Routledge Handbook of African Peacebuilding

So-named ‘handbooks’ have become pervasive in academia, covering many topics in multiple disciplines, and produced by numerous publishers, at expensive prices, and apparently directed at university and other library markets. There are several competitors to this handbook, each focusing on peacekeeping and peacebuilding. Nevertheless, the present work has some unique features that make it a different and welcome addition to our understanding of peace operations. First, as the title suggests, this collection has an exclusive focus on Africa rather than attempting to cover multiple regions and including case studies that reflect that geographic spread. Yet peacebuilding in Africa is virtually synonymous with peacebuilding in general. That continent has been the primary, if not almost exclusive, locus of peacebuilding efforts in the twenty-first century. Does this mean that lessons from peacebuilding in Africa are applicable elsewhere, if indeed such efforts were to occur frequently in other parts of the world? One chapter (by Laurie Nathan) directly addresses this with respect to mediation. Less directly, but equally relevant, the other chapters discuss a number of contextual factors – distinctly African – that influence peacebuilding outcomes. There are some general lessons here (for example about ignoring the local population and settings) but African-specific elements – and by implication those for any operation anywhere – are important parts of the story. Second, many handbooks are designed to provide a ‘state of the art’ to the subject matter at hand. One variation is to include essays that are synthetic reviews of the scholarly literature that provide summaries about what we know or don’t know from existing research. Others do so from the perspective of practitioners, akin to ‘lessons learned’ and authored by senior officials from various governmental and non-governmental organizations. This collection doesn’t necessarily fit either mould. Authors are researchers at universities and other institutions, but there is a stronger concern, often driven by normative issues, for practical applications that conventional scholarly reviews lack. The chapters have research bases but tend to rely, in some cases, on reports by the UN and other organization. Quantitative studies of peacekeeping and peacebuilding that have exploded in the last two decades are largely ignored here. Rather, the chapters are a series of well-argued commentaries, rather than statements about knowledge in the field. The collection includes a useful introduction by the editors, followed by 18 relatively short chapters (about 15 pages each). The chapters are placed in three sections. The first – Institutions – focuses on the UN framework for