22 research outputs found
At the Crossroads: Saudi Arabia's Dilemmas
In the course of the last decade it has become clear that events have gone wrong in Saudi Arabia. A deep intra-societal struggle cuts across all formative institutions of the country and the house of Al Saud is at pains to address its profound crisis of legitimacy and performance, the overwhelming crisis of identity associated with modernity, the internal and external pressures for socio-economic reforms, and the complex and multi-faceted phenomenon of religious extrem ism. This article examines the formidable challenge of addressing frustrated popular expectations, and reforming the state's religious institutions and rigid politico-ideological agenda without alienating the substantial conservative constituency on which the monarchy's legitimacy depends. It also traces the historical and the ideological roots of international and local jihadism as well as the evolution of Wahhabism from a retrograde but status quo -oriented philosophy into a radical ideology prone to violence and terrorism
Violent Conflicts and Civil Strife in West Africa:Causes, Challenges and Prospects
The advent of intra-state conflicts or ‘new wars’ in
West Africa has brought many of its economies to the brink of collapse, creating humanitarian
casualties and concerns. For decades, countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and
Guinea- Bissau were crippled by conflicts and civil strife in which violence and incessant
killings were prevalent. While violent conflicts are declining in the sub-region, recent
insurgencies in the Sahel region affecting the West African countries of Mali, Niger and
Mauritania and low intensity conflicts surging within notably stable countries such as Ghana,
Nigeria and Senegal sends alarming signals of the possible re-surfacing of internal and regional
violent conflicts. These conflicts are often hinged on several factors including poverty, human
rights violations, bad governance and corruption, ethnic marginalization and small arms
proliferation. Although many actors including the ECOWAS, civil society and international
community have been making efforts, conflicts continue to persist in the sub-region and their
resolution is often protracted. This paper posits that the poor understanding of the fundamental
causes of West Africa’s violent conflicts and civil strife would likely cause the sub-region to
continue experiencing and suffering the brunt of these violent wars
Ambivalences of mobility: rival state authorities and mobile strategies in a Saharan conflict
How do ongoing histories of mobility in economic and political life affect rival state authorities’ claims over a disputed territory? In the conflict over Western Sahara, wide-ranging strategies of mobility pose a challenge to familiar tropes of states constraining movement while subjects seek to escape such control. Morocco and its rival, the liberation movement Polisario Front, both curb mobility while their mobile Sahrawi subjects evade the authority of a state; simultaneously, however, each state authority invests in the circulation of persons to support claims over territory while Sahrawis exercise mobility to enhance their position vis-à -vis a state authority. Mobility emerges as an ambivalent means of mediating and transforming power relations, especially between governing authorities and governed constituencies. [mobility, Morocco, Polisario Front, sovereignty, the state, territory, Western Sahara
The Challenge of Terrorism and Religious Extremism in Jordan; Strategic Insights, v. 5, issue 4 (April 2006)
This article appeared in Strategic Insights, v.5, issue 4 (April 2006)Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
Morocco’s Islamists : bucking the trend?
Anouar Boukhar
The drivers of insecurity in Mauritania
Anouar Boukhar
Al-Qaeda’s resurgence in North Africa?
Anouar Boukhar
Simmering discontent in the Western Sahara
Anouar Boukhar
Western Sahara : beyond complacency
Anouar Boukhar