Dr. Michael Nwankpa
Executive Director, Centre for African Conflict & Development
Chief Consultant, Ultimate Success Consult Ltd
Dr Michael Nwankpa is the Founding Director / Director of Research at the Centre for African Conflict and Development in London. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Roehampton. His main research area is the nexus between conflict and development, including the concept of a human rights-based approach to development. His other research interests relate to counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, foreign and security policy, and African security.
How do you see the relationship between human security and counterterrorism strategies in conflict-prone regions?
In the last 30 years or so, but since the end of the Cold War, we have experienced a paradigmatic shift in security and/or development intervention orientation with human, rather than state security becoming the focal point. What this simply means is that the security and rights (including economic and social) of an individual are prioritised over those of the state. More so, when a state fails to perform its primary duty of guaranteeing the security of its people, and particularly when the state is complicit in terrorising the people, the international community of states has the responsibility to protect the people within that state. But since 9/11, a militarised approach that is based on a ‘war on terror’ mantra has complicated the situation.  The war on terror approach puts the state back at the centre of security. It allows a state or states fighting terrorism to deploy force (and excessive force most times) which often means suspension of human rights (and by extension, human security), but perhaps more important is the denial of any legitimate concerns and grievances that the target group and their constituencies may have. Some have argued that the concept of human security is vague, and state security remains primary all along.
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In what ways can youth development initiatives contribute to both security and development in areas affected by terrorism?
To answer this question, I will focus on Africa, and this is for two reasons. One, there is a prevalence of conflict in Africa. Africa, before 9/11 was seen more as providing a haven for transnational terrorist organisations. The perceived destitution and ‘fragile’ state systems made Africa vulnerable to terrorist penetration. However, since the decline of ISIS in Europe and the Middle East, Africa has become the new frontier for terrorism. Africa, from the East and Horn (Somalia, Uganda, DRC), to North (Algeria) and the Sahel region (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria), is battling with a plethora of home-grown and ISIS- and al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organisations. Two, Africa has the youngest youth population in the world with more than 400 million people aged between 15- and 35-years old accounting for about 22 percent of the world’s youth population. Although the continent is ruled largely by old people, some whom have held office for decades, there is a remarkable growing youth voice. The continent’s youth are becoming more politically conscious, establishing initiatives geared towards solving some of the pressing challenges (food insecurity, climate change, conflict, peacebuilding, etc) that the continent faces. The emergence of Bassirou Diomaye Faye (44 years old) as the President of Senegal is a positive signal. I believe that terrorism will decline with more youth engagement in critical areas such as security and development.
How can a human security approach help resolve conflicts more effectively than traditional state-centered security measures?
A human security approach emphasises a non-kinetic response to conflict. It considers political solutions and other approaches that deal with underlying issues and root causes behind conflict. It provides opportunity for government and other stakeholders to consider the environment (political, economic, social, cultural and environmental) of the conflict. As such, it presents a multi-layered and multi-dimensional understanding and response to the conflict. On the other hand, a state-centred security measure is usually limited and overly reliant on the use of force. Not only does the state-centric approach to conflict resolution downgrade legitimate claims and grievances that the target group may express, but it also has a high proclivity towards abuse of force that can potentially escalate the conflict. Therefore, a human security approach is more effective than a state-centred response to conflict as it has the potential to create a more lasting solution to the conflict.
What role do development policies play in addressing the root causes of terrorism, and how can they be more aligned with human security needs?
Human security is often intricately linked to human development. Human development often involves improving the material condition of the people-thereby removing the incentive for joining terrorist group or denying a terrorist group the power to recruit from a mass of poor and neglected people. The relationship between security and development is complicated. Those that support a securitised or militarised approach, often argue that you need security before development; while those that support a development approach posit that more development will guarantee security. What is undeniable is that solving people’s social, economic, political and cultural needs can remove the conditions that terrorist groups can and often manipulate to justify their campaign of terror. In this sense, a robust development policy or policies can be a useful response to the threat of terrorism.
How does addressing youth grievances through conflict resolution impact long-term human security in volatile regions?
Many people that engage in conflict are often youths. While there may be conflict in rich countries which may be unrelated to poverty and underdevelopment, in many volatile regions of the world, especially in Africa there is often poor governance and neglect. Other factors include ethno-religious, natural resources, political exclusion and elite competition and corruption. For long-term human security and peace in these regions, these issues will have to be addressed.
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