1st Edition
Community of Insecurity SADC's Struggle for Peace and Security in Southern Africa
Exploring the formation, evolution and effectiveness of the regional security arrangements of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Nathan examines a number of vital and troubling questions: * why has SADC struggled to establish a viable security regime? * why has it been unable to engage in successful peacemaking?, and * why has it defied the optimistic prognosis in the early 1990s that it would build a security community in Southern Africa? He argues that the answers to these questions lie in the absence of common values among member states, the weakness of these states and their unwillingness to surrender sovereignty to the regional organization. Paradoxically, the challenge of building a co-operative security regime lies more at the national level than at the regional level. The author's perspective is based on a unique mix of insider access, analytical rigour and accessible theory.
Biography
Laurie Nathan is the Director of the Centre for Mediation in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria , South Africa
'This clearly written and well-argued study is a major contribution to the still sparse literature on the Southern African Development Community.' Chris Saunders, University of Cape Town, South Africa 'In this compelling and highly readable volume, Laurie Nathan provides a distinctive account of the SADC's institutional efforts at enhancing regional peace and security in southern Africa. Drawing on his own unique experience as negotiator/facilitator within the region and beyond, Nathan concludes not only that such efforts have been largely ineffectual but, very provocatively as reflected in the book's title, that they have been counterproductive.' David Simon, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK 'While there is a recognised need for the creation of a security community in Southern Africa, such a community does not yet exist in the region. Many argue that although the legal basis exists in protocols and treaties, the political will to fully implement these arrangements lags behind. Laurie's book makes a valuable contribution in assessing and understanding the enormous complexities facing SADC in establishing a security architecture for the region.' Hany Besada, North-South Institute, Canada 'The question of what drives state behaviour is directly tackled by Laurie Nathan in an analysis that is theoretically and empirically rich... Nathan’s argument is powerful and troubling...' International Affairs 'Working for SADC enabled Nathan to access unpublished material, interact with officials and get a good insight into the SADC’s work. Since the member countries often do not publish the policies on regional security arrangements and do not feel obliged to keep their citizens informed, the book offers a unique inside view of SADC... Community of Insecurity has a logical structure and is easy to read. Nathan repeats his questions as well as his arguments within each chapter to guide the reader through his book. His extensive references invite one to read f
