Assessing policy responses of African states and international actors on the threats of transnational terrorism to Africa's security and stability : a case study of Kenya.

Abstract

Contemporary global state of affairs is faced with one of the most malicious phenomenon’s that has evolved over time but at a pace incomparable to its present outlook. Transnational terrorism and the war against it have come to define the age in which we live. The threat of terrorist attacks and the measures taken by governments around the world to prevent such atrocities are now part of our daily lives. Terrorism has been occurring for many centuries, however the twenty first century has witnessed the most brutal and deadliest acts of transnational terrorism ever recorded in history. Transnational terrorism is affecting all corners of the world and hardly a day passes without any acts of terrorism being reported in the media, from the United States of America to Australia, from Kenya to France, from Indonesia to Afghanistan and from the Middle East to West Africa. Terrorism is everywhere and it seeks to redefine the international state system, the legitimacy of sovereign states to protect their citizens and to introduce new legal norms governing the behavior of states. In Africa terrorism is a recently new phenomenon but it has made it existence felt on the security and stability of the continent, owing largely to other pressing factors that when combined threatens the security and stability of Africa, thus making it difficult for the continent to develop and advance its socio-economic and political objectives. Africa has witnessed some of the most horrifying acts of transnational terrorism from the Boko Haram attacks in northern Nigeria, Chad and Cameroun to Al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya. Also from al-Qaeda attacks in Somalia to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) attacks in Tunisia. Africa’s security and stability are being seriously threatened by transnational terrorism and collective policy responses from all levels of analysis by all actors of international politics appears the only remedy against this phenomenon. With this in mind, this study seeks to examine the historical evolution of transnational terrorism in Africa. It also tries to assess the causes and policy responses made by both African and international state and non-state actors against the menace of transnational terrorism. The research uses Kenya as a case study to provide an in-depth analysis of the threat and collective policy responses to transnational terrorism. Finally, it assesses the implications of transnational terrorism on Africa’s security and stability and concludes with recommendations on how to collectively combat transnational terrorism.