Nathan, Laurie2014-01-282014-09-302013-09Laurie Nathan (2013) Synopsis of Community of Insecurity : SADC's struggle for peace and security in southern Africa , African Security Review, 22:3, 181-189, DOI:10.1080/10246029.2013.8226671024-6029 (print)2154-0128 (online)10.1080/10246029.2013.822667http://hdl.handle.net/2263/33119This article presents a synopsis of Community of Insecurity : SADC’s struggle for peace and security in southern Africa, published by Ashgate in 2012. It focuses on SADC’s efforts to establish a common security regime; conflict and peacemaking in southern Africa between 1992 and 2011; and the prospects of SADC becoming a security community. It summarises the reasons for SADC’s difficulties in the sphere of regional security and politics, namely the weakness of member states, their unwillingness to surrender sovereignty to communal mechanisms, and the absence of common values among them. The main conclusion is that these problems lie primarily at the national level and cannot be solved at the regional level. SADC is a forum of states and it cannot do anything that these states will not permit it to do.en© 2013 Institute for Security Studies © Taylor & Francis. This is an electronic version of an article published in African Security Review, vol.22, no. 3, pp. 181-189,2013. doi : 10.1080/10246029.2013.822667 African Security Review is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rasr20SADCRegional securityPeace makingSouthern African Development CommunityPostprint Article