African Navies: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

This edited volume explores African sea-power, including African navies and non-African navies' engagement with the continent. With 48,000 kilometers of coastline and strategic choke points, post-colonial Africa's small navies have received little scholarly attention. The book covers historical and contemporary themes, such as the origin of Tanzanian, Ethiopian, Nigerian, and Ghana navies, the Nigerian Civil War, and the Soviet Navy's support for African states. It also discusses the Indian Navy's engagement with Africa, the potential role of Angolan and Mozambican navies in the SADC, the transformation and development of the post-apartheid South African Navy, and the challenges and capabilities of African navies in the early twenty-first century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 11 November 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Africa's coastal waters span an impressive 48,000 kilometers, encompassing 38 out of 54 of the continent's states and several crucial points for international shipping, including the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden, and the Cape of Good Hope. Despite this strategic importance, post-colonial Africa's small navies and their interactions with the navies of external powers have received relatively limited scholarly attention. This collection, specifically focused on Sub-Saharan Africa, aims to rectify this neglect and foster further research by presenting original chapters on historical and contemporary themes related to the African navies.

The historical chapters in this collection delve into the origins of the Tanzanian, Ethiopian, Nigerian, and Ghana navies during the era of decolonization and the Cold War. They explore the asymmetrical naval campaign waged during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-70), as well as the Soviet Navy's support for African states and movements fighting against lingering colonialism and white supremacy during the 1970s and 1980s.

Moving towards the contemporary context, other chapters examine the engagement of the Indian Navy with Africa, the potential role of the Angolan and Mozambican navies in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the transformation and development of the post-apartheid South African Navy, and the challenges and capabilities of African navies in the early twenty-first century. The book concludes by discussing the question of whether African coastal countries require navies.

This book will appeal to students of naval power, strategic studies, African politics, and International Relations. Chapters 1, 2, 6, and 8 of this book are available for preview.

Weight: 630g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032313191