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The African continent is inextricably linked to development of the Responsibility to

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Abstract:The Responsibility to Protect is a new human security paradigm that re-conceptualizes state sovereignty as a responsibility rather than a right. Its seminal endorsement by the 2005 World Summit has however not consolidated the intellectual parameters of the norm. Neither has it succeeded in galvanizing R2P's doctrinal development; hence the January 2009 appeal by the UN secretary-general for the international community to operationalize R2P at the doctrinal level, in addition to at institutional and policy levels. R2P represents a critical stage in the debate on intervention for human protection purposes, but its key concepts require more exploration. Africa is a uniquely placed stakeholder in R2P on account of its disproportionate share of humanitarian crises and because Africans have played key roles in conceptualizing the norm. The continent should therefore not just off er an arena for, but indeed take the lead in, the conceptual journey that R2P's doctrinal development requires.

Diplomacy has its ancient roots firmly in Africa, the cradle of humanity. Yet the idea of “African diplomacy” is surprisingly new, because most African states are very young compared to those in the rest of the world. The legacy of colonialism, combined with the damage caused by Cold War proxy wars, has infused the continent's diplomacy with a collective memory of subjugation and marginalization. An historical context is therefore essential to understand the themes that guide Africa's contemporary diplomacy. Among these are a preoccupation with pan‐African unity, insistence on sovereign equity in the global arena, and the pursuit of elusive security and development for the continent. The diplomatic style in which these goals are pursued is predominantly multilateral and collective, marked by a unique activist‐like approach and emphasis on solidarity among incumbent leaders.