Researching the Inner Life of the African Peace and Security Architecture

Abstract

The editors of Researching the Inner Life of the African Peace and Security Architecture have produced an eclectic and wide-ranging book. From a study of voting record alignment at the United Nations Security Council (chapter by Engel) to discussions of feminist institutionalism (chapter by Haastrup) and informal international practices (chapter by Tieku), the book covers considerable ground, broadening thinking about the already expansive subject of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). In the thematic and authorial diversity of contributions, the book e ff ectively makes the case that APSA, although commonly conceived of as being narrowly tied to the institutions of the African Union (AU) and Africa ’ s various regional economic communities (RECs), is ‘ more than merely a legal framework … ’ (p. 4) and should rather be understood ‘ as a set of norms and practices, guided by formal and informal rules, acting as an expression of politics … ’ of both formal and informal institutions (p. 4). The ten core chapters of the book introductory and concluding chapters) the Tieku ’ s illuminating insights into ‘ inner ’ the book informal Tieku toler-ance African-led Se er