190 Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies Núm. 13 / 2019 fluence, obstruct or postpone strategic alliances, converting the Sahel into the region of the world where it develops most prolifically and where it causes (after the Middle East) the highest number of deaths: the Institute for Economics and Peace confirms the classification of these countries at a global level for 201723. Hence, the issue at hand is that of a dynamic form of terrorism which responds to changeable and circumstantial alliances between the Arab countries, regional states and outside powers, and moreover uses the imposition of political Islam for its own convenience and financial profit, all the while harnessing local actors and transnation-al crime. The line separating organised crime from terrorism is becoming increasingly blurred24, and their growing interrelation is complicating the threat, because these warriors are not only closely linked at a local level but also woven into the actual state they are operating in. The latter relationship takes on an alternately antagonistic or agreeable form, but ultimately allows them to usurp the state’s monopoly on the use of force and to impose their own plans both locally and globally. The non-monolithic character of Islam favours its instrumentalisation25 and the battleground of the Sahel constitutes the perfect breeding ground for radicalisation. A response focused only on considerations of security proves insufficient and coun-terproductive26. In order to obtain stability, more complex and integrated approaches must be followed. It should be pointed out that in the Sahel, which has been islamised — though not arabised — for centuries and where religion has rarely given rise to criminal violence27, “it is inconceivable that this could be the main point of concern as a cause of conflict”28. 23 INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC & PEACE. Global Terrorism Index. College Park: University of Maryland, 2017, p.10. Available at: https://goo.gl/E1zqrC (consulted on: 2 May 2018). 24 DE LA CORTE, Luis. “¿Hasta qué punto convergen el terrorismo global y la criminalidad organizada?: parámetros generales y escenarios críticos”, Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos, n. 1, 2013, pp.151-172. 25 Islamic fundamentalism encompasses many different schools of thought and action, with a number of changeable acronyms and organisations which, although aimed at radically re-islamising society, diverge in terms of strategies and methods. Islamic terrorism has developed within fundamentalism as a criminal phenomenon “of recent making”; the first movement to theorise about the use of violence in order to bring back the way of life of the ancient orthodox muslims was that of the Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928 in Egypt by Hassan al Banna (initially financed by the Saudi monarchy until it started to cause it problems). In the course of later geopolitical events, this movement fraternised with the Palestinian and Iranian liberation movements and took an interest in the conflict between Russia and Afghanistan, thereby shedding its local perspective and adopting a global and anti-Western scope. 26 NÚÑEZ, VILLAVERDE, Jesús. Daesh, el porvenir de la amenaza yihadista. Madrid: Catarata, 2018. p.11. 27 WILLIAMS, Paul. War and conflict in Africa. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2012, p.128. 28 NÚÑEZ, VILLAVERDE, Jesús et al. Terrorismo Internacional en África, la construcción de una amenaza en el Sahel. Madrid: Catarata, 2009, p.34. Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos n.º 13 - Año: 2019 - Págs.: 181 a 212
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