Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies Núm. 12 / 2018 Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos n.º 12 - Año: 2018 - Págs.: 325 a 366 328 These conflicts are viewed from Europe and the Western Countries as international security threats because of the proliferation of criminal and terrorist groups, as seen with the exportation of jihadist terrorism and the severe crisis of ensuing massive mi-gratory flows. In view of the data shown in this analysis and the unfolding of events over the past years, the conclusion is that the majority of the countries in the region have been unable to successfully confront the serious structural and security-related challenges they are facing. Therefore, our hypothesis in the face of this evidence is that the only viable alterna-tive to guarantee an adequate development of these countries lies in the commitment and support of the international community. STRUCTURAL FACTORS OF INSTABILITY It would neither be fair nor sensible to wholly blame the processes of decolonisa-tion for the instability present in these countries, considering the latter’s lack of a true democratic tradition and the continued overarching effect of local culture and strong ethnic rootedness. Nevertheless, there are objective factors that are helpful in unders-tanding many of the problems originated in the past and determining their future. In this sense, a quick glance at a map reveals the artificial nature of the borders separating the countries in the region, especially in the Sahara, as a result of a decolonisation marked by a disregard for the local ethnic, cultural and social realities. The Sahel, Arabic for “seashore” in reference to “the ocean of sand” of the Sahara, is the name given to the vast region that joins this desert with the tropical savannahs and forests to the south, stretching over nearly 5,000 miles from Senegal to Eritrea. Scanty annual rainfall only allows very limited agricultural activity, but plant growth is sufficient for grazing. In addition, it is the region that acts as a bridge for the transit of goods and trade with the regions of the Maghreb, connecting nomadic populations and tradespeople from the north, mainly Tuaregs, to the populations of the south, i.e. black sedentary farmers who traditionally held political power4. Islam is the predominant religion in the majority of the countries, with some pre-sence of animist minorities from the original population as well as other Christian mi-norities. Arabic is the most widely spoken language, though French is also an official language in almost all of the countries, in addition to a number of other languages and local dialects. 4 LECOQUIERRE, Bruno. “Le Sahara dans la mondialisation: un désert en crise”. La revue géopolitique, p. 4. (2016, March 12). On httpwww.diploweb.comLe-Sahara-dans-la-mondialisation. html. Date of reference 03/01/18.
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