Africanists struggle with Mohamedou ould Slahi’s story for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the Saharan region is often considered a space betwixt and between. Not only does the Sahara lie between the Maghreb and the Sahel, but Slahi’s experience illustrates how the military and political histories of counterterrorism and the intellectual and social histories of Islamist calls for religious reform are imagined as occurring elsewhere. The upswing in violence in Burkina Faso and Mali, the continued disruptions of Boko Haram, and the deep military involvement and investments in the Sahara remind us that the African continent has been an important site in the global war on terror (Thurston 2017). American and European foreign assistance, often in the form of military aid, has helped expand the surveillance capacities of African states, especially after 2001. In the case of Mauritania, American counterterrorism funds contributed to the consolidation of power in the authoritarian regime of Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, who ruled from 1984 to 2005, while the Mauritanian government ignored demands for democratization from its own citizens and instead pursued repressive policies that accused political opponents of Islamist activity, limiting their freedom of expression (Jourde 2007). Slahi’s story, then, can be seen as part of a much longer history of foreign incursion and neocolonial intrusion into African affairs, as the war on terror has led to a similar bolstering of authoritarian governments, an influx of military aid and funds that encourage corruption, and worrisome increases in weapons at the expense of other needed projects and investment, as happened during the Cold War (Schmidt 2013). Rather than promote economic development and democracy, these policies undermine Africa’s future.

中文翻译：

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关塔那摩之外的威权非洲：囚禁中的自由

出于多种原因，非洲人与 Mohamedou ould Slahi 的故事作斗争，其中最重要的是撒哈拉地区通常被认为是介于两者之间的空间。不仅撒哈拉位于马格里布和萨赫勒之间，斯拉希的经历还说明了反恐的军事和政治历史以及伊斯兰主义者要求宗教改革的思想和社会历史如何被想象成发生在其他地方。布基纳法索和马里的暴力升级、博科圣地的持续破坏以及对撒哈拉的深入军事介入和投资提醒我们，非洲大陆一直是全球反恐战争的重要场所（Thurston 2017）。美国和欧洲的对外援助，通常以军事援助的形式，帮助扩大了非洲国家的监视能力，尤其是在 2001 年之后。在毛里塔尼亚的案例中，美国反恐基金有助于巩固 1984 年至 2005 年统治的 Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya 专制政权的权力，而毛里塔尼亚政府无视本国公民对民主化的要求，转而推行镇压政策，指责政治反对派从事伊斯兰活动，限制他们的言论自由（Jourde 2007）。因此，斯拉希的故事可以被看作是外国入侵和新殖民主义入侵非洲事务的更长历史的一部分，因为反恐战争导致了类似的威权政府的支持，军事援助和资金的涌入助长了腐败, 令人担忧的武器增加以牺牲其他需要的项目和投资为代价，就像冷战期间发生的那样（Schmidt 2013）。这些政策非但没有促进经济发展和民主，反而破坏了非洲的未来。