Book Review

Warfare in Independent Africa.  William Reno.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011.  262 pp.

     Northwestern University Professor William Reno’s Warfare in Independent Africa is an extensive review of conflict in Africa.  In seven chapters Reno navigates conflict and warfare in Africa by providing in-depth descriptions of post-colonial rebel movements to current Islamist threat potentials.  This book is touted as an essential read for not only students, but also “the policy community, the military, and humanitarian agencies.”  In reality, this book should be on the shelves of anyone doing work or research in Africa.  It provides essential information about African culture, politics, conflicts, and the relationships between these three components.  

     Conflict in Africa is a well-studied subject with numerous books and articles that abound on the subject.  Despite the wealth of information already written Reno’s book is unique and makes important contributions to the subject matter.  First, Reno does not limit his analysis to a case study of a single nation or a single period of time.  Second, Reno rejects the standard causal explanation of conflict in Africa:  ethnic diversity and poverty.  Finally, the author uses his historical study as blueprint to analyze and make guarded forecasts about the potential for the future of African conflict.  In short, this book offers comprehensive and in-depth information about conflict but goes beyond pure descriptive narratives by providing important analysis that is relevant for the future.       

     Reno structures his book in three different but compatible ways:  by time period, type of rebel group, and region.  He examines conflict by categorizing conflicts as those perpetuated by anti-colonial rebels, majority rule rebels, reform rebels, warlord rebels, and parochial rebels.  Within these rebel confines Reno also structures his analysis within the borders of western Africa, southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa.   The benefit of this structure is that it allows the reader to distinguish key regional differences that differentiates African conflict while also allowing one to see the immense similarities between countries.  Similarly, the characterization of conflict into four distinct groups illustrates the progression of violence and conflict over time.   Reno’s structure is a unique and helpful manner to examine and understand the sources of conflict and how distinct the conflicts today are from those earlier ones.  Reno’s thesis is essentially that rebel groups and conflicts are the result of the contextual nature of the political sphere within which these groups operate.      

     Warfare in Independent Africa provides essential information to those interested in African politics and conflicts.  In fact, Reno’s sources are impeccable and wide-ranging which provides much validity to his arguments; nevertheless, he seems to neglect the conceptual and theoretical framework of conflict in his book.  For example, throughout the book Reno notes that ethnicity, corruption, and poverty are symptoms of the overall cause of conflict.  He seemingly finds that weak political institutions, including political parties, are really the culprits that continue to breed violence.  Reno’s conclusions are essentially an acceptance and rejection of specific conflict theories; yet, Reno never formally lays out theories.  Providing this theoretical background likely would provide increased clarity and strength to his arguments.  Despite this weakness, the book provides an abundance of information that is helpful to both researchers and those seeking a general overview of African conflict.
     
     Overall, Reno’s Warfare in Independent Africa is an important contribution to historical and modern analysis on African conflict.  He seamlessly transitions from country to country and from time period to time period before illustrating how these historical accounts are instrumental in understanding the future of conflict.  This book should not serve as a sole source of conflict literature but should serve as an essential accompaniment to other conflict research.   His critical analysis coupled with his historical account makes his book a must-read.