The Impacts of Neo-colonial Security Frameworks in the South Atlantic: The Case of French Presence in Western Africa

Abstract

This chapter brings to the floor the debate on European—firstly French—negative legacy and current influence in the West African dysfunctional security apparatuses. It works on neo-colonialism concepts from post-colonialism theories, which define and analyse the different sorts of dependence relationships between centres and peripheries, as well as alternative ways for the state construction and consolidation in the recently independent countries of Africa. It presents a reasonable amount of historical data to argue that the West African reality can only be understood by the apprehension of colonization history and the processes of state’s construction and management during and after the Cold War. Finally, it argues that the proliferation of transnational crime, piracy, and insurgent groups in West Africa is also an ultimate justification for the extra-regional power politics.