France\u2019s interventions in Mali and the wider Sahel appear to mark a new departure in French military policy in terms of the approach to multilateralism adopted, the regionalisation of the response, and the levels of violence deployed. Yet how \u2018new\u2019 is this approach, when set against the historical backdrop of French military interventions in Africa? Should it be seen as a modified version \u2013 an adaptation \u2013 of the new type of multilateral engagement that emerged in the wake of the 1994 Rwandan genocide? Using a historical institutionalist lens, employing the notions of critical junctures, \u2018layering\u2019, and \u2018drift\u2019, this article briefly sets out the unilateral approach that marked French military policy in Africa prior to 1994 before going on to analyse the multilateral approach and associated path-dependent practices that emerged after the Rwandan genocide. Drawing on elite interviews in Europe, the US and Africa, the article shows that, while France\u2019s engagement in the Sahel is characterised by an ostensibly novel multilateral approach, it does in fact combine new and old norms, ideas and practices.<\/p>\n
Read the article in the Journal of Strategic Studies<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Gordon D. Cumming<\/i><\/b>\u00a0is Professor of Language-Based Area Studies at Cardiff University. A fellow of the Royal Historical Society and alumnus of the Collegium, he has served as Professeur Invit\u00e9 at Sciences-Po Bordeaux and Lyons. An ex-diplomat, his British Academy and Leverhulme-funded research focuses on French and EU security and development policies. His books include:\u00a0Aid to Africa<\/i>\u00a0(2001),\u00a0French NGOs in the Global Era<\/i>\u00a0(2009), and\u00a0La France. L\u2019Europe et l\u2019Aide<\/i> (2013).<\/span><\/div>\n Abstract France\u2019s interventions in Mali and the wider Sahel appear to mark a new departure in French military policy in terms of the approach to multilateralism adopted, the regionalisation of the response, and the levels of violence deployed. Yet how … Continue reading Author information<\/h3>\n