The African Peace and Security Architecture:Introduction to the Special Issue

AU's strong support for African leaders indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its vociferous opposition to the 2011 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military intervention in Libya are the most recent examples of the values and principles underpinning this collectivist African peace and security perspective. The Constitutive Act of the African Union (CAAU) and the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC protocol), which created legal room for APSA to intervene in the internal affairs of its member states in order to promote and keep peace, compromised the sacrosanct nature of the international norm of territorial integrity. APSA's organizational structure is headed by the Peace and Security Council (PSC), which is composed of ten members who are elected for a two-year term, and five members who are elected to serve for three years.2 There are no permanent or veto-wielding members. The election of members of the PSC is guided by key principles, including equitable geographical representation, contribution to the promotion and maintenance of peace and security on the continent, participation in peace support operations, and capacity and commitment to shoulder the responsibilities of membership of the PSC. Because none of the fifteen members wield the power of the veto, it makes it difficult, if not impossible, for any one member to block the decisions of the Council.