The book explores the complex dynamics of the Sahel region, a vast area facing insurgencies, migration, and smuggling due to weak governance and climate change. It focuses on Mali as the epicenter of the crisis, highlighting the lack of legitimate social contracts and political consensus among its fragile states. Competing identities and economic interests lead to local resource conflicts, exacerbated by elite manipulation and jihadi insurgents' infiltration. The author raises critical questions about the potential consequences for the Sahel, its neighbors, Europe, and the global community.
Morten Boas Bücher
At the center of many of Africa's violent conflicts are movements that do not seem to fit any established theories of armed resistance. "African Guerrillas" offers new models for understanding these movements, eschewing one-dimensional explanations. The authors build on - and in some cases debate - the insights provided in Christopher Clapham's groundbreaking work. They find a new generation of fighters - one that reflects rage against the machinery of a dysfunctional state. Their analysis of this phenomenon, combining thematic chapters and a range of representative case studies, is a crucial contribution to any effort to understand Africa's war-torn societies. -- Description from http://www.booktopia.com.au (July 15, 2014).