'Demilitarism' or 'Anti-Neo-Militarism' : Implication for Africa's Political Economy in the Year 2000 and Beyond.

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Date
1999-09-28
Authors
Ogbinaka, O.M
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Abstract
Domination is the word that best qualifies the political economy of the African State for much of this fading 20th century. Its effect manifests in the morbid poverty and underdevelopment of Africa and its people. Four agents (the slave trade,apartheid and militarism) accounted for this situation. Arguably, the first three are no more visibly present in the African socio-political scene .We may only talk of the vestiges of their influence. But militarism is not only definitely still in Africa, it will dysfunctionally follow her to the next millennium. The paper sets out to show why demilitarization and anti-neo-militarist programmes remain good safeguards for the attainment of a stable political economy in Africa. Since the military presence in Africa's political scene can be shown to be a form of dominance fostered on Africa internally and externally, over the majority by a few due to their vested interests. Militarism has stifled self-reliancism, growth and democratic development in Africa. The paper therefore argues that a conscious project of "demilitarization" and/or "anti-nee-militarism" ought to be a minimum requirement to forestall the dysfunctional effects (especially when properly set against the backdrop of the crisis of legitimation, economic backwardness, and political underdevelopment and instability) it has brought on Africa. The point ought to be emphasised that much of governance in Nigeria since 1960 of its independence had been under the control of the military. This has made the military institution the most visible and powerful political and economic class; with all the attendant consequences of the latter. Unfortunately, the military in Nigeria is itself a product of the colonial system. So this paper, irrespective of all its philosophical imputations, has its root in the political history of Nigeria, especially its pre-independence to post independence history.
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Keywords
Political economy , Militarism , Independence , Democracy
Citation
Ogbinaka, O.M (1999) 'Demilitarism' or 'Anti-Neo-Militarism' : Implication for Africa's Political Economy in the Year 2000 and Beyond. Being the text of a Paper Presented at the 8th Conference Africanists, an International Conference on "Africa at the Threshold of the New Millennium ", organized by the Institute for African Studies, between September 28-30, 1999 in Moscow, Russia.