Long on the periphery of both academic research and international attention, the countries of the West African Sahel currently find themselves at the center of global concerns over security, terrorism, migration, and conflict. Since the early 1990s the Sahelian states have also been engaged in political struggles over the construction of democratic institutions. Edited by Leonardo A. Villalón and Abdourahmane Idrissa, Democratic Struggle, Institutional Reform, and State Resilience in the African Sahel addresses a key and little-studied question: How have the politics of democratization across the Francophone Sahel shaped processes of state-building, and with what effects on the resilience of state institutions? Starting from the premise that variation in the politics of institution building and institutional reform—although most frequently justified and debated in terms of democratization—have differing impact on the construction of resilient states , this book examines these processes in six francophone states of the Sahel: Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad. The contributors represent a set of distinguished scholars from across the region, many of whom have also been important actors in the struggles they analyze.
Author(s): Leonardo A. Villalón, Rahmane Idrissa (eds.)
Publisher: Lexington Books
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 230
Cover
Democratic Struggle, Institutional Reform, and State Resilience in the African Sahel
Democratic Struggle, Institutional Reform, and State Resilience in the African Sahel
Copyright Page
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
The Politics of Democratization and State Building in the Sahel
A Conceptual Framework
Democratic Politics on the Desert’s Edge: The Sahelian Cases
Democracy and State Resilience in the Sahelian Crisis
Note
References
Chapter 2
Controlled Democratization, Institutional Reforms, and Political (In)Stability in Mauritania
An Unstable Country?
From Controlled Democratization to the Restoration of Authoritarian Rule
The Return of Coups and New Attempts at Democratization
Back to Square One: Putsches, State Fragility, and Institutional Debates
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 3
Constitutional Revisions, Democracy, and the State in Senegal
The Malleability of Procedures for Revision
The Temptation to Fraud: Referendum and the Revision Process
The Ambivalent Content of Revisions
Notes
References
Chapter 4
Stress-testing Democratic Institutions in Mali
Constitutional Mimicry and a Scramble for Power
The Opportunistic Instrumentalization of Elections
A Political Consensus: Maintain Power above All Else
Comforting Power by Weakening Military Institutions
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 5
Democratic Struggle and State Building in Burkina Faso
Democracy in Burkina: The Road to Institutionalization
Manipulation: Undermining Institutionalization
Resilience: Supporting Institutionalization
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 6
The Nigerien Paradox
Political Instability and Rooting the Concept of Republic
Extending State Activities to New Sectors
Dynamics of Territorial Oversight
Concluding Thoughts
References
Chapter 7
Reforming for Stability or Reforming the Instability?
A Daunting Legacy of Political Instability
Breaking the Political Bind
A New Framework for the Organization of Elections
Mixed Consequences of the Reforms
Missed Opportunities for Normalization and the Showcase Effect of the Legacy of War
Conclusion
Notes
References
Chapter 8
The Dialectics of Democratization and Stability in the Sahel
Five Phases in a Background
The Many Ways Forward and Some Deviations
Toward a Theoretical Framework
Notes
References
Index
About the Contributors
