ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the performance of the European Union's(EU) and the United States(US) in the Sahel region. The developments in the Sahel have caused concern in both Washington and Brussels. Brussels and Washington have converged with regards to their strategic approaches and also with respect to the foreign policy instruments that they perceive as adequate to solve the challenges of the Sahel. The Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel, called, Sahel Strategy, is the main point of reference for EU activity in the region. In order to stabilize the region, the EU and the US have deployed measures across the whole spectrum of foreign policy, widely in line with the tenets of the comprehensive approach. The Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) enables the EU to launch civilian and military missions and operations in line with the Petersberg Tasks. In the case of the US, progress on counterterrorism under the Trans-Sahara counterterrorism partnership(TSCTP) is quite limited.
