This book provides a comprehensive overview of the United Nations peace operations in Africa with a focus on civil-military coordination and state-building. With case studies from Sudan, South Sudan, and Congo, it examines themes like the colonization of Africa and long-term conflicts; United Nations peace operations in Africa from 1956-1964; and United Nations’ return to Africa in the 1990s and 2000s. The author investigates how modern civil-military coordination gradually becomes an effective tool to assist in national-level state-building in conflict-ridden countries. The volume also discusses the organizational culture of civilian and military entities as well as civil-military cooperation in health, agriculture, energy, sports, and education to showcase the strategic direction for long-term peace in the region. Rich in ethnographic analysis, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of African Studies, UN studies, peace and conflict studies, defence and strategic studies, international relations, and military studies.

At the start of the Second World War, Britain was at the height of its imperial power, and it is no surprise that it drew upon the global resources of the Empire once war had been declared. Whilst this international aspect of Britain’s war effort has been well-studied in relation to the military contribution of individual dominions and colonies, relatively little has been written about the Empire as a whole. As such, An Imperial World at War makes an important contribution to the historiography relating to the British Empire and its wartime experience. It argues that the war needs to be viewed in imperial terms, that the role of forces drawn from the Empire is poorly understood and that the war's impact on colonial societies is barely grasped at all in conventional accounts. Through a series of case studies, the volume demonstrates the fundamental role played by the Empire in Britain’s war effort and highlights some of the consequences for both Britain and its imperial territories.Themes include the recruitment and utilization of military formations drawn from imperial territories, the experience of British forces stationed overseas, the use of strategic bases located in the colonies, British policy in the Middle East and the challenge posed by growing American power, the occupation of enemy colonies and the enemy occupation of British colonies, colonial civil defence measures, financial support for the war effort supplied by the Empire, and the commemoration of the war. The Afterword anticipates a new, decentred history of the war that properly acknowledges the role and importance of people and places throughout the colonial and semi-colonial world.’ This volume emanates from a conference organized as part of the ‘Home Fronts of the Empire – Commonwealth’ project. The project was generously funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and led by Yasmin Khan and Ashley Jackson with Gajendra Singh as Postdoctoral Research Assistant.

Libya is a typical example of a colonial or external creation. This book addresses the emergence and construction of nation and nationalism, particularly among Libyan exiles in the Mediterranean region. It charts the rise of nationalism from the colonial era and shows how it developed through an external Libyan diaspora and the influence of Arab nationalism. From 1911, following the Italian occupation, the first nucleus of Libyan nationalism formed through the activities of Libyan exiles. Through experiences undergone during periods of exile, new structures of loyalty and solidarity were formed. The new and emerging social groups were largely responsible for creating the associations that ultimately led to the formation of political parties at the eve of independence. Exploring the influence of colonial rule and external factors on the creation of the state and national identity, this critical study not only provides a clear outline of how Libya was shaped through its borders and boundaries but also underlines the strong influence that Eastern Arab nationalism had on Libyan nationalism. An important contribution to history of Libya and nationalism, this work will be of interest to all scholars of African and Middle Eastern history.

Conflict in the Horn of Africa examines how the Kenya-Somalia border problem has deep roots in pre-colonial and colonial times mirroring the phenomenon of shifting territorial and human frontiers and treaties which Britain, France, Italy, and Ethiopia made before and after World Wars I and II. This book documents the Kenya-Somalia border problem from the nineteenth century, when decisions ignored African concerns, to independence, when Africans acted as the principal players. Vincent Bakpetu Thompson analyses how the crises regarding Kenya and Somalia’s domestic situations impacted their international relations in and beyond the region. This book furthers the discussion by looking at the current problems in the region that are obscured by instability, infiltrations, the repetitive influx of refugees crossing and re-crossing the border, and increasing terrorist attacks.

Eritrea is located in northeast Africa on the Red Sea coast and boasts one of the oldest human settlements in the region. One-million-year-old human remains have been found in the Danakil Depression in the country, which is home to one of the oldest-written scripts in sub-Saharan Africa: Ge'ez. Eritrea was also pioneer in multi-party democracy in Africa and had a democratic constitution based on United Nations principles in 1952. But it is also home to one of the earliest armed liberation movements in Africa - a conflict that Mohamed Kheir Omer witnessed firsthand, having grown up in Eritrea as a member of the Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF). In this book, he traces the history of the country, exploring how ethnicity, religion, geography, colonialism, and other factors have shaped its fate - and what must be done to ensure its people enjoy a brighter future. The history of Eritrea is similar to others on the continent, and its people continue to struggle to build a just, democratic, and inclusive country.