Assignment task:
Course: Terrorism
Context: Compose a policy brief according to the provided information
"Dear Mr. / Ms.
I am writing to you on behalf of the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Mohamed Ghazouani. Your renowned reputation of counter-terrorist expert is of great interest to the government. As a matter of fact, Mauritania is concerned with the growth of radicalized individuals, whose goal is to spread violence across the country and the entire Sahel region. We are constantly targeted by terrorist groups, in particular Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), and other criminal organizations whose business is smuggling drugs, human beings, and weapons from the mid-Atlantic up the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Also, the country's national security is put under increasing pressure by the deterioration of our background: the military coups in Mali (May 2021), Burkina Faso (September 2022), and Niger (July 2023) are a further menace to Mauritania. All this has increased instability outside our borders, undermined the "G5 Sahel" group, and revealed a growing activity of Russian paramilitary forces in the area.
Mauritania is characterized by a constructive foreign policy: our relationship with Morocco is collaborative, our friendship with the US is robust, and our partnership programs with NATO and the EU are consolidating. The appointment of President Ghazouani as Chairperson of the African Union (AU) for the year 2024 is an additional testimony of the commitment of Mauritania towards regional stability and a multilateral-based world order.
The government's objective is to reinforce our young democracy, secure our borders, and avoid the destabilization of our neighborhood. In addition, the presidential campaign is about to start and Mr. Ghazouani is seeking re-election. But our resources are limited and the country has to improve its counter-terrorist posture. As a former military and Minister of Defense, President Ghazouani is aware that Mauritania needs a new policy course aimed at establishing the right tools to fight the existential menace posed by radicalized violent groups, ruthless criminal organizations, and other actors determined to spread havoc in the Sahel region.
With the goal to devise a National Anti-Terrorism Strategy, the Government of Mauritania would be honored to count on your valuable suggestions and insights.
Kind regards."
My intro:
The Islamic republic of Mauritania is finding itself in a complex situation, as they see themselves threatened by terrorist groups and radicalized individuals who are looking to create chaos in Mauritania and the overall Sahel region.
In particular, the terrorist group called Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is posing a serious threat to the country's security situation, as they continuously engage in illicit activities, which they execute using the shore of Mauritania (Nouakchott), as one of their main shores to do so.
Furthermore, Mauritania's national security is further threatened by the political instability of surrounding countries. With the addition of increased activity in Russian paramilitary forced, it has resulted in the weakening of the "G5 Sahel" group, which otherwise is supposed to be a counter-terrorist aid in the Sahel region.
Finally, the sum of all the named circumstances, are putting Mauritania in a dangerous situation with an uncertain future. Therefore, the following policy brief intends to provide a detailed strategy in order to eradicate the current threats and securing the country's future.
Guidelines: It should be constructed like this: intro (which is already done), overview, policy suggestion and conclusion. The length is not what matters, the quality of the content does.
Including a brief SWOT analysis of the policy brief in the conclusion