Contemporary French Security Policy in Africa: On Ideas and Wars

Description

Despite efforts to normalize its post-colonial relationship and the downsizing of its permanent military presence, France remains a sought-after security provider in Africa. This book uncovers individual and collective motivations that drive French foreign and security policy in Africa. It explains French interventionism by drawing on actors’ subjective perceptions of reality and seeks to answer why French decision-makers are ready to accept the considerable risks and costs involved in guaranteeing the security of African countries. Adopting an actor-centric constructivist ontology, the author traces the emergence and subsequent development of ideas throughout the decision-making processes that led to Operation Serval in Mali and Operation Sangaris in the Central African Republic. Front Matter ....Pages i-xx Introduction: France’s New Interventionism in Africa (Benedikt Erforth)....Pages 1-8 Ever Just the Same? French Foreign and Security Policy in Africa (Benedikt Erforth)....Pages 9-23 Agents, Structures, and Ideas (Benedikt Erforth)....Pages 25-50 Securitizing Mali: No Free Ride for Terrorists in Francophone Africa (Benedikt Erforth)....Pages 51-110 Avoiding a Second Rwanda: Peacekeeping in the Central African Republic (Benedikt Erforth)....Pages 111-168 After the Storm (Benedikt Erforth)....Pages 169-181 Back Matter ....Pages 183-218