Introduction stability; b) to establish effective

mechanisms of consultation and cooperation

IGAD is a Regional Economic
for the peaceful settlement of differences
Community (REC) in Eastern Africa and
and disputes; and c) to agree to deal with
one of the eight building blocks of the
disputes between member states within this
African Economic Community (AEC) of the
sub-regional mechanism before they are
African Union (AU), (IAD,2016).
referred to other regional or international
The Intergovernmental Authority on
organizations (IGAD 1996). With this aim,
Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa was
three priority areas were identified: conflict
created in 1996 to supersede the
prevention, management and humanitarian
Intergovernmental Authority on Drought
affairs; infrastructure development and food
and Development (IGADD) which was
security; and the environment.
founded in 1986 to mitigate the effects of
IGAD originated from regional
the recurring severe droughts and other
attempts to address environmental
natural disasters that resulted in widespread
challenges, such as drought. As it evolved, it
famine, ecological degradation and
increasingly looked at peace and security
economic hardship in the region. Djibouti,
measures. It is a Regional economic block
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and
created for regional economic cooperation
Uganda – took action through the United
and integration, to create an open, unified,
Nations to establish the intergovernmental
regional economic space for the business
body for development and drought control in
community with the vision to create a single
their region. Eritrea became the seventh
market open to competitive entry and well
member after attaining independence in
integrated into the continental and global
1993 and in 2011 South Sudan joined IGAD
economies. Among the IGAD‘s major areas
as the eighth member state (IGAD, 2016).
of focus is the Economic Cooperation and
With the inauguration of IGAD,
Integration and Social Development
great emphasis was given to the peaceful
Division which has the following
settlement of regional conflicts as a means
programme areas: Trade, Tourism and
for achieving sustainable development.
Industry; Infrastructure Development; and
IGAD member states agreed: a) to take
Health and Social Development (IGAD,
effective collective measures to eliminate
2017)
threats to regional cooperation, peace, and

2
 The political geography of the Horn
of Africa region comprises of Djibouti,
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan,
Southern Sudan and Uganda. One typical
feature that distinguishes the Horn of Africa
from other sub regions of the continent is its
security stakes and challenges. The region
has a reputation as one of the most conflict-
affected areas in the world (Kessels, Durner
and Schwartz, 2016). This region has been
termed as one of Africa‘s hotspots sub
region and over the last four decades, this
area has been wracked by major conflicts in
Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
Within the past 30 years, the region has
‗witnessed wars between states, secessionist
movements, intra-state violent conflicts,
foreign interventions, terrorist attacks and
piracy, as well as violence after contested
elections‘ (Witt, 2014). The region
characterized by ‗the prevalence and
longevity of its multiple conflicts. It has
been the scene of two of Africa‘s longest
wars, the thirty year liberation struggle in
Eritrea and the equally protracted war
between North and South Sudan‘ (Healy,
2014). Moreover, the region still exhibited a
host of ‗unresolved issues-boundary
demarcation, citizenship, trade and resource
sharing have ensured that political tensions
and episodes of violent conflict continue to
3
characterize relations between the former
adversaries after separation‘. Horn of Africa
is markedly different from the other regions
of Africa because of ‗the level of conflict
and rivalries between and within the states‘
(Allehone, 2008).
IGAD as legitimacy provider for
intra-regional and extra-regional
action
IGAD and extra regional actors
‗have some agency and do influence norm
change and international legitimacy even
within existing power structures. They are
dependent on international validation from
the…United Nation Security Council, but
they are not predetermined subordinates‘
(Bergholm, 2010). International legitimacy
is the property of IGAD in the maintenance
of regional peace and security (Williams,
2013) as a result of the principle of
subsidiarity. In this relationship primacy is
given to IGAD as a legitimacy provider for
extra-regional actors on the common value
of regional peace and security provision.
The norms of subsidiarity which refers to a
principle of locating governance at the
lowest possible (Slaughter 2004) could
provide ‗an appropriate guideline for
establishing the order of precedence in
peacemaking on the region and thereby
avoid the problem of organizational rivalry‘
(Nathan, 2016). The core issue of the
principle of subsidiarity ‗means that a
central authority should play a secondary
role, performing only those functions that
cannot be performed at a more local level‘.
As a regional organization, IGAD has a role
in providing an important legitimizing
function for the UN and other international
actors (MacFarlane, 2014).
transfer of appropriate energy-efficient
technologies, and trained decision-makers,
government officials and other stakeholders
(particularly women) on household energy
use. The region‘s achievement in the area of
trade logistics, transport and other trade
related infrastructures, however, is not
significant compared with other regional
economic communities. For instance the
level of intra-regional roads and railways
among the IGAD member states remain

Major achievements of IGAD absent and under developed if any. Market

access within IGAD is limited and so it is
The IGAD community achieved
with international markets (Ali & Edris,
success at a number of specific sectors. With
2013).
regard to communications, the IGAD
Secretariat has helped member states IGAD from Regional Integration
establish an effective information network Theoretical Perspective
using modern information technology. The
Regional integration in general
Internet Connectivity Project among
describes the process of states entering into
member states aims at human resources
a regional agreement, in order to achieve
capacity building to improve communication
specific, agreement-dependent goals through
technology skills. It also aims to develop a
enhancing regional cooperation. The Group
comprehensive IGAD strategy for
member adopts Liberal
acquisition and use of information and
Intergovernmentalism to analyze IGAD and
communication technology (ECA, 2004).
regional integration process in its member
IGAD also initiated a household countries. The theory was developed by
energy project to help solve major energy Andrew Moravcsik in 1993 to provide an
and environmental problems confronting the explanation for European integration
region, assisted member states in process. It is an improved version of
diversifying their energy sources and intergovernmentalist theory with a
promoting optimal energy use through the

4
combination of neo-liberal and realist nation-states can profit from them for the
perspectives (Cini and Perez, 2015). purposes of domestic legitimation and the
According to Laursen (2008) Moravcsik pursuit of their domestic preferences.
formulated the theory to explain the Moravcsik strongly defends the
European integration process based on the importance of two components of the
combined liberal theory of national integration process: bargaining among
preference formation and on nation-states, and national preference
intergovernmental theory of interstate formation. In his view, the formation of
bargaining to substantial outcome. And that national preferences results from interaction
Moravcsik adopted three steps in his between society and government. As an
analysis of integration viz; national intergovernmentalist liberal, Moravcsik
preference formation, interstate bargain and accepted multi-causal explanations of the
institutional choice, stressing with regard to phenomenon of regional integration, and
the first, that economic interest are more confirmed the postulates of both neo-realists
important than the geo-political (Lame: and neoliberals by accepting that states were
2007). In a nutshell, the main thrust of this the main actors in the integration process,
theory ―is that member states are main but that the process was largely driven by
drivers of European integration process. economic interests. In this perspective,
Member states have interests and it is based integration in Europe could be quickly
on those interests that they decide whether explained as a ‗series of rational choices
they will pursue a certain policy or not‖ made by national leaders‘ (Moravcsik 1998),
(Lame: 2007). which were previously restricted to their
Moravcsik brought some new domestic terrains alone.
concepts to intergovernmentalist theory, As we can see from the objectives of
specifically in the course of examining the IGAD the integration among members of
relaunch of the EU. The main difference IGAD countries could be quickly explained
from classical intergovernmentalist theory is by liberal intergovernmental theories,
that supranational institutions can play a role because as a series of rational choices made
in regional integration processes, albeit in a by national leaders that the process was
limited way. They can reinforce interstate largely driven by peace and security, and
agreements as a basis for integration, and economic interests. For instance some of the

5
objectives of IGAD mention as follow;
promote joint development strategies and
gradually harmonize macroeconomic
policies and programmers in the social,
technological and scientific fields.
Harmonize policies with regard to trade,
customs, transport, communications,
agriculture, and natural resources, and
promote free movement of goods, services
and people within the region. Create an
enabling environment for foreign, cross-
border and domestic trade and investments.
And, achieve regional food security and
encourage and assist efforts of Member
States to collectively combat drought and
other natural and man-made disasters and
their natural consequences.
Moravcsik (1998) displayed a liberal
vision of integration, and the primacy of
relationships between social groups. He used
liberal theory to empirically explain the rela-
tionship between state and society. For him,
liberal theory is the starting point for study-
ing international politics, aimed
illuminating the interactions among social
groups such as employers, unions, political
parties, and churches, and their influence
over state decisions. In order to rectify the
theoretical failure to address these dynamics,
Moravcsik developed a state-centric
approach which he labelled ‗liberal
intergovernmentalism‘. First, he connected a
liberal theory of national preference
formation (i.e. ‗domestic politics‘) to an
intergovernmentalist analysis of inter-state
negotiations in a two-level game, and then
added a regime theory component. In this
approach, states, as rational decision-
makers, are prepared to relinquish aspects of
their sovereignty in order to increase the
efficiency of inter-state co-operation. They
accept this diminution of their sovereignty
because EU institutions ‗strengthen the
autonomy of national political leaders vis-à-
vis particularistic societal groups within
their domestic polity‘ (Moravcsik 1993).
In liberal intergovernmentalism,
there is a direct connection between
interdependence and the international
system. States are shaped not only by
domestic actors, but are also influenced and
constrained by the international system.
Moreover, each state makes an effort to
demonstrate its preferences externally. This
at will eventually impact on the preferences of
other states, especially those that are less
powerful.
Using the theory the paper argues
that since the decisions and activities of
IGAD are still being controlled by member
states liberal intergovernmentalism remains
the suitable framework for analysis. Also
6
since the founder of the theory has made the IGAD. The Horn Economic and Social
framework ―a general one, which can be Policy Institute (HESPI),Policy Papers No.
applied to any kind of regional integration‖ 13/2. August 2013.p.17
(Lame, 2007).
Allehone, M. (2008) 'Promises and

Conclusions Challenges of a Sub-Regional Force for the

Horn of Africa', International Peacekeeping,
The Intergovernmental Authority on
vol. 15, no. 2.p17
Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa was
created in 1996 to supersede the
Bergholm, L. (2010) The African Union, the
Intergovernmental Authority on Drought
United Nations and civilian protection
and Development (IGADD) which was
challenges in Darfur, RSC WORKING
founded in 1986 to mitigate the effects of
PAPER SERIES NO. 63, Oxford: Refugee
the recurring severe droughts and other
Studies Centre. P.19
natural disasters that resulted in widespread
famine, ecological degradation and
Cini, M. and Perez, N. (2015). European
economic hardship in the region. Using the
Union Politics. UK: Oxford University Press
theory the paper argues that since the
decisions and activities of IGAD are still
Healy, S.H. (2014). IGAD and Regional
being controlled by member states liberal
security in the Horn', in Hentz, J.J. (ed.)
inter-governmentalism remains the suitable
Routledge Handbook of African security,
framework for analysis. The IGAD
Oxon: Routledge.p. 217
community achieved success at a number of
specific sectors, but still the regional
Kessels, E., Durner, T. and Schwartz, M.
integration efforts in the IGAD region have
(2016) Violent Extremism and Instability in
been weak due to many challenges
the Greater Horn of Africa: An Examination
confronting member countries.
of Drivers and Responses, Goshen: Global
Center on Cooperative Security.
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