Libya As A Collapsed State And Security In The Sahel: More Fuel To The Fire?

Abstract

This article questions the connection between state collapse in Libya and security in the Sahel. It claims that the two variables are not as closely connected as they are being depicted in the dominantly circulating rhetoric. The analytical endeavor of the article takes advantage of Buzan and Wæver’s work on Regional Security Complexes and securitization processes they are defined through. In addition to processes, the ungovernable structure of the Sahel region as a Security Complex is highlighted. The article argues that state collapse in Libya has been securitized as part of a larger process of securitizing the ungovernability of the region, while the case seemingly is as follows; if there is any ‘serious’ security threat in the Sahel region, what collapsed Libya does is just to exacerbate its costs, because the threat has already existed.