The Boundary Politics of Independent Africa (Ctr for Intl Affairs Series)

The Boundary Politics of Independent Africa brings insights not only to Africanists but also to students of international relations and, more specifically, of conflict. The African states that gained independence during the 1950s and 1960s emerged within the boundaries established by their colonial rulers. Both African leaders and outside observers believed then that bitter conflicts would erupt over these borders. This has not happened. There have been numerous conflicts, but only a very few have been major disruptions. The prediction of boundary and territorial conflict, Saadia Touval explains, stemmed from the false assumption, based on the European experience of irredentism and secession, that the tribes and ethnic groups divided by boundaries would seek to unite, to become members of the same state, or to form a state of their own, and therefore would challenge the boundaries dividing them. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved. Contents Preface Part One. The Background Chapter 1. The Drawing of Colonial Boundaries Chapter 2. Sources of Status-Quo and Revisionist Policies Part Two. The Politics Chapter 3. Border Problems at Conferences, 1958–1963 Chapter 4. Norms and Politics: The Confirmation of the Status Quo Chapter 5. The Use of Force Chapter 6. The Roles of Friends and Allies Chapter 7. Negotiations and Their Results Chapter 8. Disengagement, I Chapter 9. Disengagement, II: The Somali Case Chapter 10. Boundary Agreements Chapter 11. Prospects Appendix, Notes, and Index Appendix: Inter-African Border and Territorial Disputes Since Independence Notes Index Written Under The Auspices Of The Center For International Affairs, Harvard University. Includes Bibliographical References.