Description
Since 2009, the evolution of Boko Haram’s factions from a group initially composed of “a few ragtag combatants” to an increasingly violent insurgency has attracted the attention of the international community, with various actors providing security force assistance. Principal-Agent theoretical frameworks analyse problematic aspects of training, advising and equipping allied militaries as an alternative to large ground-force commitments stemming from this cost-saving strategy. This implies a loss of agency, interest and information asymmetry, moral hazard and adverse selection (Biddle et al. 2018, p.97). Fox (2020, 2021) has identified five modes to determine the relational character between two or more actors: Exploitative (Russia in Ukraine, US-SDF), Transactional (Iraq Government-US), Coercive (US-Afghan Forces), Cultural (Iran-Hezbollah), and Contractual (Blackwater, Wagner Group). Yet, existing literature does not effectively describe the UK-Nigeria SFA relationship. Performing a revelatory function, this paper makes visible the relationships and the objects that previous research did not recognise. It applies a post-colonial lens to complement principal-agent theory, and reveals the impact a liminal post-colonial setting has on power relations, perceptions, delivery and assimilation of training.
