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Regional Integration in Weak States

Increasing insecurity, instability and the lack of satisfactory daily life conditions, especially on the African continent, call for a reconsideration of adequate solutions. In view of the changed global perspective on security, and the growing incapability of a huge number of states to guarantee their citizens´ security and prosperity, it shall be examined in what way regional integration can be considered as a more adapted way to encounter (new and old) challenges and perils and to improve security and stability in a sustainable and efficient manner.

The ending of Bipolarity and a new priority setting within International Relations and World Politics have led to a new consciousness of security. While the threat of interstate conflicts has shrunk during the last decade, security cannot be considered anymore as purely national but needs to be seen in a much more transnational manner, putting the human being and its daily survival as well as non-state actors into its new centre.
Under these conditions, an approach based exclusively on the State as main actor turns out to be less and less appropriate and topical. The improvement and consolidation of security calls much more for a re-conceptualisation of political structures and organisation especially where the State proves increasingly unable to care for its population’s well being.

This Research Initiative focuses mainly on the question if a sustainable solution can therefore be found in a more regional approach. Through the study of four central African states and their specific security problems and deficits, the aim therefore consists in examining to what extend and in what way the strengthening, empowerment and restructuring of regional supranational structures may effectively constitute a more suitable way to encounter a wide range of actual challenges and lead to more stability, cohesion and prosperity.

In this perspective, this projects is oriented at covering different levels of analysis:

• It contributes to a better understanding of what security means in a post-cold-war contextThrough the illustration by four examples, it illuminates to what extend this new security concept implicates a new regard on the state and its function as security guarantor.
• It offers a new perspective on the connection between security and regionalism by adopting a Transnational approach.
• It proposes an enlarged understanding of regionalisation, considering not only interstate forms of regional cooperation but as well its less institutionalized dimensions.
• With reference to the analysed case study, it finally discusses a model of regionalisation, showing how already existing regional structures might be reformed in order to be better adapted to consolidating peace, security and stability in a sustainable manner.

For further Information please contact Angela Meyer

Paper by Angela Meyer: Regional integration as a way to improve security in Africa