines the ins and outs of peace building, the challenges of post-conflict and long-term reconstruction and development initiatives.
As this is the last module, we draw out the main insights from the various interactions, exercises, projects and assignments, reinforcing some of the skills acquired. We also assess participants’ overall achievements towards their specific learning objectives and targets while giving a special attention to the long essay final assignment of the course.
This is where you submit your thesis, advanced project, or portfolio assignments to us.