Africa Center for Strategic Studies

By Jackson Madzima. Institute for Security Studies, March 2009.  Most countries in Southern Africa lack comprehensive legal frameworks that criminalize terrorism and the methods to finance it. However, as numerous local arrests of international terrorists suggest, the sub-region is attracting terrorist networks. To prevent such activity, states should institute legal reforms and better coordinate anti-money laundering efforts through available international and sub-regional working groups.  [PDF]

By Marina Ottaway and Amr Hamzawy Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2008. Several Islamic political parties in North Africa are rising political forces and appear committed to the democratic process. On-going intra-party ideological debates about many principles of democratic societies pit hard-line and reformist elements against one another. This internal struggle is often swayed by the degree of political participation afforded to Islamic parties. [PDF]

African Counterterrorism Cooperation: Assessing Regional and Sub-regional Initiatives. Edited by Andre Le Sage, Potomac Books, 2007. As transnational terrorism expands in several regions of Africa, it has yielded distinctive threats and vulnerabilities, demanding tailored responses. This compendium of works analyzing terrorism in Africa and efforts to confront it provides valuable insights to evolving counterterrorism policies. Link to Publisher

The African Jihad: Bin Laden's Quest for the Horn of Africa. Book review by Robert I. Rotberg. African Affairs, 2009. The penetration and persistence of extremist ideology in the Horn of Africa remains unclear and moving along many trajectories. Multiple groups from Sudan to Zanzibar have created divergent forces of ideological influence, perhaps complicating efforts by al Qaeda to establish a unified base of support across the region. PDF

Guide to the Drivers of Violent Extremism. USAID Highly commended report that links social, economic, political and cultural factors to extremist ideology and support for terrorism. Develops extremist profiles and "at-risk" populations as well as explores individual motivations.

The African Union Role in the Global Counterterrorism Campaign. By Ibrahim Wani. Potomac Books, 2007. African Counterterrorism Cooperation provides an overview of terrorist threats and responses in each region of the continent. With contributions from leading African security scholars, this volume is a insightful compendium of knowledge on terrorism in Africa that reflects a balance of African and American perspectives on what can and should be done to address this emerging threat. [Link to Publisher]