An examination of the central predicate of Uganda's foreign policy in the Great Lakes Region

Abstract

Since 1986, when President Yoweri Museveni captured power, Uganda’s foreign policy in the Great Lakes region (GL) has been characterised by an aggressive military interventionist approach, which some scholars have attributed to the military background of the leader. This chapter argues that Uganda’s policy has been influenced by its precarious geography, which is landlocked and with porous borders; two factors that have the potential to undermine the country’s economic and security interests. Given that the GL is big, the author uses the cases of Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, DRC, and Rwanda to analyse Uganda’s regional foreign policy in the GL.