Publication

This paper describes how the August 2005 military coup in Mauritania has mainly been analyzed as an internal affair or "palace revolution" by outside observers. The author states that although such an analysis has some merits, it is too short-sighted to reflect the entire sequence of events in Mauritania. The paper argues that the coup is a reflection of current international politics, and as such is heavily influenced by the US war on terror, as well as other economic and geo-strategic considerations. The author argues that the coup illustrates the failure of interest-led US policy towards Mauritania and concludes that long-term stability, peace and democracy can only be achieved through a greater role of an internationalist EU policy, based on multilateralism and the strong involvement of the UN, with the honest goal of achieving human development in Mauritania.