Taking Stock of African Peace Operations Dr. Cedric de Coning is a Research Professor in the Research Group on Peace, Conflict and Development at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). He co- directs the NUPI Center on United Nations and Global Governance and coordinates the Effectiveness of Peace Operations Network (EPON). Dr. Coning has 30 years of experience in research, policy advising, and training and education in the areas of conflict resolution, peacekeeping, peacebuilding and peace and conflict studies. Throughout his career, he has authored numerous books on peacekeeping in Africa, was the co-editor of The Future of African Peace Operations, and contributes regularly to leading international affairs journals. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Ethics from the Department of Philosophy of the University of Stellenbosch, and a M.A. (cum laude) in Conflict Management and Peace Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. General (Ret.) Martin Luther Agwai has a long and distinguished military career dedicated to promoting peace and security in Africa. Since his commissioning in 1972 and before retiring from in December 2009, he has held several staff and command positions both in Nigeria and abroad, culminating in his promotion to four-star general and appointment as Chief of Defense Staff in June 2006. He has served as Deputy Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone and was Deputy Military Adviser at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army. Gen. Agwai was also the last Force Commander of the African Union Mission in Sudan, and the first Force Commander of the African Union / United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur. General Agwai is a graduate of the National Defense University, Washington, D.C. In 2003, he earned the prestigious Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic award, and was awarded the 2010 Visionary Award by the Africa Center for Strategic studies for his career achievements in promoting peace and security in Africa. He is currently the Pro-Chancellor of Bingham University Karu in Nassarawa State, Nigeria. Dr. Linda Akua Opongmaa Darkwa is a Senior Research Fellow of the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy at the University of Ghana and the Coordinator of the Secretariat for the Training for Peace Programme in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She has authored numerous publications on the subject of peace and security with a particular focus on the institutionalization of processes for enhancing peace and security through Africa’s multilateral institutions. Her broad research interests include a focus on the implications of global security paradigms on continental, regional, and national processes of governance, human rights, development, and security. .