ECOWAS Multilateral Intervention Mechanism And Its Contribution To The Regional Integration Of West Africa

Since independence,many African countries have been caught up in frequent military coups and civil wars,which have greatly hindered their socio-economic development.Against this backdrop,West African countries had established the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS)in 1975 to foster economic cooperation among themselves and to promote economic development and regional integration.The outbreak of the Liberian Civil War in 1990 served as a wake-up call for the ECOWAS countries who realized the importance of a regional security mechanism to support peaceful development,thereby encouraging the ECOWAS to evolve from a regional economic organization into one integrated regional organization encompassing political and security cooperation.Amongst the many intergovernmental organizations in Africa,the organizational structure and mechanism of the ECOWAS is rather exemplary given its achievements in developing a security mechanism.Through extensive literature analysis,this thesis reviews the trajectory of ECOWAS security mechanism since the intervention in Liberia.I argue that the security mechanism had served as an indispensable cornerstone in the ECOWAS regional integration.First of all,the conclusion of treaties and structural reforms have improved the institutionalization of the ECOWAS.Secondly,the improvement of crisis prevention and management mechanism have equipped the ECOWAS with much greater autonomy and impact in response to conflict,with the constitutional crises in Gambia and Mali having been resolved by mediation in the past five years.Last but not least,building on the cooperation on crisis management,ECOWAS countries have further expanded their security consensus onto other major areas affecting regional development,such as public health and climate change.This thesis contends that although some internal conflicts existed in the early stages of the ECOWAS’ formation,the consensus of member states on regional security and democratization have helped them break the estrangement between the Anglo-French countries and solve a number of security crises in unity.Worth mentioning is that as a regional power,Nigeria’s resource and influence have made a significant contribution to the regional integration process in West Africa.As the most important regional organization in West Africa,ECOWAS not only undertakes the responsibility of regional development,but also carves out a unique path to integration for other African regional organizations.