Has the 'Giant' gone to sleep? Re-assessing Nigeria's response to the Liberian Civil War (1990-1997) and the Boko Haram insurgency (2009-2015)

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Periodical article

Title:	Has the 'Giant' gone to sleep? Re-assessing Nigeria's response to the Liberian Civil War (1990-1997) and the Boko Haram insurgency (2009-2015)
Authors:	Amao, Olumuyiwa Babatunde Maiangwa, Benjamin
Year:	2017
Periodical:	African Studies (ISSN 1469-2872)
Volume:	76
Issue:	1
Pages:	22-43
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Nigeria Liberia
Subjects:	military intervention rebellions Islamic movements terrorism civil wars
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1080/00020184.2017.1285665
Abstract:	This article undertakes a retrospective appraisal of Nigeria's widely acclaimed, yet contentious, success in its interventionist role in Liberia and its seeming inability to contain the threats posed by members of the dreaded Islamist militant 'Jamaatu Ahlis Sunna Liddaawati Wal Jihad/ al-Wilayat al-Islamiyya Gharb Afriqiyyah', also known as Boko Haram. Drawing references from scholarly articles, electronic channels, and other commissioned reports, the article explains why Nigeria appears to be losing the war against Boko Haram, in contrast to its modest strides in Liberia between 1990 and 1997. The authors argue that Nigeria's inability to contain the Boko Haram insurgency can be located within the context of its home-grown systemic challenges, particularly, its ineffectual political leadership and the politicisation of its national security under the Goodluck Jonathan presidency. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]