1.Your guide to African security ; -- Our perspective ; -- Our approach -- 2. Insecurity before independence ; -- Conflict before colonization ; -- European contact and dominance ; -- Colonial Africa and liberation ; -- Implication for independent Africa -- 3. War and peace in independent Africa ; -- African security post-independence ; -- Why do wars begin in Africa? ; -- Six conflicts that shaped independent Africa ; -- Africa's legacy of war -- 4. Connecting North Africa to the subcontinent ; -- Monitoring the Maghreb ; -- North Africa and the continent's security challenges ; -- North Africa's political integration in Africa ; -- Outlook for North Africa -- Interlude A : Is it racial, ethnic, tribal or clannish? ; Race ; -- Ethnicity ; -- Tribe ; -- Clan -- 5. Understanding Africa's armed forces ; -- Africa's militaries ; -- Problems with African militaries ; -- Africa's other security forces ; -- Outlook for Africa's armed forces -- 6. Understanding Africa's religions, religious extremists and violence ; -- The religious trend in Africa ; -- Old and new Islam in Africa ; -- A new Christianity in Africa ; -- Africa's enduring traditional beliefs ; -- Inter-religious conflict ; -- Outlook for religious extremism and potential responses -- 7. Understanding crime and law enforcement in Africa ; -- The nature of crime in Africa ; -- Organized crime in Africa ; -- Criminal organizations in Africa ; -- Law enforcement in Africa ; -- Outlook for crime in Africa -- Interlude B : Is Africa safe to visit -- 8. Anticipating and responding to military coups and mutinies ; -- When soldiers revolt ; -- Preventing coups ; -- Outlook for military revolts in Africa -- 9. Anticipating and mitigating election violence ; -- African democracy and its underpinnings ; -- The origins of election crises ; -- Six election crises to know ; -- Outlook for Africa's elections -- 10. Anticipating and preparing for economic crisis in Africa ; -- Africa's economy : what it is and where it is ; -- Can the numbers be believed ; -- The roots of crisis ; -- Buffers against crisis ; -- Africa's economic outlook and security implications -- 11. Managing and ending African conflict ; -- How and why Africa conflicts end (or don't) ; -- Peacekeeping and peace enforcement ; -- Post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation ; -- The challenge of ex-combatants ; -- Prospects for conflict resolution in Africa -- 12. Tracking external actors, influence and competition in Africa ; -- United States ; -- China ; -- France ; -- Britain ; -- Russia ; -- Other actors ; -- Outlook for external relations -- 13. Future trends in African security and policy options ; -- Megatrends ; -- Game changers ; -- Wildcards ; -- Planning a proactive response ; -- The future is now.