Western failure and Russia's rise in the central Sahel
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22419686 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Beatriz Mesa (0000-0003-2733-8768, International University of Rabat, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-20 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-29 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Security Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1024-6029 • E-ISSN: 2154-0128 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10246029.2026.2683183 |
| OpenAlex | W7166721473 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 17 |
This article examines the geopolitical shift in the Sahel from Western dominance to growing Russian influence, using Mali as a case study to illuminate broader regional dynamics. From a critical geopolitical perspective, it argues that this realignment cannot be understood solely in terms of great-power competition. Rather, it is analysed as an endogenous process linked to the erosion of Malian security sovereignty following a decade of international intervention, initiated under French leadership in 2013 and preceded by earlier U.S. counterterrorism engagement.Focusing on Mali, the article shows how international military operations and UN-backed mediation, culminating in the 2015 Algiers Peace Agreement, contributed to the political and institutional legitimisation of Tuareg and Arab secessionist armed actors. By transforming these movements into recognised interlocutors and incorporating them into security governance arrangements, the intervention helped consolidate de facto authority in northern Mali (Azawad), thereby deepening the fragmentation of state control and weakening Bamako’s ability to restore full territorial sovereignty.By tracing the internal effects of intervention on the reconfiguration of territorial authority, the article contributes to critical debates on sovereignty, security governance, and geopolitical transformation from below in the Sahel.
Corporate governance · De facto · Geopolitics · Hegemony · International relations · Politics · Sovereignty · African Studies and Geopolitics · Peacebuilding and International Security · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East
Théories de la sécurité
The Sahel—An Enabling Environment?
Unrecognized States in the International System
National Interests in International Society
Africa’s Challenge to International Relations Theory
The Sahara
Africa unsecured? The role of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) in securing US imperial interests in Africa
Great power’ intervention in African armed conflicts
Degrees of statehood
Sharing Sovereignty
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghrib’s Expansion in the Sahara
Disputed Desert
The territorial trap
De Serval à Barkhane
Disentangling the security traffic jam in the Sahel
International Peacebuilding
| Highly cited | No |
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