This thesis investigates why Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS following military coups, while Guinea has not expressed such intentions. Using frameworks of...Show moreThis thesis investigates why Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS following military coups, while Guinea has not expressed such intentions. Using frameworks of geopolitical preference divergence, perception of IO’s performance and economic interdependence, the study reveals that dissatisfaction with ECOWAS governance, shifting geopolitical alignments and perceived ineffectiveness drove the decisions of the former three states. Conversely, Guinea’s lack of withdrawal intentions, despite similar political circumstances, is attributed to pragmatic diplomacy and economic autonomy. The analysis further reveals that contrary to expectations, higher economic interdependence does not deter withdrawal but amplified dissatisfaction. Finally, the findings highlight the complex dynamics shaping state-IO relationships and underscore the need for ECOWAS to address governance and legitimacy challenges to maintain cohesion.Show less
This thesis seeks to answer the question: How can we best understand the Intentions of Members of British Government for the Independence of Ghana? After discussing the existing decolonisation...Show moreThis thesis seeks to answer the question: How can we best understand the Intentions of Members of British Government for the Independence of Ghana? After discussing the existing decolonisation literature, this thesis will bridge the gap between the outdated empirical historical literature and modern international relations theory. This is done by a Critical Discourse Analysis of archival sources related to decolonisation. The conclusion reached is that the decolonial theories of coloniality/modernity offer the most complete insights in understanding the Intentions of Members of British Government for the Independence of Ghana.Show less
After the Second World War, eleven dependent territories came under supervision of the United Nations Trusteeship Council. This thesis focuses on the trust territories of Togoland under British and...Show moreAfter the Second World War, eleven dependent territories came under supervision of the United Nations Trusteeship Council. This thesis focuses on the trust territories of Togoland under British and French administration and their roads to independence. It questions how the UN Trusteeship Council managed developments of decolonization in these West African trust territories. Specifically, it analyses the ways in which the Council was able to facilitate or obstruct policies by the British and French governments to retain control over the decolonization of these territories. It concludes that the role of the Council was determined by the compatibility of such policies with the aims of the Council, as well as by the interplay of national interests, international diplomacy and dynamics of empire.Show less
In 1990, the first ECOMOG operation was launched with the mandate to return peace and stability to Liberia and more generally the West African region. This operation was largely funded and...Show moreIn 1990, the first ECOMOG operation was launched with the mandate to return peace and stability to Liberia and more generally the West African region. This operation was largely funded and initiated by Nigeria, the great power of the region. This thesis seeks to establish whether Nigeria’s intentions were hegemonic, meaning that it was seeking to be recognised as a ruler and assert itself as one. It therefore draws not only from secondary literature regarding the formation of ECOMOG itself, but also from the country’s foreign policy at the time. It finds that the operation not only contains elements showing Nigeria’s assertion of power in the region, but also others which suggest that it was searching for consent from the region as a whole. Consequently, it falls in the middle of a continuum with leadership at one end, empire at another, and hegemony in the middle. The thesis thus concludes that Nigeria did, in fact, have hegemonic ambitions in spearheading the formation of ECOMOG.Show less
The political structure of the medieval Mande empires – namely ancient Ghāna and Mālī – are still largely shrouded in mystery. This paper analyzes the political structure of the Ghāna Empire. By...Show moreThe political structure of the medieval Mande empires – namely ancient Ghāna and Mālī – are still largely shrouded in mystery. This paper analyzes the political structure of the Ghāna Empire. By comparing the structural anthropological theory developed by prof. Jan Jansen with the remarks made by medieval Arab geographers such as al-Bakr ī and al-Idrīsī, (utilizing particularly Jansen’s description of the Mande status discourse) it becomes possible to look for Mande 'snippets' in the Arabic texts. This article particularly focuses on the political role of 'the younger brother' in the Ghāna polity. The research presented in this paper show that there are strong indications that the Ghāna Empire had a decentralized political structure in which the 'younger brother' played a leading role. Furthermore, it shows that the Arabic texts, despite their limitations, still proof to be our most valuable sources on the medieval Mande empires, especially when combined with new archeological data.Show less
