Papers by Agnes W . Behr
Africa and the Great Powers? Russia’s Presence’ & the Security Dynamics, 2022
Africa is attracting a lot of attention from both the old and the contemporary powers. This is ‘t... more Africa is attracting a lot of attention from both the old and the contemporary powers. This is ‘the new scramble’ for Africa. Ideally, the Berlin conference where the colonial powers of Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Germany, partitioned the continent is the old scramble. The new scramble has added the United States of America (US), China, Russia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, India, and Qatar but mostly entails the US competition with the emerging prominence of China and covertly Russia’s inroads. The paper looks at the great powers with a focus on Russia and the security implications in the continent. The paper uses secondary data and leans on structural dependency and ‘colonialism’ thesis to look at the great powers’ actions and their implications. Specifically, the paper delves into Russia affiliations in covert deals hence more about transactional ‘business’ and less about diplomatic affairs. Russia’s silenced presence in Africa adds to the conflicts dynamism because of the balancing act some States have to do with their existing characters like; former colonial powers, multi-ethnic & religious composition, differing climatic and economic conditions, also varying governance regime types. The paper argues that, although economically, and militarily weak, States in Africa are exercising African agency in dealing with the great powers to a certain degree, however, comprador regimes remain a security threat to their citizens and the continent at large.
Key Words: Africa, Great-powers, Russia-Africa, China-Africa, Security, France-Africa.
Root Causes of Conflict in Africa- An Amhara Television Political Analysis, 2023
The discussion centers around the root causes of conflict in Africa looking at colonialism, ident... more The discussion centers around the root causes of conflict in Africa looking at colonialism, identity, development, regional economic communities, democratization, and Governance, the African Union (AU), and extra-continental powers. In the end, the honor is left on Africa's Heads of State and governance to embrace the interests of their sovereigns and NOT their own personal greed.
Journal of Language technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa Vol. 13:1, 194-221, Jun 13, 2022
Ethnicity is negatively nuanced regarding democratization in Africa. Multiple ethnicities appear ... more Ethnicity is negatively nuanced regarding democratization in Africa. Multiple ethnicities appear to negate the democratization process. This paper complements and enhances the debate on ethnicity in Africa following the works of Ajulu (2002), Karega-Munene (2003), and Berman (2004). In argument for ethnicities role in de-democratization, some scholars look at the outcome of the divide instead of the underlying causal factors. This paper endeavors to contribute on the positive effects of ethnicities in the democratization process. Ethnicity as hypothesized categorizes clusters of people in similar cultures and way of life. Politicians seeking stakes in governments can use the differences in ethnicities to catapult themselves to government. Pitting ethnic group(s) against each other leads to political divides and the subsequent demonization of ethnicity in democratization. Karega-Munene poses four questions, first, whether Kenya can have a government that escapes accusations of nepotism and tribalism. Second, if it is possible given that Kenyans identify with ethnic affiliations first, third… "is ethnicity necessarily bad?" And finally, given that there is strength in diversity why can't Kenyans not harness that strength instead of using it divisively? The paper adds to the debates of some these questions. In essence, ethnicity in the democratization process can bring forth unrepresented groups in societies hence the formulation of social movements and political parties to gain socio-political space in governance. Demonizing ethnicities creates related conflicts but unveils injustices which leads to a search for justice hence a democratization process.
Xeno-Afrophobia and Pan-Africanism: What Lies Beneath the Mask of an Identity? , 2021
Cite this chapter as Behr A.W. (2021) Xeno-Afrophobia and Pan-Africanism: What Lies Beneath the M... more Cite this chapter as Behr A.W. (2021) Xeno-Afrophobia and Pan-Africanism: What Lies Beneath the Mask of an Identity?. In: Abidde S.O., Matambo E.K. (eds) Xenophobia, Nativism and Pan-Africanism in 21st Century Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82056-5_3
The chapter explores identities like Pan-Africanism, nativism, and Xeno-Afro-phobia to show Marden and Meyer’s (1968) acculturation as a shift from one identity to another. It utilizes Berry’s (1980) concept of acculturation that portrays identity as a strategy or a choice. Furthermore, identity is present to counter a threat or maximize an opportunity It invokes Foucault’s (1980) notion of power and resistance and Mamdani’s (1996, 2001) citizen and subject and beyond settler and Natives to show how power interweaves with identities to produce either threats or pockets of perceived security. Therefore, African governments can pre-empt Xeno-Afro-Phobia through institutions that work against illegal immigration and corruption to prevent a clash between locals and foreigners or ‘natives and strangers an African descent. Also, Pan Africanism is not dead. However, its viability operates where Africans are threatened by a non-African identity. Hence Africans invoke the Swahili saying ‘ukuni mmoja hauwaki mekoni- (one piece of wood does not burn brightly in the kitchen) as was the case during the decolonization period.
