Managing ethnic conflict in Africa : pressures and incentives for cooperation / Donald Rothchild.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rothchild, Donald S.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethnic relations.

Africa, Sub-Saharan--Politics and government--1960-.

Africa, Sub-Saharan.

Sub-Saharan Africa.

Politics and government.

Africa, Sub-Saharan--Ethnic relations--Political aspects.

Physical Description:

xiii, 343 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Brookings Institution Press, [1997]

Summary:

Ethnic conflict in Africa is reaching critical levels. Governments are being toppled. National economies are collapsing. And the potential for civil unrest -- even violent encounters -- throughout the continent threatens to engulf not only Africa, but much of the world.

Africa's salvation depends on the development and implementation of effective institutions of ethnic conflict management. In this book, Donald Rothchild analyzes the successes and failures of attempts at conflict resolution in different African countries and offers comprehensive ideas for successful mediation.

To provide a clear picture of the current situation, Rothchild traces Africa's ethnic unrest back to its beginnings during the period of colonial rule, through the post-independence era, when governments built the institutions of government control and consolidated power, and into its more recent period when it is possible to discern greater democratic governance.

Rothchild demonstrates how negotiation and mediation can promote conflict resolution and a political environment that fosters economic development. He offers a compelling case for the use of both political incentives (power sharing, elections, and fiscal programs) and a variety of actions (including principles of inclusiveness, coercion, and punishment) to support reconciliation. This "carrot and stick approach can be employed by a state to promote increased political bargaining while maintaining stability, and by outside intermediaries to cope with conflict brought on by the breakdown of domestic regimes.

Contents:

Chapter 1 African State Management of Ethnic Conflict 1

The Ethnic Group 3

Patterns of African Conflict Management 5

The Colonial Inheritance 6

The Postindependence Era 9

The Structuring of Incentives 19

Part 1 Regularized Patterns of Relations

Chapter 2 Structuring Incentives for Internal Conflict Management 25

The Systemic Conditions 25

Perceptions 36

State Responses to Ethnic Demands and Counterdemands 40

The Interconnected Conflict Process 45

Internal Incentive Structures 50

Chapter 3 The Effect of Regimes on Conflict 59

Forming Political Coalitions 61

Allocating Resources 75

Part 2 Third-Party Mediation of Violent Conflict

Chapter 4 The Use of Coercive and Noncoercive Incentives 89

The Relationship of Perceptions to Demands 93

Timing 95

Incentives Available to Mediators 97

Chapter 5 Constructing a Conflict Management System in Angola, 1989-97 111

The Internal Incentives for Conflict 113

The Postindependence Conflicts 117

The Military Climax and Stalemate 119

The Interstate Mediation Process 120

Intrastate Mediation and the Construction of an Internal Conflict Management System 124

Chapter 6 Reconstructing a Conflict Management System in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe 147

The Bargaining Parties 148

White Rebellion against Colonial Rule 151

Direct Anglo-Rhodesian Talks 152

Mediation Efforts before Lancaster House 154

The Victoria Falls Conference 155

The Kissinger Mediation Initiative 157

The Geneva Conference 161

The Anglo-American Initiative 164

The Internal Settlement 168

The Lancaster House Mediation Process 170

Conclusion: Credible Pressures and Incentives 186

Chapter 7 Facilitating Regime Transformation in South Africa 191

A Unique Environment 193

Failed Mediation Efforts in the 1980s 195

The UN Initiative of the 1990s 200

Preelection Mediation Initiatives 205

Conclusion: Incentives for Change 209

Chapter 8 Coalition Efforts to Repair Internal Conflict Management in Sudan, 1971-72 213

The Conflict-Making Environment 214

The Favorable Preconditions for Negotiations 217

The Process of Negotiation 225

The Failure of Implementation 233

Chapter 9 Mediators' Uses of Pressures and Incentives 243

Mediation 246

The External Mediator's Capacity to Manipulate 249

The Structure of Incentives 254

Coercive and Noncoercive Incentives 256

Incentives during the Implementation Stage 273

Conclusion: Shifting Forms of Mediator Leverage 277

1-1. Politically Related Deaths with an Ethnic or Nationality Component in Selected Sub-Saharan African Countries, 1945-94 10

4-1. Costs and Benefits for Third-Party Mediator and Recipients 99

9-1. External Mediator Types and Incentive Strategies in Selected African Conflicts 258

2-1. A Systems Approach to State-Ethnic Relations 26

5-1. Nationalist Movements and Outside Supporters in Angola 117.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-329) and index.

ISBN:

0815775946

0815775938

OCLC:

36565880