Publications /
Policy Paper

Back
Challenges for Transatlantic Counterterrorism Cooperation in North Africa
Authors
Christopher S. Chivvis
June 20, 2017

The United States and Europe share a common interest in addressing the growing terrorist threats from North Africa. The emergence of ISIL as a force in the region — notably in Libya, but also in Egypt and to a lesser degree in Tunisia, Algeria, and Mali — is cause for genuine concern. The ISIL challenge is compounded by the persistence of older terrorist organizations, both local ones such as the region’s various Ansar al Sharias as well as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), al Qaeda’s local affiliate. Even though ISIL has suffered a blow thanks to the efforts of multiple actors to dislodge it from its safe haven in Sirte, along the Libyan coast, its potentially large number of remaining fighters continue to threaten regional security — as evidenced by the massive U.S. airstrike conducted on a rump ISIL battalion south of Sirte on January 19, 2016, rumored to be retaliation in part for the December 2016 Christmas market attack in Berlin. ISIL and other groups also continue to threaten U.S. and European regional interests, while contributing to Europe’s migration crisis via the central Mediterranean route. As of today, North Africa’s terrorist groups are a clear challenge for transatlantic security, even as other issues in the Levant and Eastern Europe soak up the bulk of policymakers’ attention.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    Ian Lesser
    November 18, 2013
    This policy brief argues for a closer relationship between Morocco and the United States. Morocco’s geo-economic position is evolving in ways that will shape U.S. and international interests in the country and open new avenues for cooperation. Key drivers of change in this context include Morocco’s stake in greater economic integration in the Maghreb, a growing role in Africa, new energy and infrastructure projects, and the emergence of Morocco as a hub for communications around th ...
  • Authors
    Alice Ekman
    February 1, 2013
    Ces deux dernières années ont été marquées par les mouvements de protestation dans le monde arabe. Ces mouvements ont été suivis avec la plus grande attention par les autorités chinoises, préoccupées à la fois par les conséquences intérieures, sur l’opinion publique et la stabilité politique du pays, et extérieures, sur les intérêts économiques et les ressortissants chinois présents en Afrique du Nord. Mais ces mouvements ont-ils changé la perception et les orientations stratégiques ...
  • Authors
    Alexis Arieff
    July 1, 2011
    This paper explores the recent evolution of security cooperation between the United States and Algeria, which have forged a strong partnership on counterterrorism despite lingering mutual distrust. The United States has strengthened its defense outreach to Algeria over the past decade, largely based on concerns over transnational terrorism, and Algeria has sought to benefit from this outreach as it positions itself as a vital player on regional issues following years of civil confli ...
  • Authors
    Abderrahmane Mebtoul
    April 1, 2011
    Pièce maîtresse dans la région euroméditerranéenne, le Maghreb est sollicité par l'Union européenne, et plus récemment par les Etats-Unis, dans le cadre d'une compétition entre ces deux pôles dans leur recherche d'une hégémonie économique. Plusieurs années après que l'Accord d'Association avec l'Europe est entré en vigueur, a-t-il permis une coopération économique, financière et sociale orientée vers une véritable accumulation du savoir-faire organisationnel et technologique ? Quell ...
  • Authors
    François Gemenne
    March 1, 2011
    This paper analyzes the future of migrations related to climate changes and environment degradations. He shows how the dominant public reasoning remains inappropriate for addressing these issues, because of the Western/Northern countries' misconception of the relation between migration and environmental changes, including the cultural and political biases these countries show in the solutions they propose. The discrepancy between public policies and the actual reality of climatic an ...
  • Authors
    Françoise Nicolas
    January 1, 2011
    La montée en puissance de la Chine et de l’Inde domine les débats économiques depuis quelques années déjà. Poursuivant une stratégie d’internationalisation résolue, les entreprises chinoises et indiennes sont désormais présentes dans bon nombre de régions du globe. Ce dynamisme n’a pas manqué de susciter des inquiétudes mais aussi des espoirs, notamment dans le monde en développement, où ces deux pays sont perçus comme des partenaires potentiellement plus bienveillants que les pays ...
  • Authors
    Radhi Meddeb
    September 17, 2010
    The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional organization which was created in 1981, reassembling six Arab countries together: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Thanks to their oil income, GCC countries have enjoyed economic boom since 2002, hence breaking with the 1990s economic slow-down. The year 2002 corresponds to the oil prices’ entry in an upward spiral which has resulted in an increase of both income and foreign assets. This ...