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This article explains why the Guinean state remained resilient to armed conflicts following military intervention in politics. The military establishment has been heavily involved in Guinean politics for nearly three decades during which time it has exhibited varied political behavior. This protracted military involvement in Guinean political affairs presented a threat to Guinea's stability in a region where large-scale armed conflicts are often associated with military intervention in politics. This article explores the linkages between military behavior in politics and political stability by using a model derived from ethnic and identity literature. It concludes that by adopting an ethnic group-like behavior, the Guinean military played a vital role in maintaining political stability during the period between 1984 and 2010. This is in contrast to findings in recent studies where military intervention in West African politics is strongly linked with the onset of large-scale civil conflicts. [Reprinted by permission; copyright Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society/Sage Publications Inc.]

The article explores the relationship between mineral resources and conflict management in Guinea. Literature on theories of recent civil wars and/or armed conflicts in West Africa identifies the combination of abundant natural resources and extreme poverty as a significant trigger of violent civil conflicts. In Guinea, however, despite this combination, the state has managed to avoid large-scale civil violence. This gives rise to the question of why this combination has failed to be associated with the onset of large-scale violence in the country. The article identifies mitigating factors that have contributed to political stability in Guinea. It concludes that measures taken by Guinea and its international partners mitigated the security threats posed by these resources, while keeping most Guineans in abject poverty. This is in contrast to findings in recent quantitative studies whereby natural resource abundance alongside extreme poverty is strongly associated with armed conflicts in West African nations.

This article explains why the Guinean state remained resilient to armed conflicts following military intervention in politics. The military establishment has been heavily involved in Guinean politics for nearly three decades during which time it has exhibited varied political behavior. This protracted military involvement in Guinean political affairs presented a threat to Guinea's stability in a region where large-scale armed conflicts are often associated with military intervention in politics. This article explores the linkages between military behavior in politics and political stability by using a model derived from ethnic and identity literature. It concludes that by adopting an ethnic group-like behavior, the Guinean military played a vital role in maintaining political stability during the period between 1984 and 2010. This is in contrast to findings in recent studies where military intervention in West African politics is strongly linked with the onset of large-scale civil conflicts.

Ethno-politics has become a major force and source of conflict in the post-Cold War era. The challenge of the Twenty-First Century to military establishments in deeply plural societies is the formation of quasi-ethnic institutional unity from among diverse ethnic groups to prevent national ethnic conflicts from being mirrored within the army.

Understanding Postcolonial African Frontiers : History, Theory, Policy and Practice / John Idriss Lahai and Tanya Lyons . - The West African Warscapes : Rebel Factions, Insurgent Opportunism and State Governance / John Idriss Lahai and Tanya Lyons . - Reconsidering Rebel Governance / Isabelle Duyvesteyn, Georg Frerks, Boukje Kistemaker, Nora Stel and Niels Terpstra . - Embracing Neo-Liberalism in Uganda and Rwanda / Noel Twagiramungu . - The International Responsibility to Protect and the Conflict in Darfur / John Idriss Lahai . - State Collapse, Counter-Insurgency and Security Governance in Somalia / Oscar Gakuo Mwangi . - Nigerian State Responses to Insurgency / Daniel E. Agbiboa . - Coping with Vulnerability : Civil War Avoidance in Guinea, 1984-2010 / Mamadou Diouma Bah . - Breaks with the Past : Conflict, Displacement, Resettlement and the Evolution of Forest Socioecologies in Sierra Leone / Paul Munro and Greg van der Horst . - Arming Community Vigilantes in the Niger Delta : Implications for Peacebuilding / Kialee Nyiayaana . - Neo-Liberal Peacebuilding in Libya : Sketching the Path to Reconciliation / Saira Bano Orakzai . - Building Peace with Warlords in South Sudan : A Gendered Structure / David Duriesmith . - Peacebuilding in the Democratic Republic of Congo / Mbekezeli Comfort Mkhize . - From Insurgency to Governance and Peacebuilding : Africa's Future / John Lahai and Tanya Lyons