Redrawing the Map: How African States Shaped Multilateralism

In this episode, we explore how African states have actively shaped multilateral institutions. Lynda Chinenye Iroulo, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Georgetown University in Qatar, shares her research in decolonial international relations and the design of regional organizations, including 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

Production:

Guest: Lynda Chinenye Iroulu, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University in Qatar https://www.qatar.georgetown.edu/faculty/lynda-chinenye-iroulo/

Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva.