Dialogue Between the Military and the Civilian Population in West Africa

Abstract

Civil-military relations continue to polarize attention in West Africa. Although there are reports put in place by ECOWAS member states to put an end to the conflicting relations between civilian populations and the military in West Africa, these problems are still present. This dialogue is made difficult by the problems that exist within the West African armies. They are divided into factions and partisan forces loyal to a range of diverse individual interests, to the detriment of the entire population. These problems, added to the heavy involvement of the military in the political sphere, further complicate the holding of this dialogue. This study analyzes the place and role of the military in the promotion of human security in West Africa. Beyond this, it shows that a strong civil-military relationship must be built on respect for the rule of law, the positive interaction between civilian populations and armed forces, and the active involvement of the armed forces in the socio-economic development of the nation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 15, 2018
Accession Number
AD1084417

Entities

People

  • Bouh Keita

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Africa
  • Civilian Personnel
  • Civilian Population
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • Human Rights
  • Military Art
  • Minority Groups
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Security
  • Students
  • Training
  • United States
  • Universities
  • West Africa

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.