Harmon focuses on terrorism and insurgency in the lawless expanse of the Sahara Desert and the adjacent, transitional Sahel zone, plus the broader meta-region that includes countries such as Algeria, Mali, and Nigeria, and to a lesser extent, Niger and Mauritania. Covering such issues as Islamist terrorism, border insecurity, contraband, and human trafficking, this book looks at the interrelated problems of political and social pathologies that affect terrorist movements and security in the region. A valuable publication, it treats a series of related problems on the basis of a broadly defined area, with a special emphasis on the role of Islam as both a moderating and exacerbating factor. The book has a broader appeal than more narrowly focused country studies that derive from the perspective of only one problem such as terrorism or border insecurity.

Stephen A. Harmon, Pittsburg State University, USA.

1: The Sahara-Sahel Zone: Historical Background; 2: Algeria: Islam and State Building; 3: Mali: Democracy, Corruption, and Insurgency, 1991-2012; 4: Nigeria: The Growth of Radical Islam; 5: American Securitization Initiatives in the Sahara-Sahel Zone; 6: Regional Destabilization: Algeria/Mali and Northern Nigeria, 2010-2012; 7: Mali at War; 8: Intervention and Restoration