| dc.description.abstract | This thesis is a case study conducted through the structured focused comparison
approach. It focuses on the states of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda Tanzania and Uganda for
the period 1999-2013. The objective of the study was to examine how paradigm shifts
have shaped national and regional security strategies in the EAC Region and to assess the
role played by decision makers in the security processes. It triangulates three data
collection techniques; in-depth key informant interviews, content analysis of key
government policy documents and archival research. The study observes that research on
the subject matter of security is curtailed by bureaucratic bottlenecks and secrecy. This
limits the study techniques that can be effectively applied in deriving primary data.
The thesis contributes to academia by developing and utilizing a model of the
paradigm shift as the framework of analysis and proffers that this model can be replicated
in other studies to analyze strategy and policy processes at the national and regional
levels. The study also assesses the EAC region as an emerging regional security complex
and lays a foundation for further research on the issue, specifically on the development of
a theory that is applicable to the African regional institutions.
The thesis articulates national and regional security strategy processes in the EAC
region; it outlines the converging and divergent security interests of the respective states,
their securitizing frameworks and the multiplicity of actors who influence security
strategy. The thesis discerns various paradigmatic shifts and some continuity in the
rethinking and practice of security strategies in the region and observes that some aspects
of security strategy have survived the rigors of the paradigmatic shifts. The thesis reveals
both weakness and strengths in the securitizing frameworks of the respective states and
observes that the five states have been successful in formulating strategies at both the
national and regional levels, but there are gaps when it comes to the implementation and
coordination of these strategies.
Regarding, regional security strategy the thesis observes that a key challenge to the
EAC is the lack a regional hegemon to provide leadership in the securitizing processes of
the region. This leads to disunity in the approaches taken by each state in addressing
security issues beyond their borders, some of which directly affect the partner states and
their neighbors. The thesis also observes that the existing mistrust ad suspicion between
the five states contributes to the lack of progress in implementing a regional security
strategy. It notes that until the factors that lead to the uneasy in the relations between the
states are overcome, the problems of implementation of security strategies will persist.
The thesis proffers key issues that may constitute areas for future research; it observes
that the coordination of security strategy is the weakest link at both the national and
regional levels. There is need to further appreciate ways in which the coordination
function of security strategy can be enhanced. In addition, the thesis reveals the need to
arrive at an agreement on how to construct common threats at the regional level. This is
mainly because each state may perceive and prioritize different threats at any one given
time. This becomes one of the key challenges in conceiving and articulating a regional
security strategy. | en_US |
