The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is the oldest customs union in the world, with significant opportunities ahead for creating higher economic growth and increased welfare benefits to the people of the region, by fulfilling its vision to become an economic community with a common market and monetary union. This volume describes policy options to address the barriers to equitable and sustainable development in the region and outlines a plan for deeper regional integration.

How successful have Southern African states been in dealing with the major issues that have faced the region in recent years? What could be done to produce more cohesive and effective region-building in Southern Africa? In this original and wide-ranging volume, which draws on an interdisciplinary team of mainly African and African-based specialists, the key political, socio-economic, and security challenges facing Southern Africa today are addressed. These include the various issues confronting the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its institutions; such as HIV/AIDS, migration and xenophobia, land-grabbing and climate change; and the role of the main external actors involved with the region, including the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, and China. The book also looks at the Southern African Customs Union and Southern African Development Finance Institutions, including the Development Bank of Southern Africa and Industrial Development Corporation, and issues of gender and peacebuilding. In doing so, the book goes to the heart of analyzing the effectiveness of SADC and other regional organisation, suggesting how region-building in Southern Africa may be compared with similar attempts elsewhere in Africa and other parts of the world.

With the ending of white minority rule in South Africa, the democratic elections in Mozambique, and the renewed efforts at a negotiated settlement of civil war in Angola, Southern Africa has entered a new era. Much more is required, however, to ensure lasting peace and security. The states on the subcontinent are confronted with the twofold task of creating a sound multilateral framework for conducting mutual relations and of accommodating the dominant power - the new democratic South Africa. This book examines the potential for - and the obstacles to - regional cooperation and the process of regional institution-building, emphasizing the need to develop a genuine and indigenous capability for managing and resolving conflict. Throughout, contributors explore ideas about common norms, principles, and concrete measures that lend support for building confidence and security. Finally, the specific experiences in organizing collective security in other parts of the African continent are carefully analyzed.

The 2011 split of Sudan and the conflicts that have followed make it a case of ongoing significance for understanding state-building in Africa. Examining both the north-south divide and the spread of violence from Darfur, this study shows how colonial legacies have shaped state formation and charts out a path to inclusive citizenship and democracy.