TY - JOUR
T1 - The Sardauna's Middle East
T2 - Regionalism and Backstage Politics in Nigeria's Postcolonial Diplomacy
AU - Schler, Lynn
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was provided by the Israel Science Foundation, Grant #226/20. This article is based on some of the findings in L. Schler, Decolonizing Independence: Statecraft in Nigeria's First Republic and Israeli Interventions (East Lansing, MI, forthcoming 2022). The author would like to thank the editor and two anonymous referees who reviewed the earlier version of this manuscript and provided valuable suggestions.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
PY - 2022/7/24
Y1 - 2022/7/24