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This document is an introduction to a monograph titled "Boundaries of Peace Operations: The African Dimension," which compiles edited texts from a series of workshops held in 1999 in Prague, Harare, and Pretoria. The text examines the conceptual and doctrinal gaps in peace support operations, specifically contrasting the limited scope of UN peacekeeping with the more robust peace enforcement capabilities of African coalitions. It highlights the influence of Cold War military doctrines and colonial legacies on current African military approaches and argues for the need for a synthesized, viable doctrine for multinational peace operations in Africa.

This research paper examines the legal perspectives surrounding the effects of climate change in Africa, specifically focusing on the role of environmental law and legal mechanisms as tools to enforce policy decisions and shape human behavior regarding the environment.

A statement by the Institute for Security Studies arguing that African nations must prevent the adoption of a new Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) that would weaken the existing 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM).

The report evaluates the AU Peace and Security Council's efforts in conflict resolution and regional stability, highlighting failures in Sudan's mediation due to biased mediator selection and a lack of political focus. It examines the limitations of PSC field missions, the rising death toll of humanitarian workers in Africa, and the role of illegal natural resource exploitation in funding armed groups. Finally, it discusses the need for greater African agency and strategic coordination in infrastructure and security partnerships with China through FOCAC.

The Peace and Security Council Report No 176 analyzes the outcomes of the 38th AU Summit in February 2025, focusing on leadership transitions, the chairship of Angola, and the ongoing challenges of the 'Silencing the Guns' agenda. It highlights the election of Mahamoud Ali Youssouf as AUC chair and the debate over rotational versus permanent membership in the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC).

The report argues that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) depends heavily on improving the efficiency, capacity, and security of Africa's maritime transport and port infrastructure to facilitate the movement of goods across the continent.

This report summarizes a public seminar held on November 20, 2009, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, jointly organized by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and the Ethiopian International Institute for Peace and Development (EIIPD). The seminar, titled "Copenhagen Talks on Climate Change and Africa's Response," focused on strengthening a common African position regarding mitigation, adaptation, and compensation ahead of the Copenhagen climate negotiations.

This research paper outlines the systemic challenges of studying crime and criminal justice in Africa, emphasizing the impact of political repression, the legacy of colonialism, and the scarcity of reliable official data. It highlights how 'African solidarity' can lead to non-compliance with international legal protocols and suggests that regional cooperation through the African Union and SARPCCO offers a path toward greater transparency and institutionalized research.

This 2012 briefing reports on the economic and political decline of South Africa, citing poor educational outcomes, rising unemployment, and systemic corruption under President Jacob Zuma. It contrasts South Africa's 2% GDP growth with the 6% average seen in other African nations and notes a shift in the ANC's political culture from sacrifice to self-enrichment.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes projects aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE) in Central, East, and West Africa. It identifies critical gaps in funding duration, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity, and the potential for P/CVE labeling to stigmatize target communities, while suggesting a shift toward longer-term funding and greater African state ownership.

This report by Robert Mattes of the University of Cape Town uses Afrobarometer survey data from 18 African countries to compare experiences of crime and policing in South Africa with other nations on the continent. The analysis finds that while South Africa has high levels of insecurity and crime exposure, it is not exceptional in the African context. Furthermore, despite having superior physical and human capital, the South African Police Service (SAPS) often lags behind other African police forces in terms of public trust, legitimacy, and community relations.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the risk of a military coup in Guinea-Bissau ahead of the April 13, 2014, general elections. It examines the causes of the April 12, 2012, coup and evaluates whether changes in the political landscape, security missions, and electoral reforms are sufficient to prevent a recurrence of instability.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies assesses the nuclear security environment in Africa, examining the risks of nuclear material diversion, the status of international and regional security regimes, and the implications of the continent's emerging nuclear energy programs.

This document outlines the recommendations from a conference held in Jinja, Uganda, from 11 to 13 March 2009, focused on developing a Common and Comprehensive African Approach to HIV and AIDS (CCAAHM) within African militaries. The conference, attended by delegates from numerous African nations and NGOs, sought to address policy dilemmas regarding recruitment, combat readiness, and the management of HIV-positive personnel in the context of peacekeeping and national security.

This concluding chapter of 'Invisible Stakeholders' argues that children and youth in Africa are not merely victims of conflict but active agents of change and transformation. The author contends that viewing them solely as victims obscures the dynamics of conflict and ignores how young people make choices that impact the trajectories of war. The text examines the socio-economic and political drivers of youth mobilization, the failure of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) processes, and the influence of global economic structures on African stability.

This situation report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the progress and challenges of post-conflict reconstruction in Liberia as of July 2008. It examines the legacies of 15 years of warfare, the restoration of state authority under President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, security sector reform, economic recovery efforts, and the role of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

This monograph introduces the theory and practice of criminal justice in Africa, examining how colonial legacies, political instability, and the interests of ruling elites shape legal systems. It explores the tension between retributive Western-centric models and indigenous restorative justice, while providing specific case studies on the challenges of bail and human rights in Nigeria, the dual legal system in Uganda, and the political use of the judiciary in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

This conclusion to Monograph 161 by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the gap between the normative standards of criminal justice and the actual practice within African countries. It argues that inherited colonial legal systems often fail to meet contemporary needs, leading to inequities where access to justice is mediated by political, economic, and ethnic affiliations.

This monograph, edited by Hussein Solomon and published by the Institute for Security Studies in May 1997, examines the evolution, principles, and challenges of South African foreign policy following the transition to democracy in 1994. It analyzes the tension between the government's declared commitment to human rights and democracy and its pragmatic bilateral relations with states such as Cuba, Libya, and the People's Republic of China. The text explores South Africa's role as a regional hegemon in Southern Africa, its engagement with the African continent, and the theoretical debate over whether it should pursue 'middle power' or 'co-operative' leadership.

This monograph captures the proceedings of a seminar held in Pretoria on 18-19 April 2000, titled "Security in Africa: French and South African Perspectives." The document explores the intersection of national identity, human security, governance, and economic development, with a specific focus on the evolving roles of France and South Africa in African security. It analyzes various conflict zones, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, and West Africa, while evaluating the effectiveness of regional and international intervention frameworks such as the UN, OAU, SADC, and ECOWAS.