Africa has increasingly come into focus over America’s fight against terrorism as the scourge ate deep into the body politic and society of the continent. Even before the “War on Terror” became the official blueprint and foreign policy objective of the Bush administration after the apocalyptic attacks of 9/11, an important determinant of western diplomacy towards Africa was the need to cultivate relations in line with the fight against terror that targeted western interests, values and citizens.
This political dispensation obliged the United States and its western allies to embrace the lesser evil of courting, encouraging and protecting dictatorships in Africa at the expense of democracy. This debate on conflict of interest between cultivating democracy and fighting terror has been highlighted by the recent revolts in North Africa. Until their last days in power, the leaders of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya struggled to convince the world that their demise would open the floodgates of terrorism in their respective countries.
The Rise of Terrorism in North Africa
The connection between terrorism and the politics of violence in North Africa is not only theoretical but practical. This region constitutes the birthplace of some of the most radical Islamic organizations, all of them united in their call for a global jihad against the West. The African connection in the rise of global terrorism drew inspiration from Osama bin Laden, who emerged as the undisputed and dreaded leader of al Qaeda .
The birth of al Qaeda created the biggest security threat to the United States after the Cold War. The full extent of its destructive power was felt in the 9/11 attacks that left the United Sates in fear and panic. The celebrations that greeted this event in parts of Africa clearly indicated the level of support that al Qaeda commanded in Africa. Nowhere was this more evident than in North Africa.
In Algeria, a firm alliance was cemented between al Qaeda and the Islamic group Salafist group for Preaching and Combat better known in its French acronym as GSPC, which then took the name AQIM – Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb whose trademark was violence against the Algerian state and its western allies. In Egypt and Tunisia, the Muslim Brotherhood and al Nahda remained barred from the political scene because of their espousal of religious extremism.
Friends, Foes and Interests: The West’s Dilemma in North Africa
The fall of the Gaddafi regime in Libya has created a completely new dimension to the debate about the terrorism discourse in North Africa. When the West decided to abandon Gaddafi after his 42-year-old dictatorship became unpopular, the embattled leader sounded a cry of desperation and disappointment with the West. “I’m surprised that we have an alliance with the West to fight al Qaeda, and now that we are fighting terrorists they have abandoned us.”
This statement, which has been largely ignored, downplayed and overlooked by many observers, remains an important piece of evidence to justify western double standards and hypocrisy in (North) Africa. How did Gaddafi suddenly move from being a sponsor of international terrorism (evidence being his implication in the Lockerbie bombing and support for the IRA) to a very close ally in the fight against terrorism?
Though western justifications for drawing closer to Gaddafi refer to his denunciation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, current evidence suggests otherwise. The West had been courting Gaddafi behind the eyes of the world. Even worse, Gaddafi was an instrument, if not accomplice, in the interrogation and torture of terror suspects. This is the object of a recent document released by Human Rights Watch implicating the CIA in the abuse of human rights in close collaboration with Gaddafi. Egypt had been in this game of rendition since 1995.
Why did the West abandon its allies in North Africa?
After decades of engagement in the fight against terror, why did the West abandon its allies in North Africa? Did the killing of bin Laden bring the threat of terrorism to its complete end? Or is it a continuation of the “use and dump” diplomacy that characterises western attitudes towards Africa? The answer to these questions lies in an understanding of the current economic and geostrategic significance of North Africa especially as far as access to this region’s vital resources especially oil is concerned.
Even when the oil factor is kept aside, it is very clear that these dictatorships had become more like liabilities than assets to the West especially as far as their long term interests are concerned. The significant decline in western influence in Africa in the past decades required an opportunity to stage a comeback – a challenge to Africa’s new master, China, which helplessly stood by and saw its friends fall in North Africa. Whoever takes control of North Africa, whether China or the West, it still remains to be seen how the equation will be balanced between oil and terrorism.
See Also
Africa’s Look East Policy under Challenge
Phases in the Scramble for Africa
Sources
Azam, Maham. “North Africa: 9/11 Ten Years On – The Threat From Al-Qaeda.” Allafrica.com, 1 September 2011
Blitz, James; Dombey, Daniel and Bokhari Farhan. “Al-Qaeda warns US of ‘Curse’ ”. Financial Times, 6 May 2011.
“How did Al Qaeda Emerge in North Africa?” The Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2007.
Wright, Lawrence. "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11." Knopf, 2006.
Tongkeh Joseph Fowale - Tongkeh Joseph Fowale is a post graduate student of International Public Affairs at LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome - Italy.
