A constructivist approach to Gambia-Senegal relations: Analysis of the ‘two states, one people’ and the ‘next-door enemy’ discourse

Abstract

ABSTRACT Gambia’s foreign policy on Senegal under the presidency of Yahya AJJ Jammeh (1996–2016) is the focus of this article. The study relied on speeches, statements and communiqués as its source of data for analysis. Using constructivism as a general theory and discourse analysis as a framework of analysis, the work argues that the Gambia’s foreign policy towards its neighbour was built upon two main social constructs, namely ‘two states, one people’ and ‘next-door enemy’. Despite changes in the leadership in Senegal, it is argued that the Gambian leadership consistently constructed Senegal in the same way during this period. The article concludes that these two constructs explain the often contradictory relationship between the two countries. While the ‘two states, one people’ construct was used to argue for and build cordial relationships, ‘the next-door enemy’ construct was invoked to condemn Senegal and justify strained relations.