Volume 32 (2014), Edition 2

The armed conflict in Mali and the international intervention support the assumption that the form of counterinsurgency (COIN) is changing. Dealing with this subject the contribution focuses on the intervening actors France and the EU. They apply...

The sub-Saharan Sahel has undergone three major droughts in less than a decade. Efforts undertaken by Germany and the international community in the area of governance included the delivery of essential services and the promotion of political...

This article discusses the German foreign and security policy towards Mali. It critically analyzes the decision-making process mandating the German contribution to the international efforts in Mali after the military coup d’état in 2012. While...

Security sector reform (SSR) is an important element of interventions in transition societies. The article evaluates the concept of security sector reform and its application, and it draws lessons for future SSR activities. The article proceeds in...

The European Union has become deeply involved in international security sector reform (SSR) and security assistance efforts. This article examines the EU’s activities in the field and discusses to what extent the EU has made good on the promises...

In the wake of NATO’s long engagement in Afghanistan and the rise of internal conflicts involving terrorism in Africa, it is tempting to approach African security sector shortfalls as a function of “building partnership capacity” as focusing...

This article assesses the rising threat of both organized crime and terrorism and their link to the conflict in Mali and the West African region. The author argues that organized crime, especially the activities of Latin American drug cartels, and...

A restrictive just war framework is used to assess French intervention in Mali. In cases of failing states, the moral presumption should be for UN intervention, but unilateral interventions are justifiable when the UN lacks capacity and will. While...

Due to both the growing number of military operations carried out by unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) and the increase in production of UCAVs, a response of the international community is imperative. But what is the adequate reaction on this...

In 2013 the Hamburg Working Group for Research on the Causes of War (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kriegsursachenforschung, AKUF) registered 22 wars and 8 armed conflicts. This is the lowest number of wars in the AKUF data base since 1962. The article...