2013/10/29 by Hussein Solomon · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Counter terrorism #Development economics #Economic growth #Economics #International community #Law #Political economy #Political science #Politics #Public administration #Sociology #State (computer science) #Terrorism #Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
paper · doi:10.1080/10220461.2013.841804
openalex publication_date 2013/10/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Counter-terrorism initiatives are failing across the African continent. A major reason for this failure lies in the state-centric and military-focused nature of many counter-terrorism initiatives. In Africa, the state is often the source of insecurity for ordinary citizens. Any military strengthening of an illegitimate African state by the international community not only serves to bolster a predatory state but also undermines the human security of citizens. More importantly, such an approach conflates sub-state and international terrorism and serves to bolster the latter, thereby undermining regional and international security further. Put simply, current counter-terrorism initiatives are counter-productive. This paper focuses on counter-terrorism efforts in Nigeria and Mali with a special focus on US initiatives to combat terrorism in the region.