Description
Why does Saudi Arabia persistently appear in global discourse as an exporter of extremism in West Africa despite extensive evidence of its developmental and humanitarian engagement? This paper interrogates how knowledge, power, and security narratives intersect to shape perceptions of the Kingdom’s role in the subregion. Drawing on a Creative Eclecticism Framework that integrates Critical Terrorism Studies, Critical Discourse Analysis, and postcolonial critique, the paper identifies two key discursive asymmetries. A horizontal visibility asymmetry amplifies ideological linkages between Saudi Arabia and militancy while muting the Kingdom’s record in infrastructure finance, relief assistance, and multilateral security cooperation. A vertical responsibility asymmetry simultaneously absolves Western actors of accountability for direct interventions and destabilizing practices. Grounded in evidence from Nigeria, Mali, and Ghana, the paper demonstrates how these asymmetries reproduce Orientalist hierarchies and obscure African agency in defining security and development agendas. It calls for a decolonial reframing of the security–development nexus that applies consistent, evidence-based standards to all external actors.
