Firm Ground or Quick Sand? Intervention and Security in the Sahel
The Sahel hangs in the balance, between a region set aflame with civil war and arguably one of the greatest political transitions since the 'third wave' democratisations in Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America. The challenge for Europe, its member-states and its institutions, is how to respond to these complex processes that would make for a more stable, democratic, and liberal region.
With talk of prolonged military intervention and the threat of international terrorism, there is an assumption that we, Europe and Europeans, must do something. Any action though is highly contested and challenged. Any policy coherence is made ever more difficult by the lack of a grand strategy towards the Middle East and North Africa, during a time of global financial crisis, following withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the slow melting of the Euro-Atlantic security community.
This presentation argues that the complex nature of the challenges facing the Sahel requires a complex approach that mixes intervention, insulation, and inaction.
This video is one of five from the IPR Launch Conference. View other Conference videos.
