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Morten Bøås , PhD, is a senior researcher at Fafo’s Institute for Applied International Studies and has written extensively on African politics and development. His work has appeared in a number of leading international journals. He has also published a number of books, including the much-cited African Guerrillas: Raging against the Machine (Lynne Rienner, 2007), co-edited with Kevin Dunn, and The Politics of Origin in Africa (Zed Books, 2013), co-authored with Dunn.

African security in 2013: a year of disequilibrium?: Morten Bøås , James J. Hentz 18 April 2013
Africa’s security is currently standing at a crossroads. Relatively high African growth rates in combination with the increased institutional strength, credibility and legitimacy of the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have led to greater confidence in Africa’s ability to deal with its secur... more
Mali unmasked: resistance, collusion, collaboration: Morten Bøås , Liv Elin Torheim 15 March 2013
The Islamist rebels are no longer in control of northern Mali, but the crisis is far from over. The north is currently so factionalised that no united position exists as a viable platform for negotiations with Bamako. The political situation in Bamako is similar: political groups have taken a range of positions regarding the March 21st... more
Ethiopia after Meles: from uncertainty to renewal or “dead certainty” that an era has ended?: Morten Bøås 13 December 2012
Meles Zenawi’s death marks the end of an era, and the question is how the regime will deal with the resultant uncertainty. Because the opposition is so weak, political change will have to come from within the regime, while foreign policy will remain largely unchanged, although certain issues will require particular attention. more
Violent Islamist uprising in northern Nigeria: from the "Taleban" to Boko Haram II: Morten Bøås 27 January 2012
Boko Haram has re-emerged from the ashes of the death of its original leader as an avant-garde organisation embracing the strategy of hyperviolent, spectacular and deadly terrorist attacks. This article attempts to place Boko Haram into a broader context by exploring not only the historical factors leading to its emergence, but also is... more
Remaking the Somali state: a renewed building-block approach: Morten Bøås , Narve Rotwitt 21 September 2010
Many efforts have failed during Somalia's eighteen years of war to rebuild a viable state. Most have sought to establish a unitary, centralised structure. Morten Bøås and Narve Rotwitt suggest that it is time for a different approach that has a better chance of bringing peace and stability to Somalia. more

Morten Bøås

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