Paper short abstract:

How does security-sector assistance play out in the domestic context of African recipient states and how do variations in domestic politics affect the outcome of security assistance? A comparison of Sahel and the Horn.

Paper long abstract:

African responses to security threats such as terrorist activities vary from robust counter-insurgency, as is the case of Ethiopia, to relative absenteeism, as in Mali. What are such variations a function of? In this paper, we highlight the extent to which variations in patronage, in historical legitimacy of the state, in the degree of ethnic ownership of state institutions including the military, and in a country's propensity for extraversion affect the strength of its response to security threats or its "will to live." We then show how such responses condition the nature and effectiveness of international, and particularly US, security-sector assistance to these countries. Our findings highlight the paradox that US capacity-building and security-governance efforts are most welcome by, and most developed in, states where there are significant deficits of the will to live or commitment to security.