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Author: Alex Thurston

by Alex Thurston

Alex Thurston is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Cincinnati.
More articles by this author → Follow @sahelblog

  • The International Community’s Soft Acceptance of the Coup in Mali

    Mali Coup
    September 3, 2020by Alex Thurston

    The soft acceptance of the coup is ultimately a soft acceptance of the status quo in Mali.

    Analysismali, sahel
  • Why Do Political Challenges in Mali Persist?

    December 12, 2018by Alex Thurston

    Given that ordinary Malians would have so many reasons for resenting and overthrowing these figures, the question is particularly acute there—why has so much of the status quo persisted for so long?

    Analysisafrica, mali
  • Boko Haram’s New Tactics Imperil Nigeria’s Countryside

    Military Training
    November 17, 2017by Alex Thurston

    In recent months, Boko Haram has attacked rural military bases and convoys in the northeastern part of Nigeria and in surrounding countries, acquiring weapons in the process. Since spring 2015, when regional militaries chased most of its members back underground, the sect had been focused on survival and terrorism. While the group is far from their high point of 2014-2015, when they controlled a territory estimated at 20,000 square miles, these raids show a new strategic acumen.

    Analysisafrica, extremism
  • As Chad Leads in Regional Security, Its President Seeks More Western Support

    July 19, 2017by Alex Thurston

    The transactional nature of the relationship between Chad’s President Deby and the Western powers—regional security in exchange for funding, with little criticism—is not limited to Chad. Other leaders in Africa and beyond, watching how Deby manages this period of crisis, will take clear lessons about their own options and incentives.

    Analysisforeign-aid, peace-and-security
  • Speaking with Jihadists: Mali Weighs Its Options

    May 25, 2017by Alex Thurston

    There are several reasons why the idea of negotiations still appeals to some Malians, even as France continues to view Mali’s problems in black and white terms.

    Analysis
  • Two Legal Battles Test Key West African Democracies

    March 22, 2017by Alex Thurston

    In two key Western African democracies—Senegal and Niger—ongoing legal battles raise serious questions about whether elected incumbents are using the courts to reshape the political playing field.

    Analysisafrica, rule-of-law
  • Buhari’s Absence Poses Familiar Questions for Nigerians

    February 27, 2017by Alex Thurston

    In contrast to the secrecy surrounding the ailing Yar’Adua, Buhari’s team has sought to broadcast that their man remains in charge.

    Analysiseconomics, nigeria
  • Mali Violence Mars Cautious Progress on Joint Patrols

    January 18, 2017by Alex Thurston

    The patrols are meant to be a key step toward the goal of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration—in other words, they should convince people to set down their weapons and pursue peace.

    Analysismali, peace-processes
  • The Heavy Cost of Misreading Nigeria’s Crisis

    September 1, 2016by Alex Thurston

    The securitized approach takes a risk in arguing that camps around Lake Chad could become breeding grounds for terrorists.

    Analysisafrica, humanitarian
  • Kenya’s Threat on Camp Closures Exposes Some Hard Truths

    May 17, 2016by Alex Thurston

    The question of funding leads into a broader argument from the Kenyan government about Western hypocrisy on refugees.

    Analysisafrica, refugees
  • Next →

This week

  • Pakistan’s Flood Problem Is Supercharged by Climate Change. Recovery Means Going Beyond Damage Control

    June 6, 2023by Emil Marc Havstrup and Pieter Pauw

    Pakistan could become a vanguard of climate resilience, but it faces tremendous hurdles.

    Analysisclimate-change
  • Why Congo’s M23 Crisis Lingers On

    May 30, 2023by Judith Verweijen and Christoph Vogel

    The conflict has been propped up by blame games, ineffective diplomacy, recurring geopolitical tensions and proxy warfare in the Great Lakes region, and the Congolese state’s weak commitment to addressing grievances that drive armed group proliferation.

    Analysisafrica, conflict

Trending

  • China’s Small Steps into UN Peacekeeping Are Adding Up

    May 24, 2023by Courtney J. Fung

    China will likely continue to shape peacekeeping along its preferences for a more technical and less overt political foreign policy tool.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • As UN Missions Draw Down, Strengthening Community-Led Approaches to Protection of Civilians

    May 23, 2023by Gay Rosenblum-Kumar

    UN mission transitions still result in gaps in the protection of civilians experiencing violent conflict.

    Analysispeacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • Human Survival Depends on Biodiversity: Interview with Brad Cardinale

    May 22, 2023by Jill Stoddard

    Brad Cardinale, an ecologist who focuses on the conservation and restoration of biodiversity in natural systems discusses the scale and irreversibility of the biodiversity crisis.

