There is a growing recognition of the critical role of security governance in advancing democratic transition in the post-conflict environment.Despite such a recognition,the security sector reform concept has overshad...There is a growing recognition of the critical role of security governance in advancing democratic transition in the post-conflict environment.Despite such a recognition,the security sector reform concept has overshadowed the importance of the overarching strategic role of security governance in transition to democracy,particularly in Africa.This paper assesses the status and challenges facing security governance and how they thwarted the efforts to furthering the democratic transition in South Sudan.The paper shows a deterioration in security,safety and security governance outcomes since the independence of South Sudan in 2011 with such a trend unlikely to be abated in the near future without strategic interventions.Some of the challenges facing security governance in South Sudan include the legacies of some historical events including the“Big Tent Policy”,absence of strategic leadership,lack of overarching policy framework,impractical and tenuous security arrangements in the 2018 peace agreement,persistent postponement of the first elections,and dysfunctional justice sector.The paper provides some strategic and operational recommendations to improve security governance and advance democratic transition in South Sudan.These recommendations include formulation of an inclusive and people-centered national security policy,rigorous judicial reform,and early political agreement on new political infrastructure if conditions for holding the first national elections are not met in 2026.展开更多
The relation between conflict and governance has been dominated by type of government rather than by system of government.With increasing conflict in countries with ethnic and religious diversity,the debate has gradua...The relation between conflict and governance has been dominated by type of government rather than by system of government.With increasing conflict in countries with ethnic and religious diversity,the debate has gradually shifted to understand better the link between conflict and system of government.There is a growing evidence that suggests federal system performs better than unitary system in managing diversity and reducing conflict.Decentralization is even seen to be more effective than federal system not only in managing diversity and reducing conflict but also in delivering public goods.This article provides an account of evolution of system of government in South Sudan.It finds a clear association of centralized unitary system with violent conflict and a relative peace during period of decentralized government or federal system.A decentralized federal system may be appropriate for South Sudan in managing diversity and mitigating conflict.Despite the popular demand by their citizens for a federal system to manage diversity and reduce violent conflict,the ruling elites in the post-independent South Sudan adopted instead an autocratic centralized unitary system that contributed among other factors to the persistent violent conflicts,erosion of social cohesion,and rising mistrust between state and citizens and between and among the communities of South Sudan.展开更多
The trajectory of democratic transition in Africa has been marred by optimism in the post-cold war period,but it has taken a new turn in recent years with surge in autocracies and a remarkable resurgence of abrupt unc...The trajectory of democratic transition in Africa has been marred by optimism in the post-cold war period,but it has taken a new turn in recent years with surge in autocracies and a remarkable resurgence of abrupt unconstitutional seizures of power in recent years in sub-Saharan Africa.This is well manifested in the Horn of Africa,as the process of democratic transition has largely retrogressed and stalled at the best,particularly in the case of South Sudan.Despite this bumpy road to democratic transition,there is a dearth of understanding of the drivers stalling democratic transition in South Sudan.This necessitates a better analysis of these drivers and to put South Sudan on a sustainable path toward democratic transition.This paper is an attempt to provide evidence-driven understanding of democratic transitions in South Sudan.The paper adopts a multidisciplinary framework of various theoretical approaches for analyzing the democratic transition in South Sudan.Based on hybrid research methods and a thorough analysis that is grounded on the political economy approach,the paper shows that the path toward democratic transitions in South Sudan has been constrained by a web of intertwined political,economic,and security challenges that inhibit the conduct of the first general elections in the youngest country of South Sudan.Some of these challenges include the fallacy of power-sharing peace agreement,kleptocratic economic governance,and politicized and ethnicitized security sector.As a microcosm of the Horn of Africa,the case study of South Sudan provides some implications and practical recommendations for governing better the democratic transitions in the region.Some of these recommendations include adoption of a realistic and regionally-centered mediation strategy,considering other options beyond power-sharing formula for managing the post-conflict political transitions,considering more credible sunset clause besides the conduct of elections for ending the political transitions,and more involvement of civil society in all phases of peace agreements,particularly the monitoring and oversight mechanisms.展开更多
文摘There is a growing recognition of the critical role of security governance in advancing democratic transition in the post-conflict environment.Despite such a recognition,the security sector reform concept has overshadowed the importance of the overarching strategic role of security governance in transition to democracy,particularly in Africa.This paper assesses the status and challenges facing security governance and how they thwarted the efforts to furthering the democratic transition in South Sudan.The paper shows a deterioration in security,safety and security governance outcomes since the independence of South Sudan in 2011 with such a trend unlikely to be abated in the near future without strategic interventions.Some of the challenges facing security governance in South Sudan include the legacies of some historical events including the“Big Tent Policy”,absence of strategic leadership,lack of overarching policy framework,impractical and tenuous security arrangements in the 2018 peace agreement,persistent postponement of the first elections,and dysfunctional justice sector.The paper provides some strategic and operational recommendations to improve security governance and advance democratic transition in South Sudan.These recommendations include formulation of an inclusive and people-centered national security policy,rigorous judicial reform,and early political agreement on new political infrastructure if conditions for holding the first national elections are not met in 2026.
