Military Forces and Police in Dysfunctional States of Sub-Saharan Africa

Authors

  • Robert Kłosowicz Jagiellonian University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.14.2017.50.04

Keywords:

dysfunctional states, Sub-Saharan Africa, military forces, police

Abstract

Armed forces and police in dysfunctional states of Sub-Saharan Africa are usually weak, both in terms of training, discipline, equipment and morale. The army is frequently dragged into political conflicts, especially as there is a rule that who controls armed forces has power, and the loss of control of the army is tantamount to the loss of power. A similar problem concerns the police, which is even more corrupt and dependent on political influence. The police is often more preoccupied with supporting the ruling party than with protection of the public order, and citizens associate it with forcing various types of bribes. The analysis of the relation between the weak statehood challenges and the condition of the armed forces and police presented in the article is a result of the author’s long-term research on dysfunctional states in Sub-Saharan Africa, based, inter alia, on the fieldwork conducted in more than twenty African states.

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Author Biography

  • Robert Kłosowicz, Jagiellonian University

    Historian, researcher on international relations, Associate Professor at the Institute of Political Science and International Relations of the Jagiellonian University, Director of the Institute of Political Science and International Relations, Head of the Jagiellonian Research Center for African Studies, editor-in-chief of the publishing series: Studia nad Rozwojem at the Jagiellonian University Press. He specializes in research on statehood challenges, international security and armed conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa. Author of five monographs and several dozen academic articles, editor of eight collective works.

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Published

15-09-2017

How to Cite

“Military Forces and Police in Dysfunctional States of Sub-Saharan Africa”. 2017. Politeja 14 (5 (50): 99-111. https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.14.2017.50.04.

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