Human Security Centre Human Rights and International Security Research

Large-scale changes within the Nigerian government are needed to defeat Boko Haram.

As potential contacts are monitored in places such as the United States and Spain, the sickness is very suddenly falling off the political radar. But West Africa still faces a multitude of challenges and infections, and the West must take this opportunity to be better prepared for future outbreaks.

Hastings Ismay, the first Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), famously stated that NATO was meant to “keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”[1] Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it would be difficult to argue that NATO had been unsuccessful in attaining these goals. Russia no longer posed a substantial threat to NATO member states, substantial amounts of American political will and troops remain committed to Europe, and a resurgent and militaristic Germany is a laughable thought.

Since late 2012 the Central African Republic (CAR) has been plagued by sectarian violence between Muslim and Christian extremist groups. This has led to ongoing ethnic cleansing, the initial stages of genocide, and created a large-scale humanitarian crisis.