ANCIP

The sub-project „ANCIP in a multiplex world order” examines how African regional organizations, especially the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adapt their non-military conflict intervention practices in light of changing global power dynamics and an increasingly contested geopolitical environment. It specifically focuses on the perception, design, and implementation of intervention practices under African leadership. Based on the focus area of unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs), the implications of the recent shifts in the engagement of traditional partners and the increasing engagement of new partners on the handling of UCGs are examined. By mapping the strategic partnerships of AU and ECOWAS and analyzing the dynamics of non-military practices in cases of UCGs, the project illustrates how external actors are included into the preparation and implementation of non-military interventions, how internal debates about foreign policy and normative leadership develop, and whether external partners influence the practices of the regional organizations. The project contributes to a deeper understanding of how AU and ECOWAS define and adapt their non-military intervention practices in a changing geopolitical context, how external partners may shape these interventions and how African agency is sustained, limited or negotiated.