Publication

This brief argues that security threats in Mauritania and the Sahel are characterized by layers of intertwined and crosscutting interests at the local, national, and regional levels, international partners’ misunderstanding of these complex dynamics leaves them susceptible to manipulation by illegitimate national actors, and regional cooperation against transnational illicit trafficking and terrorism is hamstrung by governments that have calculated that their international standing is enhanced by the perpetuation of instability.