文摘The relation between conflict and governance has been dominated by type of government rather than by system of government.With increasing conflict in countries with ethnic and religious diversity,the debate has gradually shifted to understand better the link between conflict and system of government.There is a growing evidence that suggests federal system performs better than unitary system in managing diversity and reducing conflict.Decentralization is even seen to be more effective than federal system not only in managing diversity and reducing conflict but also in delivering public goods.This article provides an account of evolution of system of government in South Sudan.It finds a clear association of centralized unitary system with violent conflict and a relative peace during period of decentralized government or federal system.A decentralized federal system may be appropriate for South Sudan in managing diversity and mitigating conflict.Despite the popular demand by their citizens for a federal system to manage diversity and reduce violent conflict,the ruling elites in the post-independent South Sudan adopted instead an autocratic centralized unitary system that contributed among other factors to the persistent violent conflicts,erosion of social cohesion,and rising mistrust between state and citizens and between and among the communities of South Sudan.
基金This paper is largely based on the chapter entitled“Governing Political Transition in South Sudan:The Anatomy of Elusive Quest for Democratic Transition”prepared for the Good Governance Africa-Horn of Africa(GGA-HARO)for a Book Project Entitled Governing Political Transitions in the Horn of Africa.
文摘The trajectory of democratic transition in Africa has been marred by optimism in the post-cold war period,but it has taken a new turn in recent years with surge in autocracies and a remarkable resurgence of abrupt unconstitutional seizures of power in recent years in sub-Saharan Africa.This is well manifested in the Horn of Africa,as the process of democratic transition has largely retrogressed and stalled at the best,particularly in the case of South Sudan.Despite this bumpy road to democratic transition,there is a dearth of understanding of the drivers stalling democratic transition in South Sudan.This necessitates a better analysis of these drivers and to put South Sudan on a sustainable path toward democratic transition.This paper is an attempt to provide evidence-driven understanding of democratic transitions in South Sudan.The paper adopts a multidisciplinary framework of various theoretical approaches for analyzing the democratic transition in South Sudan.Based on hybrid research methods and a thorough analysis that is grounded on the political economy approach,the paper shows that the path toward democratic transitions in South Sudan has been constrained by a web of intertwined political,economic,and security challenges that inhibit the conduct of the first general elections in the youngest country of South Sudan.Some of these challenges include the fallacy of power-sharing peace agreement,kleptocratic economic governance,and politicized and ethnicitized security sector.As a microcosm of the Horn of Africa,the case study of South Sudan provides some implications and practical recommendations for governing better the democratic transitions in the region.Some of these recommendations include adoption of a realistic and regionally-centered mediation strategy,considering other options beyond power-sharing formula for managing the post-conflict political transitions,considering more credible sunset clause besides the conduct of elections for ending the political transitions,and more involvement of civil society in all phases of peace agreements,particularly the monitoring and oversight mechanisms.
