Staff Profile
Dr Tim Murithi
Senior Research Fellow
Description
BA (Psychology), Queen’s University, Canada;
MA(International Relations), Kent;
PhD (International Relations), Keele
Research Interests
- African Union Peace and Security Architecture
- Peacekeeping and Post-conflict reconstruction in Africa
- Governance and Democratisation in Africa
- United Nations Peacebuilding Commission
- Civil society, Peace and Development
- Indigenous Approaches to Peacebuilding in Africa
Selected Publications
Author of over 60 journal articles, book chapters and reports on peace and security issues.
Books
- The Ethics of Peacebuilding, (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2009), pp.182. ISBN 978-0-748624478.
- The African Union: Pan-Africanism, Peacebuilding and Development, (Aldershot, England: Ashgate Publishers, 2005), pp.184. ISBN 978-0-754639-53-4.
Edited Books and Journals
- Towards an African Union Government: Challenges and Opportunities, (Pretoria: Institute for Security Studies, January 2008), pp. 189. ISBN 978-1-920114-25-1. (www.issafrica.org).
- The African Union and its Institutions, (Johannesburg: Jacana Press, 2008) with John Akokpari and Angela Ndinga-Muvumba. pp.416. ISBN 978-1-920196-03-5. (www.jacana.press).
- Guest Editor, African Security Review, Vol.16, No.3, 2007, Special Issue on 'Conflict Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect' (www.issafrica.org)
Journal Articles
- 'The Evolving Role of the African Union Peace Operations: The AU Mission in Burundi, Darfur, and Somalia', Africa Security Review, Vol.17, No.1, March 2008, pp.70-82. (www.issafrica.org)
- 'The Responsibility to Protect as Enshrined in Article 4 of the African Union Constitutive Act', Africa Security Review, Vol.16, No.3, October 2007, pp.14-24. (www.issafrica.org)
- 'A Local Response to the Global Human Rights Standard: The Ubuntu Perspective on Human Dignity', Globalisation, Societies and Education, Vol.5, No.3, November 2007, pp.277-286.
- 'African Approaches to Building Peace and Social Solidarity', African Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 7, Vol.6, No.2, 2007, pp.9-33.
- 'Practical Peacemaking Wisdom from Africa: Reflections on 'Ubuntu', Journal of Pan-African Studies, Vol.1, No.4, 2006, pp.25-34. (Available at: http://www.jpanafrican.com).
- Rethinking the United Nations System: Prospects for a World Federation of Nations?, International Journal on World Peace, Vol. XX, No. 4, December 2003, pp.3-28.
- 'The Myth of Violent Human Nature', Peace and Policy: Violence in a Non-violent World, Vol. 8, September 2003, pp.28-32.
- 'Rebuilding Social Trust and Reconciliation in Northern Uganda', Peace Review, 14(3), September 2002, pp.291-295.
- 'Kenya in Transition: Mediation, Power-sharing and Constitutional Reform', Conflict Trends, Vol.1, Vol. 1, April 2008, pp.16-19. (www.accord.co.za)
- 'Addressing the Scourge of War: The Prospects for the UN Peacebuilding Commission', Journal of International Law and Policy, Vol. V, No.1, 2007, pp.11-18.
- 'The African Union / NEPAD Post-Conflict Reconstruction Policy Framework: An Analysis', Conflict Trends, Vol. 26, March 2006, pp.16-24. (www.accord.co.za).
Book Chapters
- 'Under the Acacia: Mediation and the Dilemma of Inclusion', with Paula Murphy-Ives, in Katia Papagianni (ed), Conflict Mediation in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities, (Geneva: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, April 2007), pp. 77-84. (www.hdcentre.org)
- 'Developments Under the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights Relevant to Minorities', in Kristin Henard and Ian Dunbar (eds.), Synergies in Minority Protection: European and International Law Perspectives, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), pp.432.
- 'The UN Peacebuilding Commission and its Implications for Africa', in Garth Le Pere and Nhamo Samasuwo (eds.), The UN at 60: A New Spin on an Old Hub, (Midrand, South Africa: Institute for Global Dialogue, 2006), pp.148-158.
- 'Towards a Symbiotic Partnership: The UN Peacebuilding Commission and the Evolving African Union/NEPAD Post-Conflict Reconstruction Framework, in Adekeye Adebajo and Helen Scanlon (eds.), Dialogue of the Deaf: Essays on African and the United Nations, (Johannesburg: Jacana Press, 2006), pp. 243-259. (www.jacana.com)
- 'The African Union and the Prospects for Minority Protection', in Alexandra Xanthaki and Nazila Ghanea (eds.), Minorities, Peoples and Self-Determination, (Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff, 2005), pp.299-314. 'NGOs and Conflict Resolution in Africa', Oliver Furley and Roy May, (eds.), Peacekeeping in Africa, (London: Ashgate Publishing, 1998), pp.265-281
Policy Papers
- 'Institutionalising Pan-Africanism: Transforming African Union Values and Principles to Policies and Practice, ISS Paper, No. 143, June 2007, pp.1-16. (www.issafrica.org)
- 'Between Paternalism and Hybrid Partnership: The Emerging UN and Africa Relationship in Peace Operations', FES Briefing Paper, No.2, New York, February 2007, pp.1-8. Available at: http://www.fes-globalization.org/publications
Policy Reports
- The United Nations Role in Africa: 1945-2005, Centre for Conflict Resolution and Freidrich Ebert Stiftung, Maputo, Mozambique, 14-16 December 2006. Co-authored with Helen Scanlon. (Available at: http://ccrweb.uct.ac.za).
