“I think two lines of thought could be applicable. First is understanding how international relations are actually structured in the region of Western Africa, and then thinking of how the Alliance of Sahel States came into existence. So the first point would be that Western Africa is basically a host to a multitude of different international organizations. And so, it's also important to stress that countries that make part of Western Africa have this certain language divide between French and English, and this has historically been important for the engagement of international organizations,” Panin stresses.
“The alliance [AES] came out in a very different setting. The primary drivers forming that alliance were two things. First, the deteriorating security situation with the rise of extremist and terrorist forces, which threatens the very existence of these three nations. And then the external pressure that was put on them by the international community. The West and former partners included, and also the ECOWAS nations. So basically, they were acting in a very different setting, and they took a very different approach because the first thing they did was to agree on a mutual defense pact,” he explains.