Redrawing the Map: How African States Shaped Multilateralism

About this episode

Lynda Chinenye Iroulo discusses how African states have influenced multilateral institutions and the importance of recognizing their contributions.

In this episode Lynda Chinenye Iroulo, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Georgetown University in Qatar, discusses how African states actively shaped multilateral institutions. Drawing on her research in decolonial international relations and the design of regional organizations, she talks about the history behind the African Union, the African Peer Review Mechanism, and the push for common African positions at the UN. Lynda highlights examples such as the shift from non‑intervention to the responsibility to protect, reforms in peace support operations, debates over the ICC, and ongoing calls for UN reform. She argues for a post‑colonial institutionalist lens to make African contributions visible and to rethink how global institutions are designed and implemented. Resources: Ask a Librarian!Essays on Global Regionalism Acharya, A., De Lombaerde, P., Futák-Campbell, B., Iroulo, L. C., & Batista, J. P. (Eds.). (2026). Essays on Global Regionalism I: The Past, Present and Future of Regionalism Studies. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-13642-8 Where to listen to this episode Apple podcasts…

People in this episode

Guest: Lynda Chinenye Iroulo

Topics covered

• African states
• multilateralism
• decolonial international relations
• African Union
• UN reform
• peace support operations

Keywords

• multilateral institutions
• African contributions
• responsibility to protect
• UN reform
• regional organizations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Georgetown University, United Nations, African Union, African Peer Review Mechanism, International Criminal Court

Books & works: Essays on Global Regionalism

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