The Impact of Ghanaian Peacekeeping on Domestic Civil-Military Relations

Ghana has one of the longest histories of contribution to international peace-keeping operations, beginning with Kwame Nkrumah's pan-Africanist support for peacekeeping after independence. It also has the distinction of being one of the most stable democracies in Africa, despite multiple coups and years of military rule. Interviews with members of the Ghana Armed Forces indicate that these two phenomena may be related—Ghanaians who served in international peacekeeping missions, particularly in the 1990s, seem to have developed conflict resolution skills and a horror of internal conflict that help support harmonious civil-military relations.