African Environmental and Human Security in the 21st Century By ...

by a practitioner turned academic. Colonel Kent Butts (retired) provides an overview of environmental security issues in Africa and how these environmental issues figure into U.S. efforts to counter jihadist terrorism on the continent. Colonel Butts discusses how cooperation over environmental and human security issues has often formed the basis for long-lasting relationships among parties who often have very different definitions and views as to priorities and meanings of “security” and “terrorism” in African countries.

The final section of this volume offers recommendations, remediation, and some concluding thoughts. In chapter 8, Elisabeth Feleke, regional program manager of the newly formed West Africa office of the U.S. government agency, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACCS), discusses several ongoing African conflicts where “greed and grievances” by locals fuel the exploitation of natural resources and violent conflicts. Feleke also offers several recommendations about what outside agencies can do to help resolve or minimize the exploitation of natural resources by participants in African conflicts. In chapter 9, Lt. Col. Brent C. Bankus [retired], affiliated with the Operations and Gaming Division of the Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College, uses examples of recent exploitation of natural resources by both combatants and some peacekeepers in his discussion of the ways that some key international organizations are involved in efforts to prevent the exploitation of people and natural resources in Africa. In chapter 10, Dr. Dan Henk, director of the Air Force Culture and Language Center at the Air War College, provides a useful overview of major trends in efforts to establish African transfrontier conservation areas before turning to a detailed analysis of the impetus, status, and problems associated with implementing a plan for the single largest “peace park” in Africa, the Kavango-Zambezi, or KAZA. Dr. Henk notes that this project, if implemented successfully, will promote human and environmental security. However, Dr. Henk also cautions that participating nation-states must be able to work out mutually agreeable mechanisms for maintaining security in the nature areas and sharing future revenues if the project is to succeed. He concludes by offering suggestions about how the United States and other outside