Declining Hegemonical Foreign Policies of Nigeria

Potshots at regaining her hegemonic position have underlined Nigeria’s international relations history in the last 25 years or more. The ‘Giant of Africa’ has seen its best years, and yet has witnessed its lowest times in global politics, which deserves a holistic study. This book is that gap-filler, examining Nigeria’s declining political hegemony in Africa between 1985 and 2022, a period characterised by dramatic internal political, social, and economic downturns that negatively affected her image and international relations. The study traces the country’s shifting leadership and foreign policies through different eras. Chapters analysing the Nigerian foreign policy internal dynamics, ideology, her military and civilian leadership, and how these played out in Nigeria's regional influence, paint a holistic politico-historical portrait of a nation in hegemonic flux from 1989 continuing into the present day. Deploying National Role Conception as an analytical tool to contextualise and dissect Nigerian foreign policy, this book deepens our understanding of the nation’s international relations and challenges preconceptions as to how, and through what lenses, foreign policies of declining states can and should be considered. Through its approach, the book offers scholars, students, researchers and policymakers fresh perspectives and tools for analysing foreign policies of states, particularly Nigeria. Sheriff Folarin is Professor of International Relations and teaches at Texas State University and University of Rwanda. He is also a Professor-at-Large at the Institute for Peace, Security and Development Studies at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, and Ife Institute of Advanced Studies, both in Nigeria, where he teaches graduate students and research fellows. He has had a rich academic career spanning twenty-four years, holding numerous academic leadership positions in institutions across Africa and the United States. He is a recipient of prestigious international fellowships and awards, including Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) and Study of United States Institute (SUSI) Fellowship. He has been instrumental in pioneering and/or editing academic publications, including Covenant University Journal of Politics and International Affairs, and the Africa Symposia Issues of Good Governance Worldwide, a journal of American Society for Public Administration.