Confronting the Challenges and Prospects in the Creation of a Union of African States in the 21st Century

Download or read book Confronting the Challenges and Prospects in the Creation of a Union of African States in the 21st Century written by E. Ike Udogu and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2010-02-19 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Confronting the Challenges and Prospects in the Creation of a Union of African States in the 21st Century frames the discourse around the important issue of African unification, against the backdrop of the region’s political and economic marginalization. Arguably the richest continent in the world, in terms of its abundant untapped natural resources and human capital, it still lags behind the other regions of the world developmentally. Undeniably, Africa is at the crossroads in this millennium, within the context of the powerful events and effects of the “New Globalization.” One of the central issues that academics and political actors, interested in African development, must tackle immediately is how to make the region politically and economically relevant in global affairs. These objectives could be attained through continental amalgamation. Accordingly, this book debates and suggests, inter alia, strategies that might advance Africa’s unification effort in order to provide the politico-economic clout needed to spur continental development. Further, it argues that such a Union of African States is critical for promoting the “good political life” for all Africans.