- The United Nations Mediation Experience in Africa, Centre for Conflict Resolution and the United Nations Department for Political Affairs seminar report, Cape Town, South Africa, Forthcoming, 16-17 October 2006, pp.41. Co-authored with Judi Hudson. (Available at: http://ccrweb.uct.ac.za).
- African Perspectives on the UN Peacebuilding Commission, Centre for Conflict Resolution and Freidrich Ebert Stiftung, Maputo, Mozambique, 3-4 August 2006. Co-authored with Helen Scanlon. (Available at: http://ccrweb.uct.ac.za).
- South Sudan in a New Sudan, Centre for Conflict Resolution, Franschhoek, South Africa, 20-21 April 2006, pp.40. Co-author with Vanessa Jimenez. (Available at: http://ccrweb.uct.ac.za).
- Building an African Union for the 21st Century: Relations with Regional Economic Communities (RECs), NEPAD and Civil Society, Centre for Conflict Resolution, Cape Town, South Africa, 20 to 22 August 2005, pp.62. Co-authored with Angela Ndinga-Muvumba. (Available at: http://ccrweb.uct.ac.za).
- HIV/AIDS and Human Security: An Agenda for Africa, Centre for Conflict Resolution, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 9 to 10 September 2005, pp.32. Co-authored with Angela Ndinga-Muvumba and Helen Scanlon. (Available at: http://ccrweb.uct.ac.za).
Media Articles
- 'Winner-takes-all-politics Tearing Kenya Apart', Cape Times, 9 January 2008. (www.capetimes.co.za)
- 'Building Peace When War is Over' with Helen Scanlon, Business Day, South Africa, 9 November 2006.
- 'Native' Debate Shows Race Issue Lives in SA Psyche, Cape Times, Thursday 9 September 2006. (www.capetimes.co.za)
- Oil Revenues Can Rebuild Sudan, if they Buy the Peace, Cape Times, Monday 11 May 2006. (www.capetimes.co.za)
- A Decisive Moment for UN Reform, Cape Times, South Africa, Monday 17 April, 2006. (www.capetimes.co.za)
- UN Reform Should Shift Power from Governments to the People of the World, Cape Times, South Africa, Wednesday 12 October 2005. (www.capetimes.co.za)
- Putting a New Face on African Unity, with Angela Ndinga-Muvumba, Business Day, South Africa, 18 August 2005.
Conference Keynote Speech
- Delivered the Mary Kingsley Zochonis Lecture at the Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association of the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Royal Society of African Affairs and the Review of African Political Economy (ROAPE) on 'The State and Mining in Africa'. Title of talk: Under-mining Africa: The Illicit Trade in Natural Resources and its Impact on Peacebuilding and Development, 12 and 13 September 2007, Centre for African Studies, Leeds University, United Kingdom.
Other Professional Activities
Between 2007 and 2008 Tim was a Senior Researcher with the Direct Conflict Prevention Programme with the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From 2005 to 2007 he was a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Conflict Resolution, University of Cape Town, in South Africa. From 1999 to 2005 he worked as a Programme Officer in the Programme in Peacemaking and Preventive Diplomacy at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), in Geneva, Switzerland. From 1995 to 1999 he taught International Relations at the University of Keele.
Training
- Trainer, Facilitator, and Coordinator of training courses in Negotiation, Mediation, and Reconciliation (1999 – 2008)
He has served as a consultant to:
- African Union (AU) (2007-2008)
- UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) (1999 – 2000 and 2008)
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sierra Leone (2003)
- UN affiliated University for Peace (UPEACE) (2002)
- International Peace Institute (IPI - formerly the International Peace Academy) in New York (2007)
- InterAfrica Group (IAG), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (2007 – 2008)
- Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) in Geneva, Switzerland (2007)
- Femmes Africa Solidarité, Dakar, Senegal (2003 – 2005)
- All Africa Conference of Churches, Lomé, Togo (2000)
Fellowships
- 2006 - Visiting Fellow at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) office in New York, USA
- 2006 – Special Fellow, United Nations Institute for Training and Research, Geneva
- 2003 – Visiting Research Fellow, African Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Bradford, UK
Board Positions
- Member of the International Editorial Board of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development (www.journalpeacedev.org)
- Member of the International Advisory Council of the TODA Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research (www.toda.org)
Refereeing
- Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, 2005.
- International Peacekeeping, 2008.
Examining
- May 2007 – External Examiner on the Masters Degree Programme in International Relations, Department of Politics and International Studies, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
- March to April 2007 – External Examiner on the MA in Master of Social Sciences in International Relations and Master of Philosophy in Justice and Transformation, Department of Politics, University of Cape Town, South Africa