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Sahel: The Perfect Storm
The Sahel is the borderland of 3 million square kilometers between the Sahara Desert and the African savannah and forest lands further south. Much of this huge area is inhospitable. Insurgencies are common, as are migration and smuggling, jobs being as rare here as effective government intervention-state power extends only fitfully, and the region resists attempts to subdue militants, people-traffickers, nomadic herders or anyone excluded from power.
The Western Sahel's fragile states face growing popular discontent, complicated by both climate change and military intervention by France and other powers. Mali is the epicenter of the Sahel Morten Bøås charts the history of Mali and its fragile neighbors, identifying their current frailty as unsettled states, without legitimate social contracts or political consensus. This in turn has generated competing identities and economic interests, which spill over into resource conflicts over grazing, water, mineral reserves or smuggling routes. Such local contests have been manipulated by elites intent on their own preservation, and appropriated by jihadi insurgents eager to integrate into local communities.
The Western Sahel's fragile states face growing popular discontent, complicated by both climate change and military intervention by France and other powers. Mali is the epicenter of the Sahel Morten Bøås charts the history of Mali and its fragile neighbors, identifying their current frailty as unsettled states, without legitimate social contracts or political consensus. This in turn has generated competing identities and economic interests, which spill over into resource conflicts over grazing, water, mineral reserves or smuggling routes. Such local contests have been manipulated by elites intent on their own preservation, and appropriated by jihadi insurgents eager to integrate into local communities.
360 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 28, 2025
A very important and timely book, based on several years of the author's accumulated academic research in the region.
A few issues for me:
1. I was reading the e-book and there were a number of typographical errors
2. While the book is purportedly about the Sahel, the focus is overwhelmingly on Mali, given the author's background. Much less focus on Niger and Burkina Faso.
3. The structure detracted from the argument the book was meant to convey. The book starts with a lot of dense political theory about Big Men and weak states, but then goes back and gives the history of the region and the three main AES countries. This background would have been better up front.
4. As a result of the structure, the book was a bit repetitive, giving us the same historical background on several occasions.
Finally, the challenge with any current affairs novel is that it becomes dated quickly, and I fear this will be the case here. The book suggests the Goita regime in Mali has been resilient, but flash forward a few months and every indication is that the regime is on its last legs.
The analysis is insightful and it gives a good treatment of Mali's political trajectory. But the aforementioned issues took away from my enjoyment.
A few issues for me:
1. I was reading the e-book and there were a number of typographical errors
2. While the book is purportedly about the Sahel, the focus is overwhelmingly on Mali, given the author's background. Much less focus on Niger and Burkina Faso.
3. The structure detracted from the argument the book was meant to convey. The book starts with a lot of dense political theory about Big Men and weak states, but then goes back and gives the history of the region and the three main AES countries. This background would have been better up front.
4. As a result of the structure, the book was a bit repetitive, giving us the same historical background on several occasions.
Finally, the challenge with any current affairs novel is that it becomes dated quickly, and I fear this will be the case here. The book suggests the Goita regime in Mali has been resilient, but flash forward a few months and every indication is that the regime is on its last legs.
The analysis is insightful and it gives a good treatment of Mali's political trajectory. But the aforementioned issues took away from my enjoyment.
Displaying 1 of 1 review