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2007 Winner of the Essay Competition Announced

Winner

"None but Ourselves": Democratic Design of Security and Defence Policy in Africa
By Laurie Nathan
Research Fellow, LSE and the University of Cape Town.

Runners-up

Tip of the African Spear: Forging an Expeditionary Capability for a Troubled Continent
James E Shircliffe, Jr
Analyst, SAIC

Post-Colonial African challenges for Peace and Security - The future of African Military Forces
Matthew Rombough
Independent consultant

The judges also named Festus Brew Quansah as a Special Runner-up in recognition for being the top young persons entry in the competition.

The deadline for entries has passed. Entries were invited to address the following question in the context of a specific country or region in Africa, or the continent as a whole:

“What should African armed forces of the 21st Century look like?”

Some themes to address might include: The future threats African militaries are likely to face and the capabilities that will be needed to combat them; the changes that are required in terms of their current force structures; the efficacy of external assistance in this process; the main challenges to civil-military relations in Africa; the prospects for success of the proposed African Standby Force and African peacekeeping in general.

First Prize: £1,500

This exciting competition, established jointly by RUSI and the Brenthurst Foundation, a Johannesburg based think tank devoted to strengthening Africa’s economic performance, with the generous support of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, aims to encourage fresh and innovative perspectives on African security and development.

The Nelson Mandela International Essay Competition is open to professionals writing in the field, academics, government and armed forces' personnel, and new writers seeking to contribute to the debate. Entries need not be members of RUSI. The winning entry will receive an award of £1,500 and a year's membership of RUSI, and two runners-up will also each receive a year's membership. All three winning entries will (subject to Editorial Board approval) be published in the RUSI Journal.

• Authors of any nationality are eligible, but their work must be presented in English
• Essays must not be less than 3,000 words and not more than 3,500 words in length

The closing date for entries to the competition was 19 April 2007. Entries are preferred by e-mail but will be accepted on paper by post and fax. Please do not send floppy disks. An international panel of eminent judges selected by RUSI will assess the entries. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence on the nature of assessment or the results will be entered into.

Please supply your name, a one-paragraph biography and current affiliation,  address and e-mail on the first page of the essay.

E-mail applications
Please use ‘Nelson Mandela International Essay Competition 2007’ as the message title and address to journal@rusi.org

For paper applications please send your essay to:
Dr Terence McNamee, Director of Publications, RUSI,Whitehall, London SW1A 2ET, United Kingdom

Or fax completed entry form and essay to: +44 (0)20 7747 2647

The 2006 prize was awarded to:

David Chuter

Click here to read the winning essay