Collective Insecurity

The Liberian Crisis, Unilateralism, and Global Order

By Ikechi Mgbeoji
Categories: Law & Legal Studies, International Law, Political Science, Security, Peace & Conflict Studies
Series: Law and Society
Publisher: UBC Press
Hardcover : 9780774810364, 200 pages, August 2003
Paperback : 9780774810371, 200 pages, January 2004
Ebook (EPUB) : 9780774840569, 200 pages, November 2011
Ebook (PDF) : 9780774851817, 200 pages, October 2007

Table of contents

Introduction

1 The Myth of African Statehood

2 Collective Security and the Liberian Conflict

3 The Liberian Conflict and the International Law on Foreign
Intervention in Domestic Conflicts

4 The UN Charter and the Ratification of the ECOWAS Action by the
Security Council: Implications for Global Security

5 Reconfiguring Collective Security in Africa

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

A probing analysis and critique of the historical dysfunction of the post-colonial African state and the tragic collapse of Liberia.

Description

This book provides both a superb analysis of the historical dysfunction
of the post-colonial African state generally and, more specifically, a
probing critique of the crisis that resulted in the tragic collapse of
Liberia. Ikechi Mgbeoji ultimately shows that blame for this endless
cycle of violence must be laid at the feet of both the Western powers
and African states themselves. He further posits that a reconstructed
regime of African statehood, legitimate governance, and reform of the
United Nations Security Council are imperatives for the creation of a
stable African polity. 

Reviews

The book is a significant contribution to the fields of international law and African studies ... [It] provides a basis from which to start to make sense of a vast continent which has been forgotten in its hour of need. It points the way forward and clarifies the difficult historical and intellectual problems that must be comprehended if Africa is to be understood both by Africans as well as outsiders.

- Director of the Human Rights Center at SUNY Buffalo School of Law and author of Human Rights: A Political and Cultural Critique

A timely, well written book that will appeal to those interested in Africa—international lawyers, international relations specialists, and others who are concerned about the impact of the “global war on terrorism” on the role of international law and social justice ... there is no question that this is an important book that draws on a wide variety of sources and disciplines to address both an area that has been neglected for far too long in the US (African politics and history) and an issue that is at the forefront of US foreign policy today (the legitimate use of military force internationally).

- Ronald C. Slye, Seattle University School of Law