The subject of revolutionary overthrow of constitutional orders in Africa is at the intersection of three disciplines: jurisprudence and legal philosophy, constitutional law and power politics, and civil-military relations, that is, military security policy which is one aspect of national security policy. The subject is of interest in at least four ways. It problematizes the inescapable question of governance in the African continent. It challenges the democratization agenda in Africa how does one democratize not only political governance but also the instruments of violence in the state? It also challenges African constitutional lawyers and policy makers to seek a constitutional model that addresses the enduring menace of the power of the gun in African affairs and the changing role of the military in African politics. Finally, it underscores concerns about sovereignty and national security. This book contributes to a fuller understanding of the coup syndrome in African. To this end, it vigorously interrogates the place of coups in the governance of Africa, and explores the relevance of Kelsens theory of revolutionary legality in the context of coup dtats in Africa. It is a major contribution by a leading thinker in the field.
The subject of revolutionary overthrow of constitutional orders in Africa is at the intersection of three disciplines: jurisprudence and legal philosophy, constitutional law and power politics, and civil-military relations, that is, military security policy which is one aspect of national security policy. The subject is of interest in at least four ways. It problematizes the inescapable question of governance in the African continent. It challenges the democratization agenda in Africa - how does one democratize not only political governance but also the instruments of violence in the state? It also challenges African constitutional lawyers and policy makers to seek a constitutional model that addresses the enduring menace of the power of the gun in African affairs and the changing role of the military in African politics. Finally, it underscores concerns about sovereignty and national security. This book contributes to a fuller understanding of the coup syndrome in African. To this end, it vigorously interrogates the place of coups in the governance of Africa, and explores the relevance of Kelsen's theory of revolutionary legality in the context of coup d'états in Africa. It is a major contribution by a leading thinker in the field.
A robust defense of democratic populism by one of America’s most renowned and controversial constitutional scholars—the award-winning author of We the People. Populism is a threat to the democratic world, fuel for demagogues and reactionary crowds—or so its critics would have us believe. But in his award-winning trilogy We the People, Bruce Ackerman showed that Americans have repeatedly rejected this view. Now he draws on a quarter century of scholarship in this essential and surprising inquiry into the origins, successes, and threats to revolutionary constitutionalism around the world. He takes us to India, South Africa, Italy, France, Poland, Burma, Israel, and Iran and provides a blow-by-blow account of the tribulations that confronted popular movements in their insurgent campaigns for constitutional democracy. Despite their many differences, populist leaders such as Nehru, Mandela, and de Gaulle encountered similar dilemmas at critical turning points, and each managed something overlooked but essential. Rather than deploy their charismatic leadership to retain power, they instead used it to confer legitimacy to the citizens and institutions of constitutional democracy. Ackerman returns to the United States in his last chapter to provide new insights into the Founders’ acts of constitutional statesmanship as they met very similar challenges to those confronting populist leaders today. In the age of Trump, the democratic system of checks and balances will not survive unless ordinary citizens rally to its defense. Revolutionary Constitutions shows how activists can learn from their predecessors’ successes and profit from their mistakes, and sets up Ackerman’s next volume, which will address how elites and insiders co-opt and destroy the momentum of revolutionary movements.
The author shows the role played by Western governments and intelligence agencies in overthrowing Ghana's first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. They worked together to weaken and undermine his government, and they facilitated the military coup which ended his rule. He has used declassified material including interviews with former American ambassadors to Ghana, as well as other sources, to document his study. He contends that the Ghanaian army and police officers who overthrew Nkrumah may not have succeeded, when they did, in ousting Nkrumah had Western powers, especially the United States, not been involved in the plot to oust him. They participated in planning the coup. But he also concedes that it is possible the Ghanaian coup makers would have, on their own, succeeded later in overthrowing Nkrumah. Major Akwasi Afrifa, one of the leaders of the February 1966 coup in which Nkrumah was ousted, planned twice – in 1962 and in 1964 – to overthrow Nkrumah but the plots were discovered by the security forces before they could be carried out. The author acknowledges that Nkrumah had enemies within and faced strong opposition to his rule. But he also contends that there was a concerted effort by Western powers, especially the United States, to overthrow Nkrumah that should not be overlooked when examining his downfall. They worked in collusion with his enemies within. But even if Nkrumah did not have enemies in Ghana, the United States and other Western powers still would have worked on plans to get rid of him because he was considered to be a threat to American and Western interests in Africa. The book includes photos. His forthcoming book, “Ghana after Nkrumah,” complements this work.
