Mapping the Changing Structure of Conflict Networks in North and West Africa

Bibliographic Data

ID12976443
AuthorsOlivier Walther (0000-0002-5768-2845, University of Florida, corresponding author), Steven M Radil (0000-0002-0985-8930, United States Air Force Academy), David G Russell (0000-0002-6531-9421, Princeton University)
Year2021
Volume14
Issue3
Pages211-238
Publication date2021-07-03
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAfrican Security (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1939-2206 • E-ISSN: 1939-2214
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19392206.2021.1996173
OpenAlexW3214266601
LanguageEN
Citations received3

Contemporary conflict in North and West Africa is characterized by a high degree of social and political complexity. Hundreds of rebel groups and extremist organizations are involved in a shifting series of alliances and rivalries with regional governments and with each other. These changing relationships can be represented as a social network that provides both opportunities and constraints to violent organizations. To better address this complexity, this article models the temporal evolution of both opposition and cooperation networks using detailed information on nearly 40,000 events in North and West Africa from 1997–2020. Using a relational approach called Dynamic Social Network Analysis (DSNA), the article suggests that the increasing number of belligerents, increasing density of conflictual relationships, and polarization on powerful organizations capable of conducting extensive military operations make a peaceful resolution of the North and West African conflicts more elusive than ever

Conflict resolution · Geography · North west · Opposition (politics · Polarization (electrochemistry · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Social media · Social network analysis · Sociology · Complex Network Analysis Techniques · Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation · Law · Political Conflict and Governance