ABSTRACT
Relations between Black Africa and the Arab world have a historical legacy dating back at least twelve centuries. Trade and Islam, sometimes abetted by a military dimension, provided the framework for initial interactions. Although the Arab role in the slave trade and the proselytizing zeal of Islam have given rise to recurring stresses and strains, Black and Arab coreligionists are seen today as an incipient transnational community. The chapter focuses on the security dimension of Afro-Arab solidarity. It argues that security issues, when seen from the perspective of incumbent African regimes, encompass external military and strategic considerations and factors that affect internal stability and civil strife. Before addressing contemporary affairs, the chapter reviews some of the politically salient aspects of Libya's historical and cultural ties with its neighbors to the south. It examines the ways in which political incumbents in Niger manipulate their domestic and foreign policies and cultivate international strategic alliances in order to alleviate internal political pressures.
