The Horn of Africa: The Co-constitution of Domestic Political Transitions and Regional Security

Research article

Abstract

The political transition, often accompanied by several competing priorities, has brought in challenges as more and more people demanded urgent changes different from the past. This paper adopted descriptive analysis methods and presented an explanation in a qualitative approach. The study, thus, sought to analyze the merit of triggering factors necessitating the political transitions in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia. It deals with undertaking a case study on each country’s political transition with the intent of addressing three fundamental questions such as "what are the root causes of transitions, what challenges are there posing in the process of transition, and what implications do the political transitions have in the future of the Horn of Africa (HoA)”. A change in one country may be exhibiting a challenge in another because of the national interest that relies on certain types of policies. social fissures with different manifestations, historical narrations, internal power struggles, and economic woes were the most critical root causes of the overlapping problems the three states bore to face perennial fragility. These challenges were the sources of concern, and a security dilemma was set to come into play. Problems arose from these challenges, leading to a security dilemma. The lingering dilemma that locks horns between the countries in the Horn region has long entangled them, and they have become accustomed to the political transition. The dilemma often arises from assumed or real security concerns by one or more countries over one or more countries with which natural resources or historical relations are being shared. Hence, building political development and shared understanding among the region's states is essential to foster broader regional economic integration.