African crisis response initiative and the new African security (dis)order

This article examines the role of the US in post-cold war West African security issues. It analyses the impact of the ACRI and the reactions from the continent—from the OAU, ECOWAS and influential countries like Nigeria—given the efforts being made by African governments to grapple with their own security concerns. It concludes with a tentative assessment of the possibilities for ACRI's effectiveness and its prospects for achieving credibility among African governments and civil society.