    Interviewsbiodiversity, climate-change, ecology
  • Mediation in Peacekeeping Contexts: Trends and Challenges for Mission Leadership

    May 19, 2023by Sara Hellmüller and Flavia Keller

    The political role of the UN may not have diminished overall, but shifted.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • How Not to Do UN Peacekeeping

    May 17, 2023by Cedric de Coning

    One of the most enduring lessons learned over the past 75 years of peacekeeping is that peace cannot be imposed.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • 75 Years On, the Uncertain Fate of UN Peacekeeping

    May 16, 2023by Jenna Russo

    This spring marks 75 years since the UN first deployed a peacekeeping mission. Here are some of the challenges peacekeeping is facing, and opportunities for the future.

    Analysispeacekeeping, unpkat75, united-nations
  • Ten Years After Genocide Trial in Guatemala, Justice System Suffering Trust Deficit

    May 10, 2023by Vaclav Masek

    The ten-year anniversary of the historic trial coincides with a process of erosion in judicial independence in the country.

    Analysisamericas, rule-of-law, transitional-justice
  • As Crimes against Peacekeepers Increase, How to Find Accountability

    May 4, 2023by Agathe Sarfati and Jill Stoddard

    Major challenges remain in pursuing justice for peacekeepers who have been victims of attacks.

    Analysispeacekeeping
  • A New Agenda for Peace: Making Peace Plural and Healing Historical Traumas

    April 27, 2023by Youssef Mahmoud

    Left unaddressed, painful legacies of past political violence will continue to infiltrate the institutions, processes, and assumptions that inform definitions of peace and approaches to sustaining peace.

    Analysispeace-and-security, sustaining-peace, united-nations
  • Small Changes, Big Impacts: WPS Achievements in Contingent Owned Equipment Manual Negotiations

    April 18, 2023by Phoebe Donnelly

    Updates to the COE manual addressing some of the particular obstacles faced by women peacekeepers are a tangible step toward meeting gender parity goals in UN peacekeeping operations.

    Analysispeacekeeping, women-peace-and-security
  • Be a Feminist Everywhere: Interview with Tània Verge Mestre

    April 14, 2023By Jill Stoddard and Eimer Curtin

    The Minister of Equality and Feminisms of the Generalitat de Catalunya shares lessons on implementing equality policies and creating a feminist future from her experiences as a policymaker, political scientist, and activist.

    Interviewswomen-peace-and-security
  • Sharing the Pen in the UN Security Council: A Win for Inclusive Multilateralism?

    April 7, 2023by Julie Gregory

    Greater sharing of the pen within the Security Council could help mend perceptions of partiality and facilitate more inclusivity.

    Analysismultilateralism, security-council
  • Wagner Group Poses Fundamental Challenges for the Protection of Civilians by UN Peacekeeping Operations

    March 20, 2023by Dirk Druet

    The Russian government-affiliated Wagner Group has gained widespread attention for its brutal tactics in the Central African Republic and Mali.

    Analysisafrica, peacekeeping, protection-of-civilians
  • Addressing Gender Bias to Achieve Ethical AI

    March 17, 2023by Ardra Manasi, Subadra Panchanadeswaran, and Emily Sours

    For AI to be ethical and be a vehicle for the common good, it needs to eliminate any explicit and implicit biases, including on the gender front.

    Analysistechnology
  • Future Peace Deal Not Just About Putin, Zelensky: Ukrainian People Get a Voice and a Vote

    March 8, 2023by William Partlett

    A stable peace deal requires the support of the Ukrainian people for both legal and political reasons.

    Analysisconflict, eastern-europe, peace-processes
  • Do People Trust the UN? A Look at the Data

    February 22, 2023by Albert Trithart and Olivia Case

    Survey data does not reveal a major, widespread drop in the UN’s legitimacy over the past few years.

    Analysismultilateralism, united-nations
  • After Agreement in Ethiopia’s Tigray Region, What Stands in the Way of Lasting Peace? 

    February 7, 2023by Hilary Matfess and Anne Lauder

    A peace deal between Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian government signed in November 2022 raised hopes that the war in northern Ethiopia—one of the world’s deadliest conflicts in recent years—was finally drawing to a close.

    Analysisafrica, conflict, peace-processes
  • The Multilateralism Index: Measuring Transformation in a Time of Crisis and Uncertainty

    January 9, 2023by Adam Lupel

    A better understanding is needed of where the multilateral system is working, where it is not, and where it is headed.

    Analysismultilateralism
  • Milestone in the Security Council: What the New Humanitarian “Carve-out” Means for UN Sanctions Regimes

    December 16, 2022by Naureen Chowdhury Fink and Agathe Sarfati 

    Last week,  the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted Resolution 2664, a cross-cutting humanitarian carve-out for all UN sanctions regimes–including the 1267 ISIL/al-Qaida regime–to safeguard the timely and effective conduct of humanitarian activities.

    Analysishumanitarian, security-council, terrorism
  • The East African Community Steps into the Crisis in the DRC. Will It Help?

    December 12, 2022by Jenna Russo

    While the current crisis is unlikely to be resolved without military force, any hope for success requires that operations remain closely tied to a political process, and that neighboring countries remain accountable to support the security and sovereignty of the DRC.

    Analysisafrica, conflict

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