This timely book is a crucial resource on the rich diversity of African constitutional law, making a significant contribution to the increasingly important field of comparative constitutional law from a historically understudied region. Offering an examination of substantive topics from multiple jurisdictions, it emphasises issues of local importance while also providing varied perspectives on common challenges across the continent.
Americans hate bureaucracy—though they love the services it provides—and demand that government run like a business. Hence today’s privatization revolution. Jon Michaels shows how the fusion of politics and profits commercializes government and consolidates state power in ways the Constitution’s framers endeavored to disaggregate.
In this enlightening book, John Mukum Mbaku analyses the main challenges of constitutional design and the construction of governance institutions in Africa today. He argues that the central issues are: providing each country with a constitutional order that is capable of successfully managing sectarian conflict and enhancing peaceful coexistence; protecting the rights of citizens ? including those of minorities; minimizing the monopolization of political space by the majority (to the detriment of minorities); and, effectively preventing government impunity. Mbaku offers a comprehensive analysis of various approaches to the management of diversity, and shows how these approaches can inform Africa?s struggle to promote peace and good governance. He explores in depth the existence of dysfunctional and anachronistic laws and institutions inherited from the colonial state, and the process through which laws and institutions are formulated or constructed, adopted, and amended. A close look at the constitutional experiences of the American Republic provides important lessons for constitutional design and constitutionalism in Africa. Additionally, comparative politics and comparative constitutional law also provide important lessons for the management of diversity in African countries. Mbaku recommends state reconstruction through constitutional design as a way for each African country to provide itself with laws and institutions that reflect the realities of each country, including the necessary mechanisms and tools for the protection of the rights of minorities. From students and scholars to NGOs, lawyers and policymakers, this unique and judicious book is an essential tool for all those seeking to understand and improve governance and development in Africa.
This book adopts a holistic approach to identifying what could be done to surmount the corruption conundrum in the African continent. It acknowledges the objective reality of corruption in Africa, and identifies primary solutions to the issue. The volume takes a socio-legal approach in order to reveal the nature and extent of corruption, and suggests that solutions can be found simply by interrogating how society reacts to it. In conjunction with this, the book identifies and critiques constraints in the formation of a definitive definition of corruption. As shown here, although it is critical for African states to develop anti-corruption strategies, the solution to the problem requires an understanding of the significance of political will, and how the lack thereof has led to the endurance of corruption in Africa.
