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Between Stabilization and Sovereignty, A Critical Analysis of EU Strategy in The Sahel.pdf

Selin, Hjalmar LU and Larsson, Isac LU (2025) STVK12 20251
Department of Political Science
Abstract
In one of the most fragile regions in the world, the European Union (EU) has increased its attempts to bring peace by exporting its own vision of stability. This study examines how the EU has managed the relationship between development and security in the Sahel region through its Regional Action Plans (RAPs) from 2011, 2015, and 2021. Through the application of Mark Duffield's (2014) theory, the study uses a qualitative content analysis (QCA) to explore how the EU strategy aligns with broader patterns of indirect governance and liberal peacebuilding. Five deductive codes, Liberal Norm Promotion, Institutional Transformation, Conditionality / Leverage, Depoliticised Governance Language, and Strategic Complexes, were developed to analyse... (More)
In one of the most fragile regions in the world, the European Union (EU) has increased its attempts to bring peace by exporting its own vision of stability. This study examines how the EU has managed the relationship between development and security in the Sahel region through its Regional Action Plans (RAPs) from 2011, 2015, and 2021. Through the application of Mark Duffield's (2014) theory, the study uses a qualitative content analysis (QCA) to explore how the EU strategy aligns with broader patterns of indirect governance and liberal peacebuilding. Five deductive codes, Liberal Norm Promotion, Institutional Transformation, Conditionality / Leverage, Depoliticised Governance Language, and Strategic Complexes, were developed to analyse how policy language reflects Duffield's (2014) core notions of liberal peace / governance. Our findings indicate that despite changes in emphasisand wording, the core logic remains consistent across the three RAPs. Namely, that development functions as a strategic tool to stabilise the region in line with EU interests. The thesis is not inherently critical of the EU’s normative policies and strategies, but rather highlights how the applicability of Duffield's (2014) framework provides a lens through which their intent can be critically examined. It concludes that without addressing underlying power asymmetries, EU strategies risk undermining the very stability they aim to promote. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Selin, Hjalmar LU and Larsson, Isac LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK12 20251
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
EU Foreign Policy, Sahel, Securitized Development, Indirect Governance, Liberal Peace.
language
English
id
9189664
date added to LUP
2025-08-07 16:25:20
date last changed
2025-08-07 16:25:20
@misc{9189664,
  abstract     = {{In one of the most fragile regions in the world, the European Union (EU) has increased its attempts to bring peace by exporting its own vision of stability. This study examines how the EU has managed the relationship between development and security in the Sahel region through its Regional Action Plans (RAPs) from 2011, 2015, and 2021. Through the application of Mark Duffield's (2014) theory, the study uses a qualitative content analysis (QCA) to explore how the EU strategy aligns with broader patterns of indirect governance and liberal peacebuilding. Five deductive codes, Liberal Norm Promotion, Institutional Transformation, Conditionality / Leverage, Depoliticised Governance Language, and Strategic Complexes, were developed to analyse how policy language reflects Duffield's (2014) core notions of liberal peace / governance. Our findings indicate that despite changes in emphasisand wording, the core logic remains consistent across the three RAPs. Namely, that development functions as a strategic tool to stabilise the region in line with EU interests. The thesis is not inherently critical of the EU’s normative policies and strategies, but rather highlights how the applicability of Duffield's (2014) framework provides a lens through which their intent can be critically examined. It concludes that without addressing underlying power asymmetries, EU strategies risk undermining the very stability they aim to promote.}},
  author       = {{Selin, Hjalmar and Larsson, Isac}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Between Stabilization and Sovereignty, A Critical Analysis of EU Strategy in The Sahel.pdf}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}