Identifying and Mitigating Risks in Security Sector Assistance for Africa’s Fragile States

The author explores the risks inherent in U.S. security sector assistance to the fragile states of Africa and how the United States might better anticipate and mitigate them. Often the countries most in need of assistance are those least able to make positive use of it, and such assistance can have negative second- and third-order effects. Recommendations are made for improving security sector assistance processes in Africa and elsewhere.