AFRICA AND CONFLICT: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCES
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY, MAXWELL SCHOOL, WASHINGTON DC
Dr. Constance J. Freeman and Dr. Herbert Howe, Adjunct Professors
FALL SEMESTER, 2015
COURSE OVERVIEW (Draft)
COURSE PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy underpinning this course is to make the study of conflict in Africa
live by taking it out of the realm of the purely theoretical into a more real and
vibrant context which is ideally applicable on the ground. The topic is huge and
could not be exhausted in many semesters, so choices have been and will be
made, as we go along.
Basically, we will move from the theoretical considerations of the first few weeks
as presented by Dr. Howe to more concrete case studies on leadership and
specific conflicts. Student groups will be asked to study current conflicts on an
ongoing basis, reporting to the class each week and then to present the whole
case study later in November. The three current conflict areas will be: Nigeria –
a conflict in the making; Sudan – reversion to conflict; and Congo – emerging into
post-conflict. We will also take a closer look at the history and experiences of
several African leaders seeking insights into the role of leadership in promoting or
ameliorating conflict. Speakers who have had unusually close contact with these
leaders will share insights into their characters and performance.
While historical content will be referred to throughout, the primary time span of
focus will be the several decades from the end of the cold war to the present.
The overall emphasis will be to examine internal African realities and forces to the
extent possible from an African point of view.
As is appropriate in a graduate course, participatory learning will be stressed.
This will, of course, include class participation and presentations, but additionally,
students are urged to share with the class any useful or interesting reading
material they find as we go along. With student concurrence, final integrative
papers will be circulated to the class. The point is not to conquer a body of
material or set of facts but to inform ways of thinking about the implications of
conflict in Africa which will provide a context for future learning.
The course breaks down into four component parts:
1. Presentations at weekly class sessions (see outline of class sessions below):
These will include presentations and class discussion, contributions from guest
speakers with specific first-hand information, and student presentations of case
studies.
2. Literature and reading: Assignments and suggestions are designed to be as
flexible as possible to accommodate a cross section of student backgrounds and
interests. The core reading assignment is contained in the four books listed below
as basic books. Students will also choose one book from the expanded list upon
which to do a book review (see booklist for further information). In addition to
the basic books, some suggested readings or referrals to books on the expanded
list will be provided as we go along, including from students via the email list.
Recommended sources for keeping up on events in Africa include:
The
Economist and a news summery on conflict issues compiled by the Africa Center
for Strategic Studies which can be found on their web pages at
http://africacenter.org.
3. Small Group Work on Specific Conflicts: Students will work in groups to
regularly follow and report on the three conflict areas (Nigeria, Congo and Sudan)
and to prepare/present more comprehensive case studies toward the end of the
class.
4. Final Integrative Essays: Students will be expected to integrate what they
have learned into a final paper which demonstrates acquisition of the core
material, individual analysis, and critical insights which may be useful to fellow
students as well. These essays will be based upon the answer to one/one from a
list of questions to be handed out roughly half way through the semester. The
final paper exercise is designed to help students pull together what they have
learned into a meaningful whole for future reference and use.
BASIC ASSIGNED BOOKS
THESE BOOKS PROVIDE BASIC BACKGROUND FOR THE COURSE. Students may
choose between the last two books.
Meredith, Martin, The Fate of Africa, A History of Fifty Years of Independence.
US: Public Affairs of the Perseus Books Group, 2011.
This book is long, 700 pages, but will be particularly useful to students who are
relatively new to the study of Africa. Written by a journalist; it is an easy read but
given its length you may want to pick and choose among the chapters.
Bates, Robert, When Things Fell Apart, State Failure in Late-Century Africa.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008.
A quick read, the author weaves together a variety of different theories of causes
and consequences of conflict into his own interpretation which he then applies to
specific cases. Very readable; this book includes extensive references and a rich
biography.
Williams, Paul, War and Conflict in Africa. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2011.
A much more formidable undertaking, this book emphasizes political factors
although it contains a fairly thorough study of the overall field including
international intervention.
OR
Englebert, Pierre & Dunn, Kevin, Inside African Politics. Colorado: Lynne Rienner
Publishers, 2013.
Essentially a text covering African politics and not just conflict, this book reads
better than Williams and is more recent. It cites many other authors of African
politics, giving readers a comprehensive overview of the field. Chapter 5, the first
half of chapter 6 and Chapter 7 are least useful. The latter seems almost tacked
on and is not very current. But the rest of the book provides a sound grounding in
the theoretical causes of conflict, though less than Williams on practical
approaches to solving it.
SPECIFIC STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS
In addition to reading relevant material to prepare for the topic of each week,
students will be evaluated on their performance on the following:
1. Working Groups for Conflict Case Studies: The reality of conflict on the
ground can best be discovered through ongoing case studies. Three specific cases
have been chosen for review by student groups: Nigeria as a country with an
ongoing insurgency which might evolve into full-blown armed conflict; Congo as a
country just coming out of a conflict which lasted for decades; and Sudan as a
case of reversion back into conflict after a promising start at reconstruction.
