This volume offers a comprehensive assessment of the problem of conflict and its methods of management in Nigeria’s contemporary democracy. It represents a compendium of resourceful studies provided by experts on conflict studies from various disciplines across the Social Sciences and Humanities. Such studies are very useful at this crucial point in Nigeria’s history as there are currently various national and international efforts to address the scourge of violent conflicts that have caused huge numbers of deaths and displacement of persons. The book will be of particular interest and use to conflict researchers, students, practitioners and government officials.

A former general in the Nigerian army, defence attache to Zimbabwe and member of the Abacha caucus, chronicles the role played by the army in Nigerian history, from the first military coup in 1966 to Obasanjo's accession to power in 1998. He describes his own experiences in the army at home and abroad, including a section on his personal interactions with Abacha and the caucus. The author writes in anger at the domination of political hegemony and the subsequent intervention of the military into politics, the perceived dichotomy between people and state, and its implicactions for issues of development and human rights. He states: 'This book is not an indictment of the military of which I am a part. It is my perception of the conduct of my generation and the multifarious forces at work amongst and about them. It is not a verdict on society, rather it is an articulation of the ecstasy, the fears, the constrictions of a nation in turmoil, a nation pulling itself apart.'

Under Siege is Rashid Khalidi's firsthand account of the 1982 Lebanon War and the complex negotiations for the evacuation of the P.L.O. from Beirut. Utilizing unconventional sources and interviews with key officials and diplomats, Khalidi paints a detailed portrait of the siege and ensuing massacres, providing insight into the military pressure experienced by the P.L.O., the war's impact on Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, and diplomatic efforts by the United States. A new preface by Khalidi considers developments across the Middle East in the thirty years since the conflict. The preface also cites recently declassified Israeli documents to offer surprising new revelations about the roles and responsibilities of both Israeli leaders and American diplomats in the tragic coda to the war, the Sabra and Shatila massacres.

Nigeria Under Siege is a story about a greedy business mogul, Alhaji Abudu, who wants more money and more power. Though being counted among the richest men in Africa, he wants more, so he teams up with Lawani, an ex-military general, and hatches a plot to create chaos in Nigeria so as to sell arms and make more money. But he made the mistake of stepping on wrong toes in the middle of his plot. The greatest threat to his plot was Bisi, who was hell bent on unraveling the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of her fiance, Ayo. But that was to be the least of his nightmares. As the suspicions and intrigues unfold, Alhaji Abudu discovered that he would need more than the secret organizations he relied on to create havoc in Nigeria and its people.

Toyin Ayeni is the author of I am a Nigerian NOT a Terrorist. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria as well as a Master of Science degree in Information Systems Management (MSISM) from Loyola University Chicago. She works as a Project Manager and lives with her husband and three children, Anthony, Elizabeth and Andrew, in Chicago, Illinois. Toyin is a past president of a Chicago chapter of Toastmasters International among other organizations she has helped lead. The purpose of this book, which started prior to the December 25th, 2009 Christmas Bomber incident, is to put a spotlight on Nigeria, and to celebrate the country's 50th anniversary on October 1st, 2010 with a focus on the positive and what makes it unique. The book will: i. Enlighten the world about Nigeria, providing candid information with more emphasis and focus on the positive and unique aspects about this West African country. ii. Show that the country is a lot more than a producer of terrorists or con-artists, and highlight its potential and hope for a better tomorrow. iii. Show a need and urgency for all human beings to have a sense of curiosity about others, to generate an interest in fellow human beings to ignite the spirit of tolerance. iv. Open our eyes even wider and broaden our view of the face of terrorism in hopes to conquer it very soon. v. Leave a legacy of the Nigerian culture and a better environment for the children than we met it. The book will sensitize you to the fact that no matter what space you occupy here on earth, Nigerian or non-Nigerian, global problems require global solutions and a little effort to make changes by everyone from all nations can go a long way. I also hope that your knowledge and understanding of other cultures, starting with Nigeria, will increase your urge to know more of your surroundings, other human beings around the world, and encouraged to be your brother's keeper as we all fight against terrorism and other world issues. Her website is www.toyinayeni.com

This edited volume reflects on some of the important discussions on the trends of governance, conflict and security in Africa. It explores some of the emerging concerns and offers a holistic understanding of the remote and immediate causes of the conflict and how the neo-colonial African states have been structured in a manner that makes violent conflict inevitable. The book thereby provides an overview of Africa’s security challenges and proffers some sustainable policy options for curtailing lawlessness and armed conflict on the continent. Literature is exhaustive about the nexus between governance, peace, and security; however, discourse on the impact of ‘new’ conflict on governance has been scant. Understanding these new trends has become a necessity and precondition for sustainable development, as reflected in both the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In 1975, the Nigerian authorities decided to construct a new postcolonial capital called Abuja, and together with several internationally renowned architects these military leaders collaborated to build a city for three million inhabitants. Founded five years after the Civil War with Biafra, which caused around 1.7 million deaths, the city was envisaged as a place where justice would reign and where people from different social, religious, ethnic, and political backgrounds would come together in a peaceful manner and work together to develop their country and its economy. These were all laudable goals, but they ironically mobilized certain forces from around the country in opposition against the Federal Government of Nigeria. The international and modernist style architecture and the fact that the government spent tens of billions of dollars constructing this idealized capital ended up causing more strife and conflict. For groups like Boko Haram, a Nigerian Al-Qaida affiliate organization, and other smaller ethnic groups seeking to have a say in how the country’s oil wealth is spent, Abuja symbolized everything in Nigeria they sought to change. By examining the creation of the modernist national public spaces of Abuja within a broader historical and global context, this book looks at how the successes and the failures of these spaces have affected the citizens of the country and have, in fact, radicalized individuals with these spaces being scene of some of the most important political events and terrorist targets, including bombings and protest rallies. Although focusing on Nigeria’s capital, the study has a wider global implication in that it draws attention to how postcolonial countries that were formed at the turn of the twentieth century are continuously fragmenting and remade by the emergence of new nation states like South Sudan.