Africa unsecured? The role of the Global War on Terror (GWOT) in securing US imperial interests in Africa

Abstract

This paper explains and illustrates how the US Administration of President George W. Bush used the pretext of its global war on terror to justify the launch of a new African, Saharan–Sahelian front in the global war on terror, which in turn justified the creation of a new regional combatant command for Africa (AFRICOM) and the subsequent militarisation of much of Africa to meet and satisfy America's new imperial designs. It also explains why the terrorism that justified the launch of this new front was fabricated by Algeria's military intelligence services working complicitly with their US counterparts. The paper illustrates why the Bush Administration's policy towards Africa, so far continued by the Barack Obama presidency, has brought mostly increased repression, unrest and political instability. It concludes that as long as US policy towards Africa remains fundamentally imperialist and conducted through AFRICOM, it is unlikely to deliver peace, security or development.