 During the first two first class meetings, working groups will be formed to
cover each of the three conflict areas: Nigeria, Congo and Sudan.
 At the third class, one member of each group will make a 5 minute
presentation explaining the essence and context of their conflict case as
framing for future discussions.
 Thereafter, each week one group member will give a brief (3 minute)
update on the most important developments in their case study that week.
 During the latter half of the class, several sessions will be devoted to
student group presentations of the overall country-conflict case studies,
based on the theoretical concepts covered in the class and student
research throughout the semester.
2. Book Reviews: Each student will chose a book from the expanded list upon
which to write a short (3-5 pages) book review which summarizes the main
themes of the book, identifies critical or new insights and makes
recommendations to fellow students. These papers will be due October 1 in hard
copy to the professor and circulated electronically to the class. Students will
make short presentations (3-4 minutes) of their books to the class on October 8
so that everyone in the class has an idea of the content of a broader range of
books.
3. Final Integrative Essays: On December 10, students will turn in a final
analytical essay on the themes of the class, based upon questions which will be
distributed half-way through the course. These 10-12 page essays are designed to
demonstrate overall acquisition of the material, creative thinking and application
of general concepts to specific situations including the conflict case the student
covered.
ASSESSMENT: Student Assessment will be 20 percent each for class participation,
group work on conflict case studies, and the book paper/presentation; and 40
percent for the final integrative essay.
OUTLINE OF CLASS SESSIONS
SEPTEMBER 3:
Introduction: (Connie Freeman & Herb Howe)
 Class Introductions
 Class Outline, Concepts, Expectations and Assignments
 Is Africa Unique?
 African Conflict and Its Importance to Africa and the World
SECTION I: Violent Conflict: Theory of Causes and Consequences
(Herb Howe in the Lead)
SEPTEMBER 10: VIOLENT CONFLICT: CAUSES
 Ethnicity
 Religion
 Colonial legacy
 Analysis of “national” militaries and policy forces
 Emphasis upon the course’s “leadership” countries: Zimbabwe, Liberia, Nigeria
and Uganda.
SEPTEMBER 17: VIOLENT CONFLICT:
 Neopatrimonialism
 Transition to democracy
 Civil-military Relations
 Analysis of regional military organizations
SEPTEMBER 24: VIOLENT CONFLICT
 Economics of conflict
 Analysis of private security and the international arms trade
OCTOBER 1: VIOLENT CONFLICT
(Written Book Reviews Due)
 Non-African interventions and their dilemmas
 Analysis of 1994 Rwanda
OCTOBER 8: CONSEQUENCES (Connie Freeman)
Indexes and Measures:
Fund for Peace, Failed/Fragile States Index as example
Pauline Baker, President Emeritus, Fund for Peace(confirmed)
(The Fund for Peace, Fragile States Index, 2015).
Class Book Reviews
OCTOBER 15: CONSEQUENCES AND STRATEGIES (Herb Howe)
 Physical and psychological tolls upon society
 Disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR)
 Truth and reconciliation
 Authoritarianism vs. democratization
 Humanitarian aid
OCTOBER 22:
NO CLASS
SECTION II: Leadership and Approaches to Conflict Mitigation (Cures)
(Connie Freeman in the Lead)
OCTOBER 29 :
Leadership Overview
Leadership and its Role in Conflict in Africa
Prudence Bushnell, Former Deputy Asst Sec. for Africa and
Ambassador to Kenya. Leading Expert on Leadership (confirmed)
NOVEMBER 5:
Leadership Profile:
Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe
Amb. Charles Ray, Former US Ambassador to Zimbabwe (confirmed)
Leadership Profile:
Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of Nigeria
Amb. John Campbell, Former US Ambassador to Nigeria (confirmed)
NOVEMBER 12:
Leadership Profile:
Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda
Amb. Michael Southwick, former US Ambassador to
Uganda(confirmed)
NOVEMBER 19 (first half)
Leadership Profile:
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President, Liberia
Stephen Cashin (invited), Pan African Capital Group and long-term
political associate Johnson-Sirleaf (confirmed)
NOVEMBER 19 (second half) AND DECEMBER 3:
Student Group Presentations of Conflict Case Studies:
Congo, Nigeria and Sudan
NOVEMBER 26: NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING
SECTION III: WRAP-UP
(Connie Freeman and Herb Howe)
DECEMBER 10:
(Final Analytical Essays Due)
Role of the Outside World
US Security Programs and Goals in Africa
DECEMBER 17:
Final Overview -- Dinner with Speakers??
 Discussion of Final Papers
 Left over/out Topics
 General Evaluation and Ideas for Next Year