Defence Diplomacy’s Multilateral Cooperation Strategies: Strengthening Mutual Trust amongst African States

In a globalized environment diplomacy is the peaceful means of relations between international actors. The post-Cold War era diplomacy conduct is mostly grounded by multilateralism on certain issues of common interest between states. In this respect the states interest to execute their foreign defence and security policies ground the emergence of defence diplomacy, particularly as the basis for addressing common cross-border security threats. The study’s major objective is to investigate multilateral cooperation strategies for strengthening mutual trust between African states. The study adopted a mixed method research design. The target population comprised strategic senior staff in related security institutions and ministries in Kenya, three African region security mechanisms and the African Union Security Department. Using Cochran’s formula, a sample size of 240 was reached, and through the purposive sampling techniques, participants with not less than twenty years in service or served and those with relevant knowledge in diplomacy and decision-making positions were identified. From security related institutions data was collected using questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussion. Qualitative data analysis used categorised thematic coding, conversation and discourse analysis, while excel application was used on quantitative data to generated graphical interpretations. The article concluded that the application of cooperation strategies of defence diplomacy between African states would be key in strengthening mutual trust between them as a basis for fostering peace and security. The study applied the theory of peace, in which the concept of peace is found in aspects of power, security strategy and national interest. Peace in itself conjures peace-proactiveness that produces a common base between states to realize harmonious aspects of purpose for deeper ties. The study’s key findings were that states multilateral defence strategies in cooperating in defence and security industries, sharing of information and intelligence, and conducting high-level defence and security diplomatic missions appeals meaningful relations that are bound to establish mutual trusts. The two key recommendations of the study include: The identified defence diplomacy cooperation strategies need only African states mutual agreement to cooperate by use of defence and security institutions; and that embracing these defence diplomacy strategies should be viewed as the basis of retracing the lost step of African-hood whose wedge was driven by the imperialists’ scramble for Africa, and continues to be manifested in neo-capitalist ideologies.