Fighting terrorism in Africa by proxy: the USA and the European Union in Somalia and Mali

Abstract

The French intervention in Mali in early 2013 emphasizes that the decision-makers in Paris, Brussels, and Washington considered the establishment of the radical Islamist regime in Northern Mali a threat to their security interests. The widespread instability including the rise of radical Islamist groups in Somalia was perceived as a threat to western interests. It is the core argument of the paper if western powers decide to provide security in Africa, they will be inclined to use proxy instead of deploying own troops. Security provision by proxy in African means that African troops are doing the actual fighting and peacekeeping on the ground while western powers basically pay the costs, the logistics, and the training of local African troops. The paper concludes that the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in Somalia and The African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) in Mali are proxies for the USA and the European Union.

Keywords:

• terrorism in Africa
• EU Africa policy
• US Africa policy
• national security interests
• West Africa
• Horn of Africa

Notes on Contributor

Gorm Rye Olsen is professor in global politics and Head of Institute, Institute of Society and Globalization, Roskilde University, Denmark. His interests are in the global role of the EU, the security policy of the EU, and the roles of China, the USA, and the EU in relation to Africa. Recently, he has published in journals such as Journal of European Integration, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, Third World Quarterly, and Journal of International Relations and Development.