“Ukuni Mmoja Hauwaki Mekoni”
A Swahili proverb which means one piece of wood does not burn brightly in the kitchen
Purpose: The study sought to understand self-determination and the challenges posed to the border... more Purpose: The study sought to understand self-determination and the challenges posed to the borders in the Horn of Africa through a precise analysis of the notion and its application in the Horn of Africa. Methodology: The research used qualitative methodology via primary and secondary data. Primary data engaged historiography through archival materials, documents and field interviews while secondary data was from published journals and books. The study also used magazines, newspapers and internet materials, and films to synthesize the data for validation of the outcome. Result: Self-determination affects state borders and therefore confirms that borders are arbitrary constant formations. Borders include social-cultural norms which entail ethnic identities and state norms. The latter involves inviolability of borders, fixed territory, exclusive citizenship rights and sovereign rights. Therefore, challenges of the state borders in the Horn appears as a clash between the social-cultura...
"Bewitched?: Autochthony, Xenophobia, and Development in Africa." In Impact of Immigration and Xenophobia on Development in Africa, pp. 1-17. IGI Global, 2021., 2021
This chapter explores the modern organization of Africa as a continent. It uses Yves Mudimbe's ... more This chapter explores the modern organization of Africa as a continent. It uses Yves Mudimbe's representation of colonial organizations. The chapter argues that a collision of modern material individualism with the African perspective of the wealth in people,9; appears as witchcraft; where an African picks up weapons to kill another in the name of autochthon versus a stranger. The answer to the impasse between Western capitalism and African integration is in delving into both in a manner that critiques and affirms to provoke further thoughts towards a lasting solution.
Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa, 2020
A state border is ideally inelastic, 'incapable' of expanding or contracting to increase or decre... more A state border is ideally inelastic, 'incapable' of expanding or contracting to increase or decrease the geographic territory of each. Yet a state border relies on individuals' conformity to legal rules and, to a larger extend, unwritten rules or norms to become enforceable and visualized. Frantz Fanon, Michel Foucault both show how power plays occur. The ability of the power wielder to alter the individuals' behavior creates binding power. In Fanon's "Black skins white masks," the individual conformity to another's norms and practices creates Foucault's de-individualization. Foucault also shows how Panopticon or surveillance shapes the surveilled's behavior, where the policed become the police. Both Fanon and Foucault show the power shifts as a result of a subjective norm, informing the processes that shape an objective behavior. In analyzing behavior and a snippet of the Kenya-Somalia and the US-Mexican borders, the study attempts to answer Van Houtum's question, what is it that we fear? The research shows individuals change substantial cultural differences in adherence, and eagerness to please the orders at the border. The state fears losing sovereignty through individuals' disobedience while the latter fear losing freedom through state punishment by imprisonment as a result of flouting border rules. The research incorporates field findings at the Kenya-Somalia and US-Mexican (Tijuana) border. Amina's border experience and performances in navigating the border fears are teased out as an answer to Van Houtum's question, unmask Fanon's subjects, and locate the de-individualization posed by Foucault's Panopticon.
Purpose: The study sought to understand self-determination and the challenges posed to the border... more Purpose: The study sought to understand self-determination and the challenges posed to the borders in the Horn of Africa through a precise analysis of the notion and its application in the Horn of Africa. Methodology: The research used qualitative methodology via primary and secondary data. Primary data engaged historiography through archival materials, documents and field interviews while secondary data was from published journals and books. The study also used magazines, newspapers and internet materials, and films to synthesize the data for validation of the outcome. Result: Self-determination affects state borders and therefore confirms that borders are arbitrary constant formations. Borders include social-cultural norms which entail ethnic identities and state norms. The latter involves inviolability of borders, fixed territory, exclusive citizenship rights and sovereign rights. Therefore, challenges of the state borders in the Horn appears as a clash between the social-cultural norms and state norms. Whereas the first calls for accommodation and negotiated legal spaces, the latter retains a rigid notion of borders which resists a shift of the same. However, successful self-determination referendum by a group within a state followed by consent of the state and recognition by the United Nation (UN) legitimizes international border shifts through the formation of new unique states. A unique contribution to theory, practice, and policy: Self-determination is concomitant with border constructions. Therefore a need in the understanding that natural borders do not exist. States should appreciate a shift in any border as an attempt to self-govern where the hosting regime fails to uphold the same. Self-determination implies retaining a cultural identity and a norm unique from the existing states where annihilation threat towards a group is present. States should not necessarily interpret self-determination as a danger but a mode of negotiation as engrained in pre-colonial African borders. Furthermore, self-determination does not encourage the use of force against other states but promotes the idea of negotiated spaces through plebiscites the acceptance of which results in redrawn borders and the opposite retains status quo.
Purpose: The study sought to understand how the identity of the ethnic Somalis and the geographic... more Purpose: The study sought to understand how the identity of the ethnic Somalis and the geographic settings inform the perception of the Kenya-Somalia border. Methodology: The research took a poststructuralist approach via qualitative methodology where information was derived from five focus groups, key informants and one on one interviews from Garissa and Mandera Counties in the period of 2016-2017. Besides, observations, field experiences, films, and documentaries helped to triangulate the findings for validity purposes. Additionally, historiography was employed through archival materials from the Kenya National Archives. Result: The study shows that body borders elasticizes the Kenya-Somalia border and makes it spatial. Second, ethnic Somalis elastic view of the border through the body is a means of survival but gives the perception to the Kenyan government that the border community does not recognize the international border. Furthermore, the pastoral-nomadic norms of the ethnic Somalis shows elastic view of the Kenya-Somalia border due to the arid to semi-arid territory which calls for negotiated living spaces as opposed to the static view of the same by Kenyan governments. The unique contribution to the theory, practice and policy: Cognitive psychology, Constructivism and discourse analysis used together shows a pattern derived from everyday discourse and behaviors that shape the thinking on border studies. Language goes beyond verbal communication to a psychological tap that shows the behavior of a community as informed by fears and the need to alleviate the fears. The behaviors shape the norms, and therefore, constructivism displays state behaviors and actions or inaction. Also, transfer of the social-cultural to the state norms shows a divide in border thinking where two or more identities come together. The issue should, therefore, be how to alleviate the fears both current and historical from both the state and ethnic Somalis instead of looking at each as the threat to the other.
Securitization of Africa has led to changes in academic discourses. Development, diplomacy and se... more Securitization of Africa has led to changes in academic discourses. Development, diplomacy and security have been inter-linked. Africa is no longer viewed as in need of development/humanitarian aid but a risk/threat/ fear continent. Development policies have been linked to security in Africa. This has led to institutions such as World Bank reviewing their objectives and linking the development projects outcomes to security. A successful project is viewed as promoting security and hence warrants future financing.
Securitization of Africa has also led to radicalization of populations in Africa. The support of certain African countries is thus viewed as enmity. This has led to Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda targeting African countries to teach western states a lesson. The lesson learnt thus is, politicking issues as security have negative impacts.
Wendt avers that, social constructions are as a result of norms and identities created by the act... more Wendt avers that, social constructions are as a result of norms and identities created by the actors in the international arena. Anarchy and by extension Power politics are not materialistic in nature but what states make of them. In essence social constructions are mutually shared and interpreted by states. These constructions change as per the human reality. The dynamic nature of human life predisposes social constructions to changes. They are not inert. Anarchy can be changed by actors depending on identities created of self and others.
Securitization according to Ole waever and Burry Buzan entails declaring something as a security ... more Securitization according to Ole waever and Burry Buzan entails declaring something as a security threat in a speech act hence necessitating taking extra-ordinary measures to curb the insecurity. Africa has been securitized through various means such as declaration of poverty, failed and fragile states and porous borders as existential threats. This in essence leads to human insecurities within and without. The article seeks to depict how this has affected human insecurity.
Tags: 9/11, development, failed states, fragile states, international security, Kenya, securitization of Africa, security, Somalia, terrorism
The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) utilizes the history of the coast as one of their anchors fo... more The Mombasa Republican Council (MRC) utilizes the history of the coast as one of their anchors for secessionism. The region arguably was never part of the British colony but a protectorate while simultaneously belonging to the Sultan of Zanzibar. Arguably, the ten mile coastal strip has undergone a different cultural, religious and development trajectory when compared to the rest of Kenya. Marginalization of the Coastal people is underpinned by the post-colonial narrative.
Teaching Documents by Agnes W . Behr
Literature Review ■ "We learn more and more about less and less until we know everything about no... more Literature Review ■ "We learn more and more about less and less until we know everything about nothing." (cited in Boote & Beile 2005, p. 3) ■ A weak LR results in weak research! (Mullins &, 2002) ■ The conception of LR as an exhaustive summary of previously done work results in weak LR! ■ LR helps in GENERATIVITY= the ability to build on previous research. (Boote & Beile, 2005) ■ Poor LR = devalues claims to original research (Hart 1999).
This teaching document looks at various theories of media and plugs in conflict and peacebuilding... more This teaching document looks at various theories of media and plugs in conflict and peacebuilding in endevoring to disentangle how peacebuilding processes take place and within what background.Media is depicted as a double-edged sword that can either be an asset or a curse. It makes the aspect of media very criticle when it comes to formulating news. whose news? with what intended or un-intended outcomes? who makes it to news? why? a critical mind is extremely necessasry to totally understand the weight of this subject matter.
What is public policy monitoring and how is it carried out? The lecture material helps in underst... more What is public policy monitoring and how is it carried out? The lecture material helps in understanding the stage of monitoring a policy and what is inherent.
Environment is one of the problems that states and non-state actors are expected to manage under ... more Environment is one of the problems that states and non-state actors are expected to manage under globally conceived governance management (Kotze, 2012).
Emergence of division of labor seems to be taking root amongst actors.
In international relations, a trans-national private-public relationship is more Prevalent (Keohane and Nye 1971; Keohane and Nye 1974).
Book Reviews by Agnes W . Behr
We do not have borders: Greater Somalia and the predicaments of belonging in Kenya by Keren Weitzberg, Athens, Ohio, Ohio University Press, 2017,274 pages, $32.95 (hbk), ISBN-13 978-0-8214-2259-5, 2019
A Book Review
Barrington Moore’s (1966) thesis, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant ... more Barrington Moore’s (1966) thesis, Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World is a comparative analysis of America, England, France, India, China and Japan. The objective is to analyze the political character undertaken by landlords and Peasants that led the agrarian societies to modernization. The thesis covers arrays of modern civilizations such as: Western democracies, fascist, and totalitarian communist regimes.
Historical analysis is used to look at distinctive features such as: revolutions, type of societies, type of land relationships and how differing classes of people and institutions contributed to the outcome.
Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid (2009), endeavors to unravel the downfalls of Western Aid to African... more Dambisa Moyo’s book Dead Aid (2009), endeavors to unravel the downfalls of Western Aid to African countries. The thesis is centred on dependency theory whereby the linkage between the donor and the recipient forms a dependent relationship that benefits one while disenfranchising the recipient. The resultant is a negative relationship that benefits the donors while depleting resources of the recipient.
Uploads
Papers by Agnes W . Behr
Key Words: Africa, Great-powers, Russia-Africa, China-Africa, Security, France-Africa.
The chapter explores identities like Pan-Africanism, nativism, and Xeno-Afro-phobia to show Marden and Meyer’s (1968) acculturation as a shift from one identity to another. It utilizes Berry’s (1980) concept of acculturation that portrays identity as a strategy or a choice. Furthermore, identity is present to counter a threat or maximize an opportunity It invokes Foucault’s (1980) notion of power and resistance and Mamdani’s (1996, 2001) citizen and subject and beyond settler and Natives to show how power interweaves with identities to produce either threats or pockets of perceived security. Therefore, African governments can pre-empt Xeno-Afro-Phobia through institutions that work against illegal immigration and corruption to prevent a clash between locals and foreigners or ‘natives and strangers an African descent. Also, Pan Africanism is not dead. However, its viability operates where Africans are threatened by a non-African identity. Hence Africans invoke the Swahili saying ‘ukuni mmoja hauwaki mekoni- (one piece of wood does not burn brightly in the kitchen) as was the case during the decolonization period.
“Ukuni Mmoja Hauwaki Mekoni”
A Swahili proverb which means one piece of wood does not burn brightly in the kitchen
Securitization of Africa has also led to radicalization of populations in Africa. The support of certain African countries is thus viewed as enmity. This has led to Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda targeting African countries to teach western states a lesson. The lesson learnt thus is, politicking issues as security have negative impacts.
Tags: 9/11, development, failed states, fragile states, international security, Kenya, securitization of Africa, security, Somalia, terrorism
Teaching Documents by Agnes W . Behr
Emergence of division of labor seems to be taking root amongst actors.
In international relations, a trans-national private-public relationship is more Prevalent (Keohane and Nye 1971; Keohane and Nye 1974).
Book Reviews by Agnes W . Behr
Historical analysis is used to look at distinctive features such as: revolutions, type of societies, type of land relationships and how differing classes of people and institutions contributed to the outcome.
Key Words: Africa, Great-powers, Russia-Africa, China-Africa, Security, France-Africa.
The chapter explores identities like Pan-Africanism, nativism, and Xeno-Afro-phobia to show Marden and Meyer’s (1968) acculturation as a shift from one identity to another. It utilizes Berry’s (1980) concept of acculturation that portrays identity as a strategy or a choice. Furthermore, identity is present to counter a threat or maximize an opportunity It invokes Foucault’s (1980) notion of power and resistance and Mamdani’s (1996, 2001) citizen and subject and beyond settler and Natives to show how power interweaves with identities to produce either threats or pockets of perceived security. Therefore, African governments can pre-empt Xeno-Afro-Phobia through institutions that work against illegal immigration and corruption to prevent a clash between locals and foreigners or ‘natives and strangers an African descent. Also, Pan Africanism is not dead. However, its viability operates where Africans are threatened by a non-African identity. Hence Africans invoke the Swahili saying ‘ukuni mmoja hauwaki mekoni- (one piece of wood does not burn brightly in the kitchen) as was the case during the decolonization period.
“Ukuni Mmoja Hauwaki Mekoni”
A Swahili proverb which means one piece of wood does not burn brightly in the kitchen
Securitization of Africa has also led to radicalization of populations in Africa. The support of certain African countries is thus viewed as enmity. This has led to Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda targeting African countries to teach western states a lesson. The lesson learnt thus is, politicking issues as security have negative impacts.
Tags: 9/11, development, failed states, fragile states, international security, Kenya, securitization of Africa, security, Somalia, terrorism
Emergence of division of labor seems to be taking root amongst actors.
In international relations, a trans-national private-public relationship is more Prevalent (Keohane and Nye 1971; Keohane and Nye 1974).
Historical analysis is used to look at distinctive features such as: revolutions, type of societies, type of land relationships and how differing classes of people and institutions contributed to the outcome.
Vivienne Jabri (2013). “Peacebuilding, the Local and the International: A Colonial or a Post-colonial Rationality?” Peacebuilding, Vol. 1, Issue 1, pp. 3-16.
having the right balance between legality, politics and a variety of policies2. Furthermore, it suggests that, the
core of the Rome Statute should be kept intact despite policy interpretations and search for justice. This implies
that, policies and other recommendations cannot compromise the core rules of the Statute. It is from this angle
that the appraisal takes place delving into the legal and the policies discussed in substantiating or controverting
the argument where applicable
IR (Whitaker and Clark 2018). Domestic politics is anything below the state, where culture and identity play a big role.
Culture and identity are key aspects of any state, as they inform the process of shaping and (re)forming the nonstatic state entity (Ylönen 2013). Given that the state is in a constant process of formation by those below it, the chapter shows the role of domestic politics through the elders’ agency. African agency is relevant today in IR as it was in the past (Chipaike and Knowledge 2018). The seeming absence of the African agency is a result of state actors’ and academics’ failure to highlight it in IR. However, this chapter shows African agency is assertive through the state, which is connected to its subtle counterpart, the eldership. Though eldership may appear passive, it does not imply irrelevancy. The study uses Whitaker and Clark’s (2018) elaboration of African agency to highlight the link between eldership and the state as an aspect of domestic politics in Africa’s IR. Furthermore,
Chipaike and Knowledge’s (2018) view on African agency elaborates on the relevance of elders. Therefore, the state is an extension of the eldership agency. After all, the state rhizome must be connected to something to survive.
Eldership is, therefore, a critical rhizome in IR in the African continent
given that peace and security inform the survival of the state. The African Union (AU) has the Panel of the Wise as one of its organs in peace and security (African Union 2015). Also, under the panel of the wise are friends of the wise. The “wise” are directly interpreted as elders in African culture. The eldership agency is replicated across all African regional bodies’ organs as a cornerstone to the stability of states in Africa. Elders hold dear the culture of a people, ensuring the continuity of their identity in observation of behaviors, practices, and myths through a brotherhood sense. Many African cultures assert the spirit of brotherhood with their neighbors and as such view borders as elastic. African state borders juxtaposed against the Westphalian notion of the state (Shaw 1986, 2008) provide room “to be and not to be” a state border simultaneously. Therefore, African borders, by their nature, are a prediction of what has now become regional bodies. Regionalism relies on the existence of state borders to curb the area under its mandate, yet one of the objectives is to de-border the defined region. The ability to allow and disallow relies on the individual jurisdiction of states
(Bradshaw 2005[AU: Add title to references]), which then define the allowance and disallowance of the flows of people, trade, and other migrations.
This chapter shows that the idea of regionalism by its very nature emanates from the African notion of borders that are present and absent, visible and invisible, yet crucial in IR...