Abstract
Notwithstanding all genuine efforts to create peace on the African continent—like we have seen in chapters 4 through 6—African countries are still where most violent conflicts take place today. Too many attempts at resolving conflicts in Africa have failed. One reason for this is probably the economic opportunities many actors see in violent conflicts. In wars they have possibilities that they would never have in peace. Among such economic opportunists are those that have not been properly identified by peace-seeking actors, such as the subregional organizations, the AU, and the UN. One fundamental cause of the repeated failures of these organizations is probably that their identification of actors is insufficient, both in relation to who they are and in relation to their particular interests in a possible prolongation of war. The notion of “political will” has often been used to draw attention to the role of the political elites and their lack of genuine efforts to end a violent conflict. Mwesiga Baregu argues that the “logic of interest” rather than “political will” ultimately determines the fate of any peace initiative (2002, 29). “Imperialists, plunders, warlords, gunrunners, drug barons, and such other predatory actors, in particular, tend to thrive in chaos in a relatively anarchic environment” (ibid., 11).
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© 2008 Karin Dokken
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Dokken, K. (2008). Why What They Say Is Not What They Do: Economic Aspects of War and the Privatization of Security in Africa. In: African Security Politics Redefined. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230612495_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230612495_7
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-53767-9
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-61249-5
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