Governance as Conflict Management: Politics and Violence in West Africa

Africa is known as a continent of conflict. Entire regions have been caught up in violent conflicts that have sometimes resulted in state collapse. Yet during its nearly four decades of independence, West Africa has known comparatively little violent conflict and has had diverse experiences in managing the conflicts of demand-bearing groups.
As this book demonstrates, governance is conflict management. Governments are needed to handle the conflicting demands posed by groups in society and to...