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North Africa: Can Common Security Challenges Promote Regional Integration?

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Abstract

North African countries have been facing ever-increasing security challenges, especially after the popular uprisings since 2010. This chapter argues that in spite of these challenges, the region still lacks the necessary conditions to strengthen security and developmental interdependence compared to other parts of the continent. Using the Regional Security Complexes (RSCs) theory, it illustrates that the states in the region are cooperating with international powers that are eager to intervene directly to manage conflicts in North Africa, rather than to delegate the responsibility of this management to regional powers. There is also no single regional hegemon, or a group of states, that are ready to lead the process of transforming regional organizations, carry a disproportionate share of maintaining them, and work to achieve regional consensus. Resolving the historical tensions between Morocco and Algeria, investing in a sub-regional organization that could provide a framework for security and economic cooperation, and supporting building state institutions in Libya are key to fostering security and developmental integration in the region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Orman, Giza, Egypt

    Rawia Tawfik

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  1. Rawia Tawfik
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Adebusuyi Adeniran

  2. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

    Lanre Ikuteyijo

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Tawfik, R. (2018). North Africa: Can Common Security Challenges Promote Regional Integration?. In: Adeniran, A., Ikuteyijo, L. (eds) Africa Now! . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62443-3_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62443-3_13

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62442-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62443-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

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