Community of Insecurity: SADC's Struggle for Peace and Security in Southern Africa (New Regionalisms Series) - Softcover

Nathan, Laurie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1138250759 ISBN 13: 9781138250758

Publisher: Routledge, 2016

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

'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 further into the topic of 'security communities'. Nathan reflects actual theoretical debates revolving around the concept of 'security community' and sets a theoretical framework for his critique. This critique is illustrated with powerful examples from the past decades on how the member states were unable to make strong decisions. His clearly written book is well argued and Community of Insecurity is an insightful read for both academics and practitioners working within the African context or around the concept of 'security community'.' African Journal on Conflict Resolution 'In light of recent events in the Middle East and North Africa and the consequent push for greater normative coherence as a source of stability, this book provides a timely and methodologically refreshing and convincing account of the evolution of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as a regional integration initiative, whose Raison d'etre is the promotion of peace and security... As an author of the initial texts and active participant in the formative stages of SADC's evolving security thinking, Laurie Nathan offers the reader some of the key intricate arguments and debates that accompanied the development of the security architecture of SADC as we know it today. It is this invested, first-hand, although clearly subjective, perspective that gives the book much of its urgency and authority.' South African Journal of International Affairs 'In Community of Insecurity, Laurie Nathan draws on a deep well of Southern African Development Community (SADC) documents and personal experience to illuminate why SADC has failed to establish a viable regional security regime and implement peacemaking effectively, as well as to interrogate whether the regional body is on course to establish a regional security community.' African Security Review 'The book is meticulously researched and the argument is clear and succinct.The narrative is enhanced by Nathan's previous work for SADC institutions, as his extensive behind-the-scenes knowledge provides an extra dimension to the overall analysis... Nathan has expertly delved into the inner workings of SADC, while highlighting the important role and influences of notions such as liberation, solidarity and undemocratic practice. It is a fascinating insight into Southern African relations, yet Nathan is pessimistic for the future, arguing that unless trust and shared values can be forged, instability will persist. This is an important contribution to the literature on an issue that is all too frequently overlooked academically.' Political Studies Review

About the Author:

Laurie Nathan is the Director of the Centre for Mediation in the Department of Political Sciences at the University of Pretoria , South Africa

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1138250759
• ISBN 13: 9781138250758
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 200