ABSTRACT
In his final report to the UN General Assembly on September 19, 2006,
Kofi Annan referred to three major challenges that the world faced:
‘‘the security challenge; the development challenge; and the challenge
of human rights and the rule of law.’’1 These challenges are similar to
those that the African Union and its member states face, and they call
for a creative understanding and application of globalization processes.
These issues are also a testimony to the dynamic tension between
globalization, security, and governance. Globalization is patchy in Africa, where large sections of the people
have only limited access to information and communications technol-
ogy. They also face widespread poverty, rampant corruption, random
violence, gender inequality, autocratic rule, preventable diseases,
hunger, and the lack of access to education, proper sanitary condi-
tions, and adequate shelter. These are development issues, but they
also constitute significant security and governance matters, and have
been magnified by the processes of globalization. The aforementioned problems are exacerbated by the fact that some
of the heads of state and government that comprise the AU Assembly
include dictators, who control their countries like personal fiefdoms
and have no clear plans for relinquishing power through peaceful
means. This situation runs counter to what Ben Kioko, legal advisor
to the AU, has described as ‘‘the philosophical bases for cooperation’’
in the AU. These bases require that all member states ‘‘observe certain
fundamental values and standards, including respect for human rights, democratic governance, and the condemnation of unconstitutional
changes of government.’’2
