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Book Book Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:African conflicts and informal power: Big Men and networks
Editor:Utas, MatsISNI
Year:2012
Pages:255
Language:English
Series:Africa now
City of publisher:London
Publisher:Zed Books
ISBN:1848138822; 9781848138827; 9781848138834
Geographic terms:Africa
Ivory Coast - Côte d'Ivoire
Congo (Democratic Republic of)
Liberia
Mali
Sierra Leone
Subjects:social networks
power
politics
leadership
militias
Link:http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:nai:diva-1517
Abstract:Through a variety of case studies, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali, this collective volume shows how important informal and economic networks are in many of the continent's conflict areas. A second theme runnng through the book concerns the role of Big Men, treated as nodes in informal networks. An introduction by Mats Utas is followed by five country case studies. Koen Vlassenroot and Sandrine Perrot scrutinize the semi-privatized military-economic networks tied to the Ugandan military elite, that controlled the borderlands of DRC in the second Congolese war (1998-2003). Maya Mynster Christensen focuses on Big Man business in the aftermath of the ten-year civil war in Sierra Leone. Karel Arnaut deals with the proliferation of militias in Côte d'Ivoire (2002-2011). Mariam Persson shows how former commanders and soldiers from different rebel factions are carving out occupational niches in informal security and business sectors in post-war Liberia. Morten Bøås examines the role of informal networks and power brokers in the 2006 Tuareg rebellion in Mali. The next five chapters are thematic: Henrik Vigh deals with the political consequences of illicit drug trade in West Africa. Gerhard Anders examines to what extent international criminal justice and the criminalization of the African modes of warfare affected politics in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ilmari Käihkö discusses Big Man bargaining in African conflicts. Anders Themnér explores the role of former mid-level commanders in informal networks. Finally, Ruben de Koning deals with the uses and abuses of natural resources in African conflict zones. [ASC Leiden abstract]
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