Shame, Exasperation and the Establishment of the African Peace and Security Architecture

The establishment of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) marked a fundamental reassessment of the African Union’s (AU) approach to security management. Many studies, however, view APSA through the lens of Eurocentric theories that neglect the agency of African actors. In contrast, this article examines how APSA’s design was influenced by collectively-held emotions - defined as moral judgements, based on present expectations and past experiences - amongst African policymakers. Emotions are argued to stabilise security communities when their content reflects amity between insiders (e.g. pride, gratitude) and enmity towards outsiders (e.g. anger, fear). However, this article highlights the lesser-emphasised role of inward-facing emotions of enmity, which can transform a community, as occurred with the shift from a security policy of non-interference to one of non-indifference when the AU replaced the Organisation of African Unity. It highlights the influence of inward-directed shame amongst African leaders over their limited reactions to an increasing number of humanitarian catastrophes in the 1990s, and outward-directed exasperation at the apathy of the non-African international community. Adopting this lens facilitates understanding of APSA’s establishment and design, re-centres the Agency of African policymakers and contributes towards the growing field on emotions in international politics.