Some experts have argued that the Western military presence may have contributed to the coup, by creating a sense of dependency on Western countries and by providing opportunities for military officers to be trained in Western methods of warfare.
But three other African nations — Burkina Faso, Mali and Guinea — have warned that any military intervention in Niger would be seen as a declaration of war against them, as well. The countries also warned that military intervention in Niger could destabilize the entire region, which has faced a spike in attacks from Islamic militants. A Burkina Faso government spokesperson made the announcement Monday.
To talk more about the crisis in Niger, we’re joined by Stephanie Savell. She’s co-director of the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. She’s an anthropologist who has researched U.S. militarism in West Africa and beyond.It’s great to have you with us. Can you start off by just explaining how this coup took place, the involvement of the presidential guard, etc.?Sure, yeah.
And a lot of these Western powers really see — saw Niger as, you know, this kind of stable democracy and were pouring security assistance — that is, funding for military and police efforts, training efforts, a lot of weapons sales, as well, from the U.S. and elsewhere. So, they are pouring all this security assistance to kind of bolster this so-called democracy.
, the former State Department ambassador to Gabon, who in 2003, a few months after President George W. Bush invaded Iraq, wrote that famousop-ed, asking, “Did the Bush administration manipulate intelligence about Saddam Hussein’s weapons programs to justify an invasion of Iraq?” The piece was headlined “What I Didn’t Find in Africa,” and he’s talking about uranium in Niger. So, if you can address all of those things?That’s right.
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