African Security ISSN: 1939-2206 (Print) 1939-2214 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uafs20 The African Peace and Security Architecture, Nonscience of Electoral Prophetism, Farmer-herder Conflicts, and Ungoverned Spaces Temitope B. Oriola & W. Andy Knight To cite this article: Temitope B. Oriola & W. Andy Knight (2020) The African Peace and Security Architecture, Non-science of Electoral Prophetism, Farmer-herder Conflicts, and Ungoverned Spaces, African Security, 13:1, 1-2, DOI: 10.1080/19392206.2020.1745373 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/19392206.2020.1745373 Published online: 24 Mar 2020. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 92 View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=uafs20 AFRICAN SECURITY 2020, VOL. 13, NO. 1, 1–2 https://doi.org/10.1080/19392206.2020.1745373 EDITORIAL The African Peace and Security Architecture, Non-science of Electoral Prophetism, Farmer-herder Conflicts, and Ungoverned Spaces This issue of African Security begins with John J. Hogan’s observations and analysis of the negotiation that resulted in the establishment of one of the central pillars of the African Union. After sketching out the traditional approaches to the field of the negotiation process, the author challenges both the bargaining and problem-solving schools of thought that assume that the international negotiation process is one dominated by “rational actors.” That assumption is normally held by researchers in the fields of economics and cognitive science. Instead, the author applies a social contextualist lens to analyze the negotiations held to decide on the form and function of the framework of structures, objectives, principles, and decision-making procedures which make up the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). By utilizing an analytical framework that is seldom used by scholars, Hogan succeeds in shedding new light on a relatively unexamined set of negotiations held with only African governments at the table. Examining the social context within which international negotiations take place allows the reader to get a sense of the extent to which actors involved in negotiation are inherently social decision-makers who are susceptible to the influence of their context and organizational environment. Hogan’s alternative lens holds the promise of explaining non-rational negotiation outcomes that may not necessarily be accounted for when the problem-solving or bargaining lens is utilized. The important contribution of Hogan’s work in this volume is that it pulls back the curtain on a process of negotiations leading to the establishment of an Africa security mechanism that has hitherto received very little attention in the scholarly literature, while concurrently challenging traditional theoretical approaches to international negotiations developed outside the African context. Shedding light on a largely unexamined area of an African security challenge is also the goal of the authors of the second article in this volume. Predictions and variegated permutations regarding probable results of elections are common in many democracies. Statistical tools with varying degrees of sophistication and accuracy have been developed over time to suggest likely outcomes of elections. These arguably science-driven predictions in turn shape public opinion and mood. The predictions are sometimes off the mark even in advanced democracies. Consider that Hillary Clinton ought to have won the 2016 presidential elections if the majority of U.S. polls were correct in that election. What happens when the number crunchers and data junkies are replaced by persons who are purportedly preternaturally inspired, i.e. self-declared vicars of the JudeoChristian God? How do predictions of electoral outcomes by prophets and pastors contribute to national security challenges? The second paper in this issue “Pentecostalism, Electoral Prophetism and National Security Challenges in Nigeria” focuses on the problematic of “divine revelations” or non-evidence-based predictions in Nigeria’s political process. This is fascinating given the background of religious acrimony particularly between Christians and Muslims, the phenomenal growth of © 2020 Taylor & Francis 2 EDITORIAL Pentecostalism, expanding involvement and influence of the (Pentecostal) church in politics and increased symbolism of Big Pastors or “God’s Generals.” Afamefune Patrick Ikem, Confidence N. Ogbonna & Olusola Ogunnubi argue that electoral prophetism in Nigeria has implications for national security – it is characterized by primordial sentiments and hate-speech. The transhistorical farmer-herder conflict in Africa continues to generate serious scholarly concerns. But few scholars have taken the approach to this issue that the next author has embraced. In “Constructing the Herder–Farmer Conflict as (in) Security in Nigeria,” Kodili Henry Chukwuma departs from the established framework of national security to interrogate the construction, framing, and representation of herder-farmer conflicts. This is an intrinsically interesting piece: The co-creation and depiction of insecurity through language and discourses by a seemingly disparate constellation of actors, and privileging of certain perspectives. Drawing on a critical constructivist approach, Chukwuma problematizes the deployment of discourses of “securitization,” “Fulanisation,” and “sedentarisation” as socially situated ways of framing conflicts between herders and farmers and unpacks the inherent fluidity, slipperiness, and contentiousness. The gradual collapse of security in Nigeria, in general, and Northern Nigeria, in particular, continues to be a major focus of a growing number of submissions to African Security. The final paper in this issue, “Governing ‘Ungoverned Spaces’ in the Foliage of Conspiracy: Toward (Re)ordering Terrorism, from Boko Haram Insurgency, Fulani Militancy to Banditry in Northern Nigeria” interrogates a largely overlooked theme – the role of “ungoverned spaces” in the security issues in Northern Nigeria. John Sunday Ojo argues that the lack of state presence – in relation to governance and surveillance architecture – has led to the ascendance of unfettered religious zealotry, warlordism, selfdefense entities, and other situational inventions. The analysis fosters understanding of Nigeria’s multifaceted security challenges. The papers in this issue of African Security provide a fresh, and alternate, perspective on four important themes that are of interest to scholars and observers not only from Africa but also from around the globe. Temitope B. Oriola University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada oriola@ualberta.ca W. Andy Knight University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada