Boko Haram in Nigeria Encyclopedia: Confronting Terrorism from the Islamic Sect, Threat to Homeland, Political History and Expansion, Attacks, President Goodluck Jonathan

This unique ebook provides comprehensive coverage of the Boko Haram terror group in Nigeria. The group has claimed responsibility for the bombing of a bus station in April 2014 which killed over 70 people, and may have abducted over 100 schoolgirls in a later attack.

Contents: Confronting the Terrorism of Boko Haram in Nigeria * 1. Introduction
2. A Brief Political History of Nigeria * 3. Grievances of the Governed * 4. The Complex Security Environment of Nigeria * 5. The Unique Case of Boko Haram * 6. Responding to Boko Haram * 7. Conclusion and Implications for SOF * Boko Haram - Growing Threat to the U.S. Homeland * Boko Haram - Emerging Threat to the U.S. Homeland * Boko Haram's Dangerous Expansion into Northwest Nigeria * Nigeria: Current Issues and U.S. Policy * Nigeria - Religious Freedom * Radical Reemergence Going Global * Composition and Leadership Internal Divisions Continued Evolution * Increasing Operational Capability * Al Qaeda In Nigeria * Draining the Nigerian State * Nigerian Counter Offensive * Messaging, Media, and the Masses * Supporters and Sympathizers * Countering the Threat - Options for the US, Nigeria, and the International Community * Progress Made, and Challenges Ahead * Courses of Action for the Jonathan Administration.

Confronting the Terrorism of Boko Haram in Nigeria - In this monograph counterterrorism expert James Forest assesses the threat Boko Haram poses to Nigeria and U.S. national security interests. As Dr. Forest notes, Boko Haram is largely a local phenomenon, though one with strategic implications, and must be understood and addressed within its local context and the long standing grievances that motivate terrorist activity. Dr. Forest deftly explores Nigeria's ethnic fissures and the role of unequal distribution of power in fueling terrorism. Indeed, these conditions, combined with the ready availability of weapons, contribute to Nigeria's other security challenges including militancy in the Niger Delta and organized crime around the economic center of the country, Lagos.

Born of colonial rule the modern state of Nigeria contains a multitude of ethno linguistic groups and tribes, religious traditions, and local histories. This complexity, spread out across diverse environments from the coastal southern lowlands to the dry and arid north, has long posed a daunting challenge to governance and stability. Nigeria has had 14 heads of state since independence in 1958—many of these have taken power by military coup, while only five, including the current president Goodluck Jonathan, have been elected. Approximately half of the population is Christian, the other half Muslim, adding a religious dimension to Nigeria's contested political life. Many groups feel economically and politically marginalized, a situation that increased following the discovery of significant oil reserves in the Niger Delta and offshore. Corruption is rife and state institutions are weak.

It is within this larger context that a group calling themselves Boko Haram, a Hausa term meaning "Western education is forbidden," appeared in 2009 and has attacked Nigeria, a key U.S. ally. Government entities, such as police stations and politicians (both Christian and Muslim), as well as others who they feel act in an 'un-Islamic' manner have been the primary focus of these attacks. The sect, which is loosely organized and contains numerous disagreeing factions, is centered in northeastern Nigeria. Most of its members are from the Kanuri tribe; it has little following among other ethnic groups in the region or other parts of Nigeria. Why then, do some find the group's violent ideology attractive?
To meet the security challenges posed by the Boko Haram and others, Dr. Forest advocates the use of intelligence-led policing and trust building between the government and citizenry.