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AEGIS European Conference on African Studies
11 - 14 July 2007
African Studies Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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War and State formation:Outcomes of an interstate war in the Post- Cold War era:Ethiopia and Eritrea (1998-2000)
| Panel |
10. Theorizing African State Trajectories
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| Paper ID | 23 |
| Author(s) |
Dias, Alexandra Magnolia
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| Paper |
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| Abstract | In this paper we will argue that the relationship between war and the process of state formation is central to the understanding of contemporary processes of state building. From this it will not necessarily follow that Tilly’ s axiom that ‘war makes states’ will inevitably apply to the African context, or to other cases of state building in the contemporary developing world. It should be noted that when it comes to establishing a relationship between war and the process of state formation nowhere does Charles Tilly mention that the process is universal.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the available evidence on the 1998- 2000 war and reflect on whether it has led to one outcome or the other. As the evidence collected will show there are no straightforward answers. What we can see in the short term is the simultaneity of both tendencies in the same case, i.e., we can identify war induced elements that lead both to state consolidation and to state disintegration. Indeed, the case study seems to challenge the positive relationship between war making and state making.
The theoretical value of the case- study is further enhanced by its unique applicability to test the relationship between interstate war and state formation. The case study will test J. Herbst’s thesis that the state in Africa is weak because of the relatively low incidence of interstate war.
In contradistinction to what Herbst seems to suggest, the weakness of the state in Africa cannot be solely explained on the basis of the absence of interstate war . In this case we are faced with this type of war. This paper will argue that the outcome, far from being positive, has been further disruptive to the process. In the short term the war has led to the opposite outcome. In its aftermath internal opposition to the governments increased and in Ethiopia’s case was maintained fuelling, indirectly, further loci and support to opposition groups to the EPRDF- TPLF( both non- state armed groups and political parties).
As Dominique Jacquin- Berdal reminds us:
‘as history reveals, war is only one of the factors , and not always a necessary one for that matter, that facilitate the process of state making. More important is the extent to which the state and its representatives are perceived as legitimate by the people concerned’ .
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