African Human Rights Yearbook / Annuaire africain des droits de l’homme 2 (2018) 2018 ISSN: 2523-1367 Pages: 521 Print version: Available Electronic version: Free PDF available About the publication The three institutions making up the African regional human rights system, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, decided to jointly publish the African Human Rights Yearbook, to spearhead studies on the promotion and protection of human rights, and to provide a forum for constructive engagement about the African human rights system with academics and other human rights commentators on the continent. Volume 2 of the Yearbook, published in 2018, contains 21 contributions by scholars from Africa and beyond. Les trois institutions qui composent le système régional africain des droits de l’homme, la Cour africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples, la Commission africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples et le Comité africain d’experts sur les droits et le bien-être de l’enfant ont décidé de publier conjointement l’Annuaire africain des droits de l’homme pour encourager les études sur la promotion et la protection des droits de l’homme et offrir un forum d’interaction constructive sur le système avec les universitaires et observateurs du continent. Le Volume 2 de l’Annuaire, publié en 2018, contient 21 contributions de chercheurs du continent et d’ailleurs. Table of Contents ARTICLES FOCUSED ON ASPECTS OF THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SYSTEM AND AFRICAN UNION HUMAN RIGHTS NORMS ARTICLES PORTANT SUR LES ASPECTS DU SYSTEME AFRICAIN DES DROITS DE L’HOMME ET LES NORMES DES DROITS DE L’HOMME DE L’UNION AFRICAINE Le système africain de protection des droits de l’homme et le droit international humanitaire Abelungu, Junior Mumbala & Cirimwami, Ezéchiel Amani Les grands silences jurisprudentiels de la Cour africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples Adjolohoun, Sègnonna Horace The normative power of the right to self-determination under the African Charter and the principle of territorial integrity: competing values of human dignity and system stability Anyangwe, Carlson Perspective d’une fusion entre la Commission et la Cour africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples: quel scenario possible pour une unification du contentieux régional africain des droits de l’homme? Badugue, Patrick The application of African Union (human rights) law in Uganda: trends and prospects from a comparative review Kabumba, Busingye Signs of triumph, trial and tribulation: reflections on the domestication and implementation of article 9 of the Women’s Rights Protocol in Namibia Kariseb, Kennedy L’exercice de la compétence contentieuse de la Cour africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples à l’épreuve de la souveraineté des États Kéké, Sakré La déclaration de l’article 34(6) du Protocole de Ouagadougou dans le système africain des droits de l’homme: entre régressions continentales et progressions régionales Kemkeng, Carole Valérie Nouazi Follow-up as a ‘choice-less choice’: towards improving the implementation of decisions on communications of the African Children’s Committee Mezmur, Benyam Dawit & Kahbila, Mbuton Ulrike The interpretation of the right to mental health in the Africa and American systems Wachira, Miriam & Cassell, Doug Assessing Rwexit: the impact and implications of Rwanda’s withdrawal of its article 34(6) declaration before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights Windridge, Oliver Le mécanisme de garantie des droits de l’homme de la CEDEAO: entre emprunt et appropriation des instruments du système continental Yougbaré, Robert Human rights in the African Union decision-making processes: an inside view of states’ reaction to the Activity Reports of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Zewudie, Tilahun Adamu SPECIAL FOCUS ON THE AFRICAN UNIONS’ THEME FOR 2018: THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION FOCUS SPECIAL SUR LE THEME DE L’UNION AFRICAINE POUR L’ANNEE 2018: LA LUTTE CONTRE LA CORRUPTION Combating corruption-related illicit financial flows from Africa: legal approaches and challenges Duri, Jorum L’hydre de la corruption dans les relations euro-africaines Hassan, Adam Abdou Corruption and the right to vote in free and fair elections in Africa: is the will of the people on auction? Murimi, Edward Kahuthia & Kinyunyu, Selemani CASE COMMENTARIES COMMENTAIRES DE DECISIONS The (un)willingness to implement the recommendations of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights: revisiting the Endorois and the Mamboleo decisions Inman, Derek; Smis, Stefaan; Cirimwami, Ezéchiel Amani & Bahalaokwibuye, Christian Bahati Will Konaté set African journalists free? Interrogating the promises of an emerging press freedom jurisprudence in African regional courts Jansen Reventlow, Nani & Adjolohoun, Ségnonna Horace Genocide denial and freedom of political expression in the Ingabire case Khamala, Charles A Inclusive dialogue, freedom of speech in Rwanda and the milestone decision of the African Court in the matter of Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza v Republic of Rwanda Namwase, Sylvie La première décision au fond de la Cour africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples: l’affaire Yogogombaye c. Sénégal (15 décembre 2009) Tchikaya, Blaise
