The Clash of Orders with Comfort Ero on Nigeria
Mark Leonard is joined by Comfort Ero to learn more about the Nigerian perspective on global order
Many Europeans see the war in Ukraine as an attack on the ‘rules-based order’. But to many people in other parts of the world, there is no consensus on a set of rules to govern global affairs – and no sense of order. In this mini-series, Mark Leonard will go on an intellectual tour of the world, talking to key thinkers about how order is being defined by different powers. He explores how the clash between these different notions plays into the big shocks facing the world – from climate change and future pandemics to geopolitical struggles and technological disasters – and what this means for national and global politics.
In this sixth instalment, Leonard is joined by Comfort Ero – president and CEO of the International Crisis Group – to learn more about the Nigerian perspective on global order. How can oil and gas output help Nigeria position itself advantageously in the context of the war in Ukraine? What role do African regionalism and Pax Africana play in building the continent’s capacity to respond to crises? And finally, to what extent do the recent crisis in Libya and the hypermilitarisation of the Sahel shape understandings about ‘order’ in Nigeria today?
Further reading:
- “Principles for global order: How Europeans and the global south can shape the international order together” by Theodore Murphy
Bookshelf
- “Africa and the International System: The Politics of State Survival” by Christopher Clapham
- Africa Confidential newsletter
- “Why is the US role in Africa Shrinking?” by Zainab Usman
- “Imagine Nigeria: Exploring the Future of Nigeria” by the Government of Nigeria and UNDP