Description
Book SynopsisAfrica Nations have contributed to peace operations in conflict zones across the world since the deployment of the United Nations Operations in the Congo in 1960. This has placed Africa as a major stakeholder in the maintenance of peace and security. For over fifty years Ghana has earned the international reputation as one of the largest and consistent Troop Contributing Country in United Nations mandated peace operations. While Ghana has long been an active contributor to peace operations, there are few or no comparative studies that systematically analyze the actual roles played by troops in many of the different conflict context where they have served. This book therefore, focuses on a comparison of two peace operations undertaken by the forces of an African Nation in two different missions in Lebanon and Liberia.
Trade Review"This important book offers an in-depth look at the peacekeeping tasks, experiences and challenges of one of the United Nations most reliable and proficient peace building partners. Kotia’s highly readable and detailed strategic conflict assessment of Ghana’s peacekeeping experiences in Liberia and Lebanon provides not only a long-overdue description of this small West-African country’s impact on global security and conflict management, it also serves as a model for analyzing multi-dimensional peace operations and for drawing lessons that may shape the planning and conducting of future missions." -- Volker Franke, Kennesaw State University
Existing works on participation of Africans in peace operations are often too general for understanding country-specific contexts. Kotia’s book successfully challenged this situation by focusing exclusively on Ghana and comparing the contexts of two operations in which the country participated: Lebanon and Liberia. The work deepens our understanding of the changing context in which national interests define Africans’ participation in peace operations and provides students of African politics, peace, conflict and security studies with a fresh comparative research methodology. -- Isaac O. Albert, University of Ibadan
Kotia is an intellectual soldier who has produced a rich and detailed comparative study on Ghana’s experiences in peacekeeping operations in Lebanon and Liberia. This book is particularly useful for scholars and practitioners as it provides a broad range of conceptual insights and is based on the practical experiences of the author in participating in both peacekeeping missions. -- Adekeye Adebajo, Centre for Conflict Resolution
Table of Contents1. Introduction and Conceptual Considerations 2. United Nations, ECOWAS and Ghana in Peace Operations 3. Background and Geo-Politics of the Lebanese War 4. The Ghana Armed Forces and the UN Peace Operations in Lebanon 5. Liberia: Background and the Dynamics of the Civil War 6. The Ghana Armed Forces and the ECOWAS/UN Peace Operations in Liberia 7. A Comparative Analysis: Peace Operations in Lebanon and Liberia 8. Conclusion: Applying Ghana’s Experience to Global and Regional Peace Operations
