Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
6-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Program
Political Science
Advisor
Peter Romaniuk
Subject Categories
International Relations | Peace and Conflict Studies
Keywords
United Nations, international organizations, knowledge production, the Sahel region, Africa, counterterrorism
Abstract
This thesis aims to test the argument that the UN knowledge production on the situation in the Sahel region is internally consistent and externally valid with the knowledge produced by other entities beyond the UN, including academia and think tanks. The thesis analyzed external studies by scholars and research and academic institutions as well as UN knowledge production, mainly the UN strategic frameworks and the reports of the Secretary-General on the Sahel. The study followed an analytical framework that sought to answer specific questions about how these studies, frameworks, and reports frame the conflict in the Sahel, and what root causes or policy response they identify. Applying this analytical framework to external and UN knowledge production shows that the UN delivered its knowledge production function and produced consistent information to member states on the causes and evolution of the crisis and its political, security, socioeconomic, and humanitarian developments. Furthermore, UN knowledge production was internally consistent in terms of the political messaging that the UN frameworks and reports on the Sahel included on the complex nature of the crisis and its multidimensional and interlinked causes. UN knowledge production was strongly aligned with external studies on identifying the underlying causes of the Sahel crisis, thus asserting the credibility and neutrality of the UN knowledge production and providing a solid foundation for an effective collective response to the crisis at the level of conflict prevention and resolution.
Recommended Citation
Elshaar, Hussein E., "Understanding the Knowledge Production Function of the United Nations: The Case of the Sahel Crisis" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/5772
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