ABSTRACT
The actualities of African state and non-state foreign policy, international relations and political economy are in great flux as both global and local contexts continue to evolve. Neither analyses nor policies towards them have kept pace with the actual shifts in the relationships among states, companies and civil societies. Such trilateral relations can lead backwards towards authoritarian or anarchic regimes as well as forwards towards peacekeeping and peacebuilding let alone human security or development, as suggested by sub-regional peace initiatives. For security or strategic studies, the growing focus on the political economy of violence has profound implications that leads away from national towards human security, but also towards the analysis of novel issues and coalitions. Some of these are related to Africa's current concerns such as HIV/AIDS, land-mines and other small arms, migrations, track-two diplomacy, demilitarization, demobilization, while others are somewhat longer-term, such as ecological sustainability, viruses, even postconflict redevelopment.
