Nina Wilén, "Securitizing the Sahel: Analyzing External Interventions and Their Consequences" (Oxford UP, 2025)

Nina Wilén, "Securitizing the Sahel: Analyzing External Interventions and Their Consequences" (Oxford UP, 2025)

Author: Marshall Poe November 25, 2025 Duration: 52:01
The Sahel has become a focal point of international security interventions, with external actors providing extensive security force assistance (SFA) to local military, police, and paramilitary forces. Securitizing the Sahel: Analyzing External Interventions and Their Consequences (Oxford UP, 2025) by Dr. Nina Wilen critically examines the rationale, implementation, and consequences of these efforts (2012-2024). With unique access to both military operations and strategy-making in European capitals, the author provides an innovative methodological approach, exclusive material, and a comprehensive perspective. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, including participant observation of military operations and over 100 interviews with policymakers, military personnel, and security practitioners across the Sahel and Europe,this book offers an unprecedented analysis of how SFA has shaped local security dynamics and broader geopolitical competition. The book argues that SFA in the Sahel is driven not just by regional security threats, such as insurgency, violent extremism, and transnational crime, but also by external actors' strategic interests. Through a comparative analysis of bilateral (France, U.S.) and multilateral (EU, UN) initiatives, it demonstrates how SFA has been framed as the primary policy tool to manage instability. Securitizing the Sahel offers both theoretical and empirical contributions to understanding SFA in fragile states. It challenges prevailing frameworks, provides critical insights for policymakers, and highlights the unintended consequences of militarized external assistance in the Sahel and beyond. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

Dive into the complex and vibrant realities of the African continent through its latest scholarship. New Books in African Studies, part of the broader New Books Network founded by Marshall Poe, offers a space where authors and academics engage in substantive, accessible conversations about their newest work. Each episode pairs a researcher with a knowledgeable host for a deep exploration of a recently published book, moving beyond simple summaries to unpack the arguments, the research journeys, and the contemporary relevance of these studies. You’ll encounter discussions that span history, politics, social movements, artistic expression, and the intricate dynamics of culture and place, reflecting the podcast’s wide-ranging scope. This channel transforms dense academic writing into lively dialogue, making cutting-edge thought available to anyone curious about Africa’s past and its pressing present. Tuning in provides a direct line to the scholars shaping the field, offering listeners a chance to grapple with fresh perspectives and nuanced analyses. It’s an intellectual resource that respects the listener’s intelligence, fostering a deeper understanding of a region too often simplified. For anyone with an interest in scholarly discourse, global affairs, or simply learning from experts in genuine conversation, this podcast serves as an invaluable and consistently engaging audio library.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

New Books in African Studies
Podcast Episodes
Oil and Militancy in Nigeria: A Conversation with Noo Saro-Wiwa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
Noo Saro-Wiwa is an author and journalist. Born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and raised in England, she attended King's College London and Columbia University in New York.​ Her first book, Looking for Transwonderland: Trav…