Regional Peacekeeping and the Transformation of Nigerian Foreign Policy, 1990-2000: A Perspective

Abstract

In the 1990s, Nigeria mobilised West African states to international peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Sierra Leone under the auspices of the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG). The initiative did not only become a model for other regional organisations across the globe, it also placed Nigeria in a more influential position in international conflict management, especially within Africa. But while the scheme helped Nigeria to score some marks in international conflict management, it, however, left significant impression on the nation’s foreign policy. It is on the above premise, therefore, that this article examines how and why Nigeria’s participation in conflict resolution within West Africa was influential to its foreign policy perception, goal and strategy between 1990 and 2000. The study is approached through the historical inquiry. While the impact of the regional peacekeeping programme on Nigeria’s foreign policy is acknowledged, the paper, however, concludes that the emerging post-Cold War international order and political leadership in Nigeria were the considerable factors, which presented the opportunities for such imprint to be registered.