How and why do African leaders cooperate through regional intergovernmental organizations (RIOs) to manage political and security threats? The central argument of this book is that particularly in regions prone to coups d’état and intrastate conflicts, heads of state concerned with their personal survival often treat RIOs as bases for organizing, in essence, mutual protection clubs. Heads of state adapt RIOs’ competencies in an effort to protect themselves and stabilize like-minded, cooperative leaders in their neighborhood. The mutual aid theory in this book centers on common expectations, reciprocity between leaders, and the positioning of RIOs as the international community’s designated first responders to crises. This chapter provides a summary of the argument, situates the book’s contributions to the field, and concludes with an overview of the remainder of the book.