CIAO DATE: 03/2012
February 2012
Africa Center for Strategic Studies
The past year has seen a ratcheting up and convergence of security concerns in the Sahel and Maghreb with the growing potency of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, the influx of mercenaries and weaponry from Libya, the expanding influence of narcotics traffickers, and Boko Haram's widening lethality. Nonetheless, regional cooperation to address these transnational threats remains fragmented. In "Regional Security Cooperation in the Maghreb and Sahel: Algeria's Pivotal Ambivalence," the latest Africa Security Brief from the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Laurence Aïda Ammour examines the central role that Algeria plays in defining this cooperation and the complex domestic, regional, and international considerations that shape its decision-making.
Resource link: Regional Security Cooperation in the Maghreb and Sahel: Algeria's Pivotal Ambivalence [PDF]