Warlord democrats in Africa : ex-military leaders and electoral politics / edited by Anders Themnér

SIP1706

Introduction: Warlord democrats: wartime investments, democratic returns? / Anders Themnér -- 1. Pompier-pyromanocracy: Mbusa Nyamwisi and the Dr Congo's inflammable post-settlement political order / Judith Verweijen -- 2. Apotheosis of a warlord: Paul Kagame / Lars Waldorf -- 3. Discourses of peace and fear: the electoral navigations of Sekou Conneh and Prince Johnson in Post-War Liberia / Carrie Manning and Anders Themnér -- 4. Afonso Dhlakama and RENAMO's return to armed conflict since 2013: the politics reintegration in Mozambique / Alex Vines -- From warlord to drug lord: the life of João Bernardo "Nino" Vieira / Henrik Vigh -- 6. Shape-shifters in the struggle for survival: post-war politics in Sierra Leone / Mimmi Söderbergh Kovacs and Ibrahim Bangura -- 7. Riek Machar: warlord-doctor in South Sudan / Johan Brosché and Kristine Höglund -- Conclusion: Ambiguous peacelords: the diminishing returns of post-war democracy / Anders Themnér

Post-war democratization has been identified as a crucial mechanism to build peace in war-ridden societies, supposedly allowing belligerents to compete through ballots rather than bullets. A byproduct of this process, however, is that military leaders often become an integral part of the new democratic system, using resources and networks generated from the previous war to dominate the emerging political landscape. The crucial and thus-far overlooked question to be addressed, therefore, is what effect the inclusion of ex-militaries into electoral politics has on post-war security. Can 'warlord democrats' make a positive contribution by shepherding their wartime constituencies to support the building of peace and democracy, or are they likely to use their electoral platforms to sponsor political violence and keep war-affected communities mobilized through aggressive discourses? This important volume, containing a wealth of fresh empirical detail and theoretical insight, and focussing on some of Africa's most high-profile political figures – from Paul Kagame to Riek Machar to Afonso Dhlakama – represents a crucial intervention in the literature of post-war democratization.

The first systematic study about what effect the electoral participation of ex-military leaders in Africa has on post-war security.

"Across Africa, a burgeoning middle class has become the poster child for the 'Africa rising' narrative. Ambitious, aspirational and increasingly affluent, this group is said to embody the values and hopes of the new Africa, with international bodies ranging from the United Nations Development Programme to the World Bank regarding them as important agents of both economic development and democratic change. This narrative, however, obscures the complex and often ambiguous role that this group actually plays in African societies. Bringing together economists, political scientists, anthropologists and development experts, and spanning a variety of case studies from across the continent, this collection provides a much-needed corrective to the received wisdom within development circles, and provides a fresh perspective on social transformations in contemporary Africa."