Boko Haram Anatomy of a Crisis - Terrorism

Introduction
6
Introduction
During recent years the phenomenon of Boko Haram has dominated
policy debates among academics and policymakers interested in
Nigerian and African politics. Yet, many issues about the sect remain
unclear and contested. The exact reasons triggering radicalization,
the methods of recruitment, the profiles of its members, its affiliation
with other regional terrorist powerhouses such as Al-Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Dine in Mali or Al-Shabaab in Somalia, are
all within the scope of discussion. Academics working on state
theories and post-colonial studies understand the group as a
symptom of Nigeria’s failing state. Sociologists and several social
anthropologists attribute it to poverty. Southern Nigerian politicians
and lobbyists blame Northerners’ domination of the state. Counterterrorism
and security experts focus on the international linkages of
the group and the threat that poses to the stability of Western Africa.
By examining these debates, this collection is essential reading for
those interested in Nigeria, and the broader issues of state building,
terrorism, humanitarian emergencies, conflict resolution and
intrastate violence.
7
IOANNIS MANTZIKOS
E-INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
One of the few Nigerian analysts who has written extensively on
Boko Haram, Jideofor Adibe, contributes the first article in the
collection. He states that Boko Haram and similar groups represent a
retreat from the Nigeria project, with the State increasingly unable to
fulfill its part of the social contract. Secondly, Freedom Onuoha
explores Boko Haram attacks on the telecommunication
infrastructure in Nigeria. His piece draws from the Taliban case in
Afghanistan to demonstrate that emerging jihadist groups tend to
copy tactics or strategies adopted by other terrorist groups.
In the third article Hussein Solomon argues that the simplistic and
narrow counter-terrorism lens ignores the historical context in which
religious identities are being shaped and re-shaped in Nigeria. That
view also appears to gloss over the fact that regional, ethnic and
religious identities often reinforce each other. And, that the socioeconomic
context in Nigeria has exacerbated the economic
imbalance between relatively rich South and relatively poor North.
Boko Haram does not merely dominate security and counter
terrorism discussions among Africanists. It has also attracted
attention for its alleged involvement in the “new” cyber-warfare
discourse. Denise Baken sheds light on this by using Boko Haram as
an example and suggests an alternate approach that leverages the
chaotic political situation and burgeoning supply of talented cyber