Probing the roles of governance and greed in civil strife in West Africa

Author(s)
Ware, Helen
Ogunmola, Oyedele A
Publication Date
2010
Abstract
Purpose - This chapter aims to explore the causes of civil war in West Africa, including the perspectives of those directly involved. both those involved voluntarily and those involved against their will. To this end, we examine the three contiguous war-afflicted coastal countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast and as a counterweight, Ghana which has escaped civil war. Methodology - Brief country case studies are used to explore the motivations of leaders and followers which often diverge. This chapter examines four West African countries: • Sierra Leone and Liberia, which have suffered classic brutal, 'third war' civil wars (Holsti, K. (Ed.). (1996). Wars of the third kind. In: The state, war and the state of war. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press). • Ivory Coast, once seen as the West African 'beacon of stability' (Royce, E. (2003). Testimony. US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, 2nd February, p. 12) but now suffering a seventh year of civil conflict. • Ghana, the counter case, which has so far survived multiple military coups without descending into national conflagration.
Citation
Economics of War and Peace: Economic, Legal, and Political Perspectives, p. 71-87
ISBN
9780857240057
9780857240040
0857240048
0857240056
Link
Language
en
Publisher
Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Series
Contributions to Conflict Management, Peace Economics and Development
Edition
1
Title
Probing the roles of governance and greed in civil strife in West Africa
Type of document
Book Chapter
Entity Type
Publication

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