The Joint Force of the G5 Sahel: An Appropriate Response to Combat Terrorism?
The Joint Force of the Group of Five of the Sahel reflects the commitment of African states to cooperate to address common security challenges. Yet, little is known about its counter-terrorism strategy for the region. This article focuses on the security pillar of the G5 Sahel, the Joint Force (FC-G5S), and provides a critical examination of its mandate to combat terrorism in the Sahel. It explains the context into which the force was deployed and provides an overview of its conceptualisation and configuration. It demonstrates that in its current form, there is a danger of advancing a security-first stabilisation strategy that relies heavily on military-led counter-terror operations to contain and deter the threat of terrorist groups which can have serious consequences for local communities living among insurgents. The article argues that while establishing firmer border control and enhanced intelligence-sharing between the G5 Sahel states is important, the current counter-terror response risks depoliticising insurgents, and neglects the sociopolitical and economic grievances and problems of governance that have enabled violent extremism to take root in the first place. Removing the categorisation of jihadist insurgents as terrorists only and understanding their multifaceted identities – some as legitimate social and political actors – would open up more policy responses, including dialogue and conflict resolution.
Donor-driven state formation: friction in the World Bank–Uganda partnership
The chapter explores the partnership relation between the World Bank and Uganda from 2000 and onwards. It demonstrates how the notion of politics frames apolitical development discourses, and argues for how the formation of partnership entails specific tacit governance mechanisms that have been central to the formation of neoliberal Uganda, the latter being the anthology's overall topic. The donor's governance mechanisms mediated through partnership are indeed powerful, but this does not mean that the aid recipient is prostrate and without any theoretical or empirical possibilities for resistance. The formation of neoliberal Uganda in the context of development aid should thus be understood in the nexus between external governance mechanisms and local means for translation and resistance.
Kor effektive har eigentleg FNs fredsoperasjonar i Somalia, Kongo og Mali vore?
Ekspertar frå heile verda skal i eit nytt nettverk sjå nærare på kor godt fredsoperasjonar faktisk fungerer.
Nettverk for forskning på fredsoperasjoners effektivitet (EPON)
NUPI har sammen med 40 partnere over hele verden etablert et internasjonalt nettverk for å forske på fredsoperasjoners effektivitet....
Boklansering: Skatt i Afrika – tvinga, reform og utvikling
'Taxing Africa' ser nærare på debattane rundt skatt og utvikling i Afrika. Kva er dei største utfordringane, og er det moglegheiter for reform?
I gode og onde dager: USAs internasjonale antiterror-partnerskap
Virker mellomstatlig antiterrorsamarbeid?
Skatt er den nye kvinnekampen
Det er nå økt oppmerksomhet omkring hvordan skatteregimer og kapitalflukt påvirker kvinners liv. I forbindelse med at kampen mot ulovlig kapitalflyt tolkes i et menneskerettighetsperspektiv, får skattespørsmål også relevans opp mot likestillingsproblematikk og kvinners rettigheter.
Somalia: A Political Economy Analysis
Somalia has been without a central authority for more than a quarter century. An entire generation is growing up without experiencing stability and security, basic human rights, and economic prosperity. There is no functioning central government with authority over the entire country, extreme weather impacts the country unmitigated, and social challenges such as corruption are rampant. This bears several risks, such as support for radical Islamist groups, such as Al-Shabaab, posing a threat to domestic and international security, or a brain drain with large number of people fleeing the instability and conflict in Somalia. Informal governance actors, formal local authorities, and the private sector have filled the gaps in providing security, education, and health services. Yet, powerful formal and informal, national as well as international actors have vested interests in a weak state or governance failure, with conflict and instability becoming self-perpetuating. This political economy analysis sheds light on the actors, their interests, and power relationships, thus providing a better understanding of these arrangements and their relation with the wider state-building efforts.