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Sudan’s Normalization with Israel: A Break with the Past or Another Phase of Extraversion?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2022

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Abstract

Sudan’s decision to normalize relations with Israel sparked controversy about its reasons for doing so and the potential impact on the country’s fragile political transition. The decision was mostly attributed to American pressures, new regional alliances, and Sudan’s economic crisis. Tawfik offers a different perspective by linking Sudan’s normalization with Israel to domestic power rivalries, suggesting that Sudanese political actors at critical historical moments have sought Israeli patronage to strengthen their power positions and exploring the potential implications of normalization on civil-military relations. In addition to relying on secondary sources, Tawfik draws conclusions based on official documents and interviews with Sudanese officials published by various news outlets.

Résumé

Résumé

La décision du Soudan de normaliser ses relations avec Israël a suscité une controverse quant aux raisons de cette décision et à son impact potentiel sur la fragile transition politique du pays. La décision a été principalement attribuée aux pressions américaines, aux nouvelles alliances régionales et à la crise économique du Soudan. Tawfik offre une perspective différente en liant la normalisation du Soudan avec Israël aux rivalités de pouvoir nationaux, suggérant que les acteurs politiques soudanais, à des moments historiques critiques, ont recherché le patronage israélien pour renforcer leurs positions de pouvoir et explorer les implications potentielles de la normalisation sur les relations civiles-militaires. En plus de s’appuyer sur des sources secondaires, Tawfik tire des conclusions à partir de documents officiels et d’entretiens avec des responsables soudanais publiés par divers organes de presse.

Resumo

Resumo

A decisão, por parte do Sudão, de normalizar as relações com Israel desencadeou uma controvérsia em torno das razões para o ter feito e do potencial impacto na frágil transição política do país. A decisão foi maioritariamente atribuída às pressões americanas, às novas alianças regionais e à crise económica sudanesa. Tawfik apresenta uma perspetiva diferente, associando a normalização das relações entre o Sudão e Israel às rivalidades políticas internas, sugerindo que, em momentos históricos-chave, os atores políticos sudaneses procuraram obter o apoio de Israel para reforçar as suas posições de poder e explorando as potenciais implicações da normalização das relações civis e militares. Além de se basear em fontes secundárias, Tawfik retira as suas conclusões a partir de documentos oficiais e de entrevistas a altos responsáveis sudaneses publicadas em vários meios de comunicação.

Keywords

SudanIsraelnormalizationextraversioncivil-military relationsDecember 2018 Uprising
Type
Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 65 , Issue 4 , December 2022 , pp. 886 - 910
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the African Studies Association

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