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RESEARCH
DEPARTMENT
The Research and Studies Department is the
nerve centre of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs
charged with the development and execution of primary and secondary
research projects of the Institute. In the fulfillment of its
mandate, the Department organizes conferences, seminars, symposia
and lectures for the enlightenment of the general public.
The Department coordinates the
research activities through its five divisions: International
Politics, International Law and Organisation, International Economic
Relations, Security and Strategic Studies and African Politics and
Integration.
The Division of International Politics
Division of International Law and Organisations
Division of International Economic Relations
Division of Security and Strategic Studies
The Division of African Politics and
Integration
The Division of International Politics
The Division of International
Politics can be defined as the pillar of research activities in the
Institute in the sense that every subject, issue or topic that comes
up for examination has a necessary linkage to the pattern of
political relations between sovereign states.
Fundamentally, underlying
international politics is the matter of power and the use of power
(who makes decisions, who controls etc.) that explains why one
country can protect and project its interests, while the other
cannot. The exercise of power in the international arena generates
some dynamics (including politics) at the national, bilateral,
multilateral, regional and global levels of relations. This
constitutes the basis of international politics in this era and the
focus of the research efforts of the division. Some of the research
focus of the Division includes the dynamics of global interaction,
conflict and cooperation, globalization, science, technology and
development, migration matters and development cooperation among
others.
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Division of International Law and Organisations
One dimension of the Division's
research focus is international law, which in its classical sense is
understood as a collection of rules governing relations between
states. In its broadest sense international law provides normative
guidelines as well as methods, mechanisms and a common conceptual
language for international actors.
Thus, in addition to traditional
issues pertaining to war, peace and diplomacy, the Division also
focuses on questions of human rights, as well as economic and trade
issues.
The other dimension of the
Division, international organizations, is one of the sources and
actors of international law. Alongside nation-states, international
organizations are major actors in the international system. Their
vast numbers and functional diversity ensure that they focus upon
virtually every issue of international significance. In addition,
they are key players in structuring international relations. The
Division of International Law and Organizations also examines the
roles of international organizations with particular respect to
issues that are of importance to Nigeria and the continent of
Africa. Institutions that have provided sustained frameworks for the
conduct of Nigeria's multilateral diplomacy such as the United
Nations, African Union, Economic Community of West African States
and the Commonwealth have been areas of continuous research efforts.
Globalisation, international economic relations, multilateralism in
world affairs, inter-state border disputes and the continuing
concern for conflict resolution and peace-building are also areas of
research interest of the Division.
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Division of International Economic Relations
This division is concerned with
today's daunting problems of underdevelopment, poverty, external
debt, the challenges of neo-liberal development programmes,
relations with multilateral institutions, marginalization,
environmental degradation, and others. The research activities of
the division are informed by the realities of contemporary
globalization and its impact on the development of Third World
countries. We understand development as structural transformation,
meaning the economic growth of national economies, coupled with the
material improvement in the lives of their citizens as demonstrated
in increased equity and drastic reduction in the poverty level. We
accept the definition of globalization as the process through which
an increasingly free flow of ideas, people, goods, services and
capital leads to the integration of economies and societies. We are
thus broadly interested in the development impact of global economic
integration, the appropriateness of market-led policies and the role
of multilateral institutions, global trade regime, technology
transfer, south-south cooperation and the dynamics mix of the
challenges of domestic and the external factors in international
economic relations and development.
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Division of Security and Strategic Studies
The Division of Security and
Strategic Studies was established to provide informed policy advice
to government and enlightenment to the public on security and
defense matters. It also through Conferences, Seminars, Roundtables,
Public Lectures, Workshops and publications provide materials on the
security situation and challenges in the country, the sub-region and
Africa and, to stake-holders in the international system.
Another area of the work of the
Division is on Conflict Management and Resolution, Peacekeeping,
Humanitarian aspects of conflicts and Post-conflict Peace Building.
Most conflicts in Africa today are due to poor governance, identity
issues, lack of access to governance of resources, marginalization
and problems associated with political succession. Accordingly, the
Division of Security and Strategic Studies focuses its research
agenda on these issues.
Closely related to conflict is the
issue of humanitarian emergencies which create internal displacement
and refugee problems.
The above also determine the
philosophy of the Division on security generally and the
relationship between security and development and the resulting
security sector reforms. The challenges of development do in
themselves also generate the kind of situation that undermines peace
and stability. Accordingly, security is not seen as a narrow and
static concept, but as dynamic issue with very great implications
for society at large.
Thus, while the Division recognizes
the traditional military threats to security, it also recognizes the
existence and importance of non-military threats to peace and
stability.
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The Division of African Politics and
Integration
Since independence in 1960, Africa
has featured prominently in Nigeria's foreign policy, commanding
attention in several respects. The nation has also invested enormous
resources on African issues be it national liberation struggle, anti
apartheid campaigns, peacekeeping, conflict resolution, regional
integration and the issue of socio-economic and political
development of the continent. In the new millennium, the concern for
African progress has been broaden against the background of
globalization to include institution capacity building on the
continent, the pursuit of African renaissance, the protection of
Africa's interest as Africa now remains the last frontier for huge
solid minerals, hydro-carbon and agricultural resources.
Accordingly, the philosophy driving
the division of African Politics and Integration underscores the
need for deeper understanding of African affairs, the socio-economic
and political conditions of African states and their peoples. The
division also carries out studies on various interactions and
exchanges among African states and peoples. It monitors and studies
the working of various institutions and organizations, African
intra-state organizations, regional integration schemes and the
relations of Africa with the wider world, including the African
Diaspora, whose economic importance can no longer be ignored,
considering the huge remittances it makes to the homeland.
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