Security and Stability in the Gulf of Guinea

Abstract

This paper discuss some major challenges inherent to security and stability in the Gulf of Guinea, a large area encompassing 23 countries: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Five major periods characterize the history of the Gulf: prehistory; iron age; slave trading kingdoms, Muslim wars, and colonial invasion; colonial period; and the current post-colonial era. Following World War II, nationalist movements led sub-Saharan Africa to independence from 1957 to 1975. Since independence, many nations have been plagued by corruption, mismanagement, political instability, civil wars in Nigeria, Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia, RDC, and Cote d'Ivoire, and successive military coups. States have failed to develop their economies despite abundant natural resources, probably as a result of undemocratic and totalitarian regimes. HIV/AIDS, malaria, infectious diseases, and famine constitute growing social problems. These countries are members of regional organizations that struggle to reach their economic goals because of strategic and geopolitical issues. Regional integration is the best way to establish a foundation on which countries of the Gulf can pursue policies grounded in their own interests and achieve sustainable development. The will of leaders to adopt favorable political, economic, social, and military measures that can help to resolve conflicts peacefully is the foundation for regional integration and stability. This paper presents the strategic interests of the Gulf of Guinea; analyzes the concept of security from the Gulf's perspective; points out the weaknesses that generate insecurity in the area; and presents recommendations for a more cooperative, pragmatic, and efficient management of the Gulf of Guinea.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 15, 2006
Accession Number
ADA448471

Entities

People

  • Gabriel Metogo

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Business Administration
  • Civil Defense
  • Defense Systems
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Economic Systems
  • Environmental Protection
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Investments
  • Market Economy
  • Money
  • National Security
  • Security
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.
  • Strategic Security Studies