The Atlantic as a new security area? Current engagements and prospects for security cooperation between Africa and its Atlantic counterparts

Scientific paper nº. 6

Despite significant socio-economic strides, the question of security – human, state and regional -- remains a persistent challenge in much of Africa. Foreign actors from all corners of the globe have had varying degrees of security presence on the continent, ranging from military interventions to capacity building, and from project funding to trade in arms and equipment.
Much of this foreign presence, however, has come either from individual countries or else from already established regional organisations, like the European Union. Far less has involved cooperation between more disparate actors, such as those representing either side of the North and South economic divide. This paper thus seeks to explore nascent trends in North–South security cooperation in Africa’s Atlantic region, with a particular focus on the regions represented by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS). Is an Atlantic area for cooperation forming? Some progress in domains such as maritime security is already discernible. This paper also identifies further areas for cooperation. Atlantic cooperation in Africa is an idea with rich possibilities.