Thesis Abstract

<p> </p><div><p>Since the transformation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to African Union</p><p>(A.U.) various measures were adopted by the newly formed organization to promote</p><p>peace and security in the African continent, apart from the efforts of the United</p><p>Nations (UN) whose primary purpose is to promote peace and security all over the</p><p>world. The role of the newly formed African Union has been expanded to include</p><p>issue of human right promotion, conflict management, promotion of good</p><p>governance and the issue of unconstitutional change of government. This is the first</p><p>time in the history of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) that the issue of</p><p>“exclusive domain” has been removed from the Charter of the OAU and by including</p><p>in the new Constitutive Act of the AU the right of the Union to intervene in the</p><p>internal affairs of a member country where there is arm conflict. Various specialize</p><p>agencies were created in the new AU Act including African Charter on Human and</p><p>Peoples’ Rights and the African Human Right Commission, the African Human Right</p><p>Court, all in a bid to provide peace and security in the continent. The reason why</p><p>African Union is promoting peace and security in the continent is simple peace and</p><p>security is a desirable societal objective as opposed to war and conflicts and to mark</p><p>a departure from the traditional one-level belief by the International Community that</p><p>African countries are more conflictual in nature. The end of the Cold War has</p><p>altered the international strategic environment and forced a radical revision of the</p><p>global power structure disrupting the natural harmony amongst people and replaced</p><p>them with hostile ideologies. African States were products of colonial designs. Their</p><p>economies operated in a system of global transactions that seems biased against</p><p>them. After independent, erstwhile colonial masters continued to influence direction</p><p>by providing aids, advice and models of development, which at the end of it not</p></div><div><p>viii</p><p>beneficial. Lack of unity, good governance and a strong economic base has made</p><p>Africans have a significant share of responsibility for its failure. By late 1980s a</p><p>continent touted as a “continent of promise” in the independence decade of the</p><p>1980s was fast becoming a “global basket case.” All through the 1960s and the first</p><p>half of the subsequent decade, Africa was perceived as having more opportunities</p><p>than Asia or Latin America but lack basic social structure. The reverse turned out to</p><p>be the case as the story of African development was marked more by human and</p><p>natural tragedies combined with remarkable failure of socio-economic and political</p><p>management, vast population increase, declining food production rates, debts</p><p>overhang, unemployment, bad governance, lack of good health facilities and</p><p>accelerated poverty all contributed</p></div> <br><p></p>

Thesis Overview