Preventive Diplomacy in the Horn of Africa Region

• Martin Ouma

  University of Nairobi

  Author

• Peterlinus Odote

  National Defence University - Kenya

  Author

Due to globalization, security concerns are more complex and linked than ever before, necessitating a more active diplomatic involvement. The paper is discussed using the lenses of Buzan and Ole Waever’s Regional Security Complex theory (RSCT), which has been rightly applicable for this study in explaining the paradigm shift from the initial realities of the Cold War era when regional arrangements of the Horn of Africa were largely explained by the offensive theoretical perspective. The study posits that the adjustment and adaptation have been occasioned by the emerging security concerns. The study uses a desktop review approach to examine key areas like the strategic interests, geopolitics, and insecurity in the Horn of Africa region, as well as the conceptual and analytical framework of preventive diplomacy and the justification for its use in the Horn of Africa region. It also examines preventive diplomacy and regional and subregional security partnerships in the Horn of Africa area. This study concludes that preventive diplomacy is carried out by numerous actors using a variety of tools. This has been achieved as a result of the development of a normative framework that supports global initiatives to avert violent insecurity concerns in the region. The study recommends that the international community should endeavor to support and increase states’ capacity in the region to handle the full range of security concerns. 

1. Martin Ouma, University of Nairobi

   Dr. Martin is a senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi, Department of Diplomacy and International Studies (IDIS). Dr. Ouma is also an instructor at National Defense University, Kenya. He is a holder of a PhD in peace and conflict studies and a distinguished scholar with wide experience in academia (university teaching and research) at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels. His key thematic areas of teaching and competency include international studies with a specialty in international security, strategic studies, diplomacy, and academic research, areas under which he has taught, mentored, and supervised several PhD, Masters, Post Graduate Diploma and undergraduate students in different universities and institutions of higher learning. As a researcher, conference speaker, and international security expert, Dr. Ouma has also been involved in several consultancy works and research projects both in Kenya and in other parts of the world.

2. Peterlinus Odote, National Defence University - Kenya

   The author is a multi-skilled professional with a strong academic record and experience who has been successful in research, teaching, and community service. He is a senior lecturer in the subject areas of International Relations, Diplomacy, Conflict and Peace and Security Studies at the National Defence University- Kenya (NDU-K). He is currently the head of programme at the Joint Command and Staff College (JCSC). Prior to this, he taught at Hekima University College, the University of Nairobi, and Tangaza University College. Dr. Odote also served as the Director Horn of Africa Region at the Shalom Centre for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation (SCCRR). He has published in a number of referred journals on wider areas of international relations, diplomacy, conflict, and Peace and security studies. He holds a PhD in Diplomacy and International Studies, a Master’s degree in Peace Studies and International Relations, and a Bachelor of arts degree in Philosophy and Education.

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