Abiodun Alao

Editorial Board Member

Abiodun Alao, PhD
Department of War Studies
Kings College London, UK

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Department / University Information

Kings College London

Biography

Dr. Abiodun Alao holds a Doctorate degree in War Studies from the King’s College, University of London, where he was a Ford Foundation scholar between 1987 and 1991. He was also a recipient of the SSRC/MacAurthur Post-Doctoral Fellowship. Other personal Research Grants he has won include Ford Foundation Grant for Research on Natural Resources and Conflict: USIP Grant for Research on Conflict and Multilateral Diplomacy; SSRC Conference Grant on African Security; and United Nations University Grant for Research on the Liberian Conflict. He has held teaching and research positions at Universities in Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Key Contribution to Research and Policy Dr Alao has been involved in many policy-oriented activities on the African continent and has consulted for virtually all international organisations working on the continent. He was on the Panel of Academic Experts that advised the office of the UN Secretary General on the civil war in Sierra Leone and was also the co-author of the Concept Paper that resulted in the establishment of the Common Defence and Security Policy for the African Union. In the last two years other United Nations assignments he has undertaken include Consultant to UNDP on the Evaluation of the Control of Small Arms in Liberia; Consultant to the Office of the UN Office of Special Commission for Africa Affairs on the issue of illegal Exploitation of Mineral Resources in Africa; and Member of the Four-Person team that undertook a Comprehensive Evaluation of the activities of the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He is also working with a number of African countries. He served as a member of the team that undertook the first Post-genocide Threat Assessment Exercise for the Government of Rwanda and was the Co-author of the first post-Civil War National Security Strategy Framework for Liberia. Currently, he is a member of the group of Experts assisting the Governance Reform Commission of Liberia in its Security Sector Reform agenda. Selected Publications (a) Books and Monographs Forthcoming 2011: Mugabe and the Politics and Diplomacy of Security in Zimbabwe 2007 Natural Resources and Conflict in Africa: The Tragedy of Endowment, Rochester: University of Rochester Press. (xix + 353 pages) (Single Authored) 2006 The Mau-Mau Warrior, (OSPREY Warrior Series), Oxford: Osprey Publishing Company, 2005, (65 pages) (Single Authored) 1996 The Burden of Collective Goodwill: The International Involvement in the Liberian Civil War, Aldershot: Ashgate Publishers. xiv + 226 pages (Single Authored) 1994 Brothers at War: Dissidence and Rebellion in Southern Africa, London: British Academic Press. (xxii + 201 pages) (Single Authored) 1999 Peacekeepers, Politicians and Warlords: The Liberian Peace Process, Tokyo and New York: United Nations University Press. (xvii + 192 pages) (Co-Authored Book with John Mackinlay and Funmi Olonisakin) 1998 Africa after the Cold War: The Changing Perspective on Security, Trenton, New Jersey: African World Press, 1998. (xii + 228 pages) (Co-Edited book with Adebayo Oyebade) 1994 Brothers at War: Dissidence and Rebellion in Southern Africa, London: British Academic Press. (Authored) 1993 African Conflicts: The Future Without the Cold War, London: Brassey Publishers, (Authored) (c) Chapters in books and Articles in Academic Journals 2010 Nigeria: The Next Generation Report, British Council/ Harvard Institute of Public Health, Occasional Paper, August 2010. (Co-authored) 61 Pages 2010: Chinese Economic Interest and Banking in Nigeria South African Institute of International Affairs Occasional Paper Series No. 65, July 2010. 2005: Picciotto, R., Alao, C., Ikpe, E., Kimani, M. and Slade, R. (2005) “Striking a new balance: DonorPolicy Coherence and Development Cooperation in Difficult Environments” Background paper commissioned by the Learning and Advisory Process of the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD, January 2005 http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/31/62/34252747.pdf 2000 Security Reform in Democratic Nigeria, London: CDS Conflict Security and Development Working Paper Series, No. 2. 2000. (Single Authored) (48 Pages) 2000 The Role of African Regional and Sub-regional Organisations in Conflict Prevention and Resolution, Geneva: UNHCR Working Paper Series, No. 23, July (Single Authored) 24 Pages 1993 African Conflicts: The Future Without the Cold War, London Defence Series No. 19. London: Brassey Publishers, (Single Authored) 46 Pages 1994 Liberia 1994: ECOMOG/UNOMIL Response to Complex Emergency, United Nations University Occasional Paper Series, No. 2, New York: United Nations Headquarters (Co-authored Monograph with John Mackinlay) 38 Pages Articles in Journals and Chapters in Edited Books 2007: “The Message from the Mess: The Past in the Present and Future of West Africa”, Ife Journal of History (Authored). 2007: “Youth in the Interface of Security and Development”, in Conflict Security and Development, Issue 1, No. 1. March 2007. (Co-author with Olawale Ismail) 2006: “Peacekeepers Abroad, Trouble Makers at Home: The Nigeria Army, National Politics and Sub-Regional Policies”, in Layi Abegunrin and Soji Akomolafe (Eds.): Nigeria and the World: Essay in Honour of Professor Olajide Aluko: New York: Nova Publishers (Authored) 2005: “Disarmament amidst Revolving Constraints: Disarmament and Demobilisation in Liberia” in Ann Fitzgerald and Hilary Mason, (eds) From Conflict to Community: A Combatant’s Return to Citizenship, Shrivenham: Global Facilitation Network (Co-authored with Funmi Olonisakin) 2005: “Managing Security in a Period of Change: Lessons and Conclusion from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS” (Authored) in Anne Hammerstad (ed). People States and Regions, Johannesburg: South African Institute of International Affairs. 2002 “Privatization of Security and Security Sector Reform in Uganda” in Damiel Lilly and Michael Page, Security Sector Reform and the Challenges of Privatisation of Security, London: International Alert (Authored) 2002 “Overview of Conflict in West Africa and the Crisis in Cote d’Ivoire”, in OECD Concept Paper Document on Regional Dynamics and the Crises in West Africa, Geneva: OECD. (Authored) 2002 “Globalization and the Changing Nature of Conflict in West Africa” in Ozonia Ojielo, Conflict and Conflict Resolution in West Africa, Lagos: CPA Publishers, (Authored) 2001 “Cut Short for Taking Shortcuts: The Lome Peace Agreement on Sierra Leone”, Journal of Civil Wars, Vol. 4, No. 3, Autumn, 2001. (Co-authored with Comfort Ero) 2001 “Taking the Discourse Beyond the “Elegant”: Calls for a New Approach to Studying Resource Conflicts in Africa”, in Development and Conflict Watch, Vol. 2, No. 2, May 2001, 2001 “Africa 2001 –2002: Possible Conflict Hotspots and Likely Scenario for Massive Population Displacement”, WRITENET, (For UNHCR) June 2001, (Authored) “Between Economic Fragility and Political Fluidity: Natural Resource Conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa, Journal of International Peacekeeping, December, 2000 (Co-authored with Funmi Olonisakin). 2000 Twenty-Five Years of ECOWAS: The Changing Phases of a Sub-Regional Organizations, African Analysis (Co-authored with Comfort Ero)

Research Interest

African Security Natural Resources and Conflict Rebellion and Civil Wars Global health

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