Abstract:
One of the challenges facing integration processes worldwide is
balancing between unilateralism and collectivism in the pursuit of
national interests. Since the establishment and reestablishment of the
East African Community (EAC) in 1967 and 2000, respectively,
unilateral decisions by partner states in pursuit of their respective
national interests have not only undermined the regional integration
process but continue to slow down the achievement of its objectives.
Using Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda to mirror the EAC, this
study examines how unilateralism and the pursuit of national interests
affect the integration process. The paper finds that while the pursuit
of national interests contributed to the establishment of the EAC
regional cooperation in the colonial period and its re-establishment in
an increasingly highly globalised period, it has equally undermined
the effective implementation of the regional integration agenda. The
paper utilises secondary data and situates the study within the Neorealism and Rational Choice Theories of International Relations. It
recommends greater political will and respect for all the statutes of
the Community. Secondly, partner states are to respect the
Community’s institutions and promote good governance, the rule of
law, including holding free, fair, and credible elections.
