AFRICAN WARS IN THE 21ST CENTURY
African Wars in the 21st Century… is part of a broader initiative that seeks to understand and assess the effectiveness of African security frameworks and the dynamics of civil–military relations within contexts of fragility and post-conflict recovery. The workshops and resulting publications bring together scholars, policy analysts, civil society actors, and representatives of international organizations to examine the evolving landscape of security threats across the continent and to explore opportunities for African leaders to reimagine human security and stabilization strategies.
On 1–2 July 2025, more than thirty African scholars, policymakers, AU Commission staff, military professionals, and civil society leaders convened at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa for a high-level workshop co-organized by NYU’s Center for Global Affairs (CGA), the Institute for Peace and Security Studies (IPSS), and the Joint Civil-Military Interaction (JCMI) Network. The discussions focused on translating the AU’s revised Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) framework into actionable strategies that prioritize legitimacy, inclusion, and resilience. Participants explored how African-led approaches can strengthen peacebuilding, governance, and local ownership across the continent. The resulting publication has been formally submitted to the AU and will be presented during PCRD Awareness Week in November 2025.
On 14 April 2023, over twenty African scholars and security experts from around the world convened virtually at New York University to discuss and assess local and regional economic and security determinants for a more stable and prosperous Africa. The event fostered exchanges on various topics, including informal economies and their transnational characteristics, indigenous economic and security practices, ad-hoc security initiatives and their impacts on regional economic communities, as well as the increasing role of the private sector in the regionalization of conflict and security responses. The insights from this report contribute to important scholarship on innovative interdisciplinary frameworks that prioritize a human-rights based approach in shaping economic and security responses.
On 6 October 2021, New York University’s Center for the Study of Africa and the African Diaspora held a workshop titled “African Wars and its Militaries in the 21st Century: Post-COVID Emerging Trends, Challenges and Opportunities.” Participants discussed the peace and security landscape of Africa, focusing on the dynamics imposed by the pandemic on institutions, communities, and governance across the region. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Center for Global Affairs, the Center on International Cooperation, the Initiative for the Study of Emerging Threats at New York University, and the Joint Civil-Military (JCMI) Interaction Research and Education Network. The following report discusses the various presentations from each workshop session, identifying current and emerging trends, as well as opportunities for local, state, and regional stakeholders in building a stable and prosperous Africa in a post-COVID-19 world.
On February 28th, 2020, Rutgers University-Newark in New Jersey held a workshop titled “African Wars in the 21st Century: Understanding the Militarization of Politics and the Politicization of the Military in the Region.” Participants discussed the security landscape of Africa by focusing on issues of effectiveness along with performances of African armies in the context of the militarization of politics and the politicization of the military in the Lake Chad, Sahel, and the Great Lakes regions. The workshop was co-sponsored by the Center for African Studies, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, and the Division of Global Affairs at Rutgers University, the Joint Civil-Military Interaction (JCMI) Research and Education Network, and the Center for Media and Peace Initiatives. This report discusses the various presentations from each workshop session, along with the findings and gaps in the current study and practice of security assessment and analysis in the above regions.