Prof Theo Neethling
Photo: Johan Roux
Conflict and peacekeeping in Africa is his focus
Prof Theo Neethling introduction: video
After the Cold War, Africa earned the dubious distinction of being the world's most bloody continent, says Prof Theo Neethling, head of the Department of Political Studies and Governance and an NRF C-rated researcher. His research focuses on international peacekeeping in Africa with reference to the roles and functions of the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU).
He also focuses on the military instrument in South Africa’s foreign policy, with specific reference to post-conflict reconstruction and development in Africa.
Prof Neethling says the most pressing questions underlying his research are: “How can we explain this proliferation of armed conflicts? What caused them and what were their main characteristics? What are international organisations, such as the UN and the AU, doing to stop them, and what are the successes and failures? What more could be done to build a new institutional architecture in Africa to promote peace and security on the continent? What are South Africa’s foreign-policy role and responsibilities in this regard?”
Following Prof Neethling’s scholarly work of about 20 years on peace and security in Africa, in 2012 the Chief of the SA Army, Lieutenant-General Vusumuzi Masondo, requested him to coordinate and co-edit the book, Post-conflict reconstruction and development in Africa, which was published in 2013.
The book considers the problems around the concept of ‘post-conflict’, and the blurring of military and civilian roles, analysing the UN roles in the DRC and Sierra Leone, as well as the AU mission in Burundi. The main context of the book, however, is the South African Army’s strategy for post-conflict reconstruction and development in Africa, which has been developed with the AU’s 2006 Post-Conflict, Reconstruction, and Development Needs Assessment Guide in mind. The book also explores South Africa’s policy imperatives to integrate development projects and peace missions, involving both military and civilian organisations.
Prof Neethling is the author/co-author of more than 110 published outputs in scientific and popular scientific publications. They have been published in South Africa, Australia, Germany, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, the Russian Federation, Canada, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, the USA, the United Kingdom, and Zimbabwe.
He serves on the editorial board of Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, the Journal of Contemporary History and Military and Strategic Affairs.