"Environmental and human security issues are vital national security interests in African states because most citizens are engaged in daily struggles to survive. Chronic and worsening resource scarcities and degradations fuel these individual struggles, along with political conflicts among different groups vying to control and benefit from scarce resources. Thus, many observers agree on the importance of expanding the concept of national security in African states, but there is no consensus yet on the optimal approach for studying or improving environmental and human security problems. While there are books on human and environmental security, few past works focus on Africa or address the interests and concerns of researchers and practitioners working in such diverse fields as development, security, or environmental science. Even though the military is one of the most influential institutions in African countries, no published work to date has addressed issues related to when, how, or if national and foreign militaries should be involved in promoting human and environmental security. --- Several authors addressed the proper role for outside agencies, such as AFRICOM and USAID, and provide caveats similar to the thrust of Maxie McFarland's cautionary concluding comments at the ISA panel; to wit, just because the military is already doing a lot of nontraditional, human security type projects in Iraq and Afghanistan ...and just because the Army [and other branches of the military] can do this type of activity, 'doesn't mean you want them to do it.'" Publisher's description

PART I. HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND CASE STUDIES: On the margins: insecurities in Niger and Chad / Cindy R. Jebb ... [et al.] -- Environment and human security in the Horn of Africa / Stephen F. Burgess -- Bitter roots : the obstacles to peace in the Casamance conflict / Mark Deets -- Resource allocation and xenophobic violence in South Africa / Anthony Turton -- PART II. EMERGING TRANSCONTINENTAL ISSUES: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND CASE STUDIES: Environmental security and neglected tropical diseases in Africa / Chad Briggs and Jennifer Bath -- The most vulnerable continent : Africa and global climate change / John T. Ackerman -- Terrorism and environmental security in Africa / Kent Hughes Butts -- PART III. RECOMMENDATIONS, REMEDIATION, AND CONCLUSIONS: From greed to grievance : natural resources and conflict in Africa / Elisabeth Feleke -- Environmental security in peacekeeping operations / Brent C. Bankus -- The Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) transfrontier conservation area project / Dan Henk -- Concluding remarks about environmental and human security and the role of U.S. military forces in Africa in the future / Maxie McFarland and Robert Feldman.