In The Politics of Peacemaking in Africa, Babatunde Tolu Afolabi adds to a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics that have contributed to the ending of the Liberian civil war by focusing on two groups of non-state, non-armed actors: religious groups and the diaspora. This study is a welcome and much-needed addition to existing studies that have emphasized the efforts of international organizations, such as the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in the peace process. The book stands out for its extensive empirical data drawn from a broad range of interviews, including with church leaders, retired military generals, prominent activists, the leadership of diaspora organizations, ambassadors, former rebels and former heads of state. While focused on Liberia, Afolabi draws parallels with his findings from other conflict resolutions, both in and beyond the African continent.
The book is divided into five chapters along with an introductions and conclusion. The first chapter establishes the theoretical and conceptual framework, focusing mostly on debates around civil society in African countries and theories of liberal peace. The second chapter charts a general history of Liberia from 1822 to the later stages of Samuel Doe's presidency. The following chapter then covers the outbreak of the civil war in 1989 and follows it to its conclusion in 2003. While necessary to set the stage for the more detailed discussion of conflict resolution that follows, those familiar with Liberian history or the civil war will find little new in these chapters. However, they could serve as a concise summary for readers, especially students, who are not acquainted with the region.
The most important contributions of Afolabi's book come in the second half, particularly Chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 4 examines how religious actors contributed to the peace process and also explores the contemporary history of Christianity and Islam in Liberia. Afolabi convincingly documents the shift from a close relationship between Christian churches and the government under President Tubman to an increasingly critical and more vocal church role towards Doe, ultimately contributing to the creation of church councils, which played leading roles in the conflict-mediation processes decades later. Given the dominance of Christianity in Liberia, most attention is placed on the role of Christian religious groups. Still, Islamic groups and their leadership are not neglected.
The latter part of the fourth chapter describes the assorted roles played by religious groups during the peace process, including in mediation and as advisers and watchdogs. While the contributions of the various religious organizations are assessed as positive, Afolabi also highlights internal divisions within the Interfaith Mediation Committee and limitations to their efforts. At the end of this chapter, the author introduces a thought-provoking discussion about the relationship between women's organizations and religious organizations with regard to each's effort to contribute to the peace process. Unfortunately, this potentially promising line of argumentation is left underdeveloped.
While the actions of various religious organizations during the civil war and the peace process are portrayed as cohesive and consistent overall, the role of the diaspora as presented in Chapter 5 is much more complex. Given Liberia's unique history with the US, this discussion of the role of the Liberian diaspora during the war and at its conclusion is a particularly important aspect in providing a holistic picture of the conflict. Afolabi argues that there were six waves of migration from Liberia to the US and links these waves to political events in Liberia, which often spurred particular ethnic groups to migrate. As such, he shows the diversity within the US-based diaspora, which has been a factor in varying loyalties and motivations within the community of Liberians abroad.
An analysis of the Union of Liberian Associations in the Americas (ULAA) is the main lens used to explore diaspora involvement in Liberia's peace process. This umbrella organization represents the interests of Liberians in the diaspora and was recognized as a stakeholder in the conflict resolution efforts, yet the author shows the highly divergent views within its membership. The ULAA included prominent individuals who were directly engaged in the peace process as well as others who supported or were sympathetic to one side of the warring factions. The sections on the ULAA are among the most detailed in the book: beyond exploring its role in the conflict, Afolabi also looks at the group's origins, charts its leadership, their ethnicity and counties of origin, and details points of infighting within the group. While some may get lost in these details, anyone with a particular interest in diaspora organizations would find these specifics of value for research.
With increased international attention on the ways to reduce conflict, particularly terrorism, Afolabi's work provides an important contribution to further understanding the need to include non-state and non-armed actors in peace processes.
