189 Palmerino Cuneo Terrorism and organised crime: The system of “permanent… of devastating conflict factors mentioned earlier: illicit trafficking, terrorist groups, organised crime and armed conflicts within state boundaries. In the Sahel with its international and domestic, or “intermestic”, battleground, the classical security di-lemma is inverted: instead of an orderly home situation and international threat, one encounters domestic threats and international order20 – with the added problem in the Sahel that the political and economic impacts of its most powerful neighbours both to the north and south are absorbed and multiplied21. In short, it is the political and socioeconomic conditions that create a fertile breed-ing ground for the appearance of insurgent groups in these countries. Islamic ¿Terrorism? The countries of the Sahel “are conglomerates of ethnic groups and tribes, in which the feeling of caste, ethnic origin or belonging to a people predominates over the national identity … This multi-ethnic conglomerate is conducive to feelings of dis-crimination and interethnic confrontation”22. This islamised battleground has also reawakened the ambitions of the Gulf coun-tries, which want to preserve their space of independent power within the energy sec-tor, besides actively participating in the balances between the Western countries and the expansion of China, while trying to define their atavistic rivalry between Shiites and Sunnis. Thus, the threat has become imbued with “Islamic” terrorism over the last years, while the emergence of the political-religious factor — under the guise of ISIS or Al Qaeda — further complicates the existing complex multipolar relations and postpones the attainment of a balance of powers. If the realpolitik is experiencing a renaissance in postmodernity — as witnessed in playing for time and applying divide and rule strategies —, jihadist terrorism presents itself as a fundamental actor to in- 20 SØRENSEN, Georg. “Big and important things in IR: Structural realism and the neglect of changes in statehood”, International Relations Journal, vol.23, n.2, 2009, pp.223–239. 21 This characteristic has a domino effect: when violence erupts in a state, it spreads beyond its boundaries (like Boko Haram between the borders of Nigeria, Chad and Niger for example). Likewise, some governments, such as those of Sudan and Chad, support the rebel forces of neighbour states by offering their own territory to supply them with arms, strategic bases and even direct military support, contributing to increasing the impact of the conflict and spreading the problem regionally. 22 MARTÍN BALLESTEROS. “Diagnóstico geoestratégico del conflicto en Malí”, Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos, Documento de Análisis n.14, Madrid, 2013, p.3. In addition, CALDUCH highlights that the clans of the Sahel represent groups which are socially and culturally integrated in certain ethnic groups with the aim of guaranteeing the self-sufficient existence of the group itself, and that they often constitute a genuine basis of local power, while ethnic origins contribute the basic elements of collective cohesion and social legitimacy both to the clans and their elites (see CALDUCH, Cervera, Rafael. “África: dimensión geoestratégica de las operaciones militares”, in: África futuro escenario de operaciones militares, monografía n.139, Escuela de Altos Estudios de la Defensa. Madrid, 2014, p.36 (ISSN-e: 2255-3479)). Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos n.º 13 - Año: 2019 - Págs.: 181 a 212
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