Interstate conflicts in west africa: The Reference Group Theory Perspective

Making a methodological shift from European-based to African-based reference groups, this article examines interstate conflicts in West Africa against the backdrop of reference group theory. The main thesis is that as a subsystem with implicit aim for stability, the Economic Community of West African States and the West African Heads of State Club constitute reference groups with rights and privileges for memberstates. It is hypothesized that conflicts occur when a regime is perceived by others to have violated group norms and values and is pressured to observe the subregional code of conduct. Evidently, the groups act collectively to maintain system equilibrium and promote integration by bringing recalcitrant members in line. The main cases of Ghana, Togo, and Burkina Faso suggest a strong interrelationship among radical politics, domestic disorder, and interstate conflicts as well as the influential role of a “reference group” in the dynamics of West African conflicts. © 1991, SAGE PUBLICATIONS. All rights reserved.