Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the legacy of late colonialism

Citizen and subject: contemporary Africa and the legacy of late colonialism

To date, most discussion of security privatization in international politics has been focused on the role of private military companies and mercenaries. This article seeks to shift the focus away from the battlefields and toward the less spectacular privatization and globalization of commercial private security. Drawing on Saskia Sassen’s notion of state ‘‘disassembly,’’ we situate the growth of private security within broader shifts in global governance. Pointing to the weakness of seeing the rise of private security as an erosion of state power and authority, we show instead a re-articulation of the public ⁄private and global ⁄local distinctions and relationships into what we term ‘‘global security assemblages.’’ Analyzing the role of private security in two such assemblages in Sierra Leone and Nigeria, we show how a range of different security agents and normativities interact, cooperate and compete, to produce new institutions, practices and forms of security governance. Global security assemblages thus mark important developments in the relationship between security and the sovereign state, structures of political power and authority, and the operations of global capital. Spurred by the apparent return of mercenary activities in Africa at the end of the Cold War, and given further impetus and urgency by the substantial involvement of private military contractors in Afghanistan and Iraq, the privatization of security has become one of the most controversial issues in contemporary international politics. Once obscure companies such as Blackwater, Triple Canopy, and Erinys have joined with tales of ‘‘neo-mercenaries’’ like Executive Outcomes in Sierra Leone and Simon Mann’s attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea in 2004, to become the focus of widespread journalistic coverage, increasingly sophisticated scholarly analysis, as well as popular books, entertainment and Hollywood films. Yet the privatization of security and its consequences go well beyond the activities of the private soldier. Away from the battlefields, in the day-to-day activities of ordinary life, private security has also become ubiquitous. Less spectacular than the ‘‘return of the dogs of war,’’ commercial private security activities, ranging from manned guarding and alarm installation, to risk analysis and surveillance, have expanded at a phenomenal rate. Worldwide, the commercial private security market is now valued at $165 billion, and its growth is forecast to continue at an annual rate of 8% for the foreseeable future (Securitas 2007). Indeed, what was once described as a ‘‘quiet revolution’’ in security provision has become global in scope (Shearing and Stenning 1981).

Security Beyond the State: Global Security Assemblages in International Politics

The article analyzes the ways in which globalized oil extraction results in the dispossession of local people and fuels violent resistance in Nigeria's oil-rich, but impoverished Niger Delta This follows from the transformation of resistance from non-violent to violent forms, involving well-publicized attacks by Niger Delta, ethnic-minority militias against the Nigerian state-oil multinationals partnership The main argument is that oil extraction and the inequitable distribution of its benefits fuel disenchantment and conflict between the Niger Delta people, and those regarded as the exploiters and beneficiaries of the oil resources in the region It also examines the local and transnational dynamics and ambiguities underpinning resistance politics and the prospects for resolving the contradictions spawned by “fossil fuel capital” in the Niger Delta

Oil Extraction, Dispossession, Resistance, and Conflict in Nigeria's Oil-Rich Niger Delta

Introduction 1. The untold story: the globalization of private security 2. Late modernity and the rise of private security 3. Power and governance: global assemblages and the security field 4. Of oil and diamonds: global security assemblages in resource extraction 5. Safer cities or cities of walls? The politics of urban global security assemblages 6. Security, politics, and global assemblages.

Security Beyond the State: Private Security in International Politics

Against the background of recent attempts to explain insurgency in the Niger Delta in the context of the “greed” of militant groups, this article argues that insurgency can best be explained by examining the social origins of militant groups. Focusing on the case of the Ijaw of Warri, from among whom the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) emerged, the article seeks to demonstrate that insurgency is the consequence of longstanding experiences of political and social-cultural marginalization. Militant groups emerged as a result of the failure of the state and oil companies to respond to peaceful protests in previous decades.

From 'Pirates' to 'Militants': A Historical Perspective on Anti-State and Anti-Oil Company Mobilization Among the Ijaw of Warri, Western Niger Delta

In this article it is argued that, although the study of ethnicity in Nigeria bears the imprint of almost all the different perspectives that have been deployed towards the study of ethnicity; perspectives that privilege the role of the state and critical elites in ethnic mobilization have dominated the literature Apart from the tenuous explanation of false consciousness, a lot remains to be known about why, when and how followers enlist (or do not enlist) in ethnic conflicts Moreover, analysts have paid more attention to inter-ethnic than intra-ethnic conflicts because the cohesion of ethnic groups is often taken for granted The literature is also very thin on the phenomenon of inter-ethnic accommodation and co-operation It is suggested in this paper that a systematic examination of horizontal inequalities, that is, inequalities that arise from the differential access members of different ethnic groups have to lucrative political, economic and social resources, will provide insights into the often ne

The Study of Ethnicity in Nigeria

This article examines the explosion of violent ethno-religious and communal conflicts in Nigeria, contrary to the widespread expectation that the inauguration of the civilian administration would usher in democratic stability. The nature of the politics of the transition programme and the reluctance of the post-military regime to address the national question have led to the resurgence of social groups that make demands for incorporation and empowerment. The central argument is that unbridled competition for power, and the failure of government to deliver democratic dividends, have resulted in violent conflicts, especially between ethnic and religious groups, endangering the country's nascent democracy. Good governance, especially accountability, transparency and equity, would restore governmental legitimacy, inter-ethnic and religious harmony and promote democratic consolidation.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022278X02004172

Politics, ethno-religious conflicts and democratic consolidation in Nigeria

Education, horizontal inequalities and ethnic relations in Nigeria

This article considers the ways in which knowledge and research influenced the design of a programme to reduce violent conflict in Nigeria. The diversity of sources and forms of conflict in Nigeria, and the way that local grievances interact with national struggles over politics and resources, combined with a need to show measurable results within five years, made the task of programme design extremely challenging. The article discusses how the project design team responded to this challenge. It describes the four main lessons that emerged from dialogue-based research studies that helped the design team formulate a theory of change for the programme, and subsequently its methodological approach and activities. The studies shaped the central theme of the project, which was the need to transform conflict management institutions into genuinely inclusive forums for dialogue, thereby regaining the trust of those currently excluded from dialogue but yet most affected by violence – particularly unemployed youth and women and girls. The article does not portray research and knowledge simplistically, as the sole solution to project design issues. Rather, it shows that if research findings can take designers directly to the core of the problems as perceived by those most affected by them, then they can play a critical role in designing appropriate interventions and, as implementation proceeds, to demonstrating progress towards project goals.

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Ukoha Ukiwo

Papers

From 'Pirates' to 'Militants': A Historical Perspective on Anti-State and Anti-Oil Company Mobilization Among the Ijaw of Warri, Western Niger Delta

The Study of Ethnicity in Nigeria

Politics, ethno-religious conflicts and democratic consolidation in Nigeria

Education, horizontal inequalities and ethnic relations in Nigeria

From Design to Implementation: Addressing the Causes of Violent Conflict in Nigeria