Emerging powers’ strategy for power projection: Nigeria’s peacekeeping through regional & international organizations

Abstract

This study investigates Nigeria’s strategic utilisation of peacekeeping missions as an instrument for regional influence in the post-Cold War African context. The restructuring of global security arrangements following the Cold War created avenues for emerging powers to redefine their regional roles and assert their influence, with Nigeria emerging as a leading contributor to peacekeeping missions in several war-torn African countries. This study examines Nigeria’s commitment to peacekeeping with a focus on its engagement at the regional and global levels, to maximise its strategic interest while minimising resistance to its hegemonic aspirations by Francophone West African states. Through a comparative case analysis of Nigerian involvement in ECOWAS peace operations in Liberia (1989-1997) and Sierra Leone (1997-2002), alongside its participation in the UN-AU Hybrid Operation in Darfur, Sudan (2007-2020), and employing an eclectic theoretical approach, this study demonstrates (i) Nigeria’s strategic rationale for prioritizing regional peacekeeping mechanisms over global ones, (ii) the impact of Nigeria’s approach on its regional leadership position, and (iii) the challenges Nigeria faced in maintaining such a security framework. By indicating how Nigeria leverage peacekeeping missions to enhance international prestige and legitimise hegemonic aspirations while navigating resource constraints and neighbouring states’ suspicions, the study aims to contribute to scholarly debate on the intersection between emerging powers, peacekeeping, and regionalism.