The American Foreign Policy in the Francophone Sahel: The Security-development Nexus and the Redefinition of Priorities in a Non-governed Space after 9/11

Sahel is an African region composed by fragile or “partially sovereign states”, i.e. states where central government is not able to impose its control on the whole territory and on its borders, and where a “sanctuarization” of the territory by terrorist organizations could take place. Since 9/11 the Sahel has attracted international attention: in 2002 the US Administration launched the Pan-Sahel Initiative, subsequently renamed Trans Sahara Counter Terrorism Partnership. American policy in this region is a typical case study, useful to explore the changes in US way of managing and contain threats coming from ungoverned spaces. Factors of change should be observable in the redefinition of the policy priorities, in the reconceptualization of the menace and in the modification of the bureaucratic structures. Which ideas and strategic beliefs have been applied in this area? Does a Security-Development Nexus really exist on the ground, or in the American policy towards Sahel?"