Peter Offem Ubi|19 January 2017
The debates read thus far on Gambia, and the answers in the pros/cons of a possible ECOWAS intervention prompted me to ask students of international relations and diplomacy the following questions:
1. At what point does one state action in the community of states becomes a threat to the regional peace and stability of member states to require a collective response?
2. Where do we draw the limits of State sovereignty? And what should require us to intervene in the internal affairs of a sovereign state within the community of nation?
3. Have we considered the agreements signed amongst the member states within the region for purposes of peace and security and what may bridge that agreement to require collective intervention?
4. Could the changing environment in democratic governance be at play with respect to the situation in Gambia today?
5. What are the opportunities lost because of the late intervention in Liberia that could have led to the decisions to intervene early in Gambia by ECOWAS?
6. Does the peace, security, and stability of Gambia pose a collective threat to regional peace and stability?
Peter Offem Ubi
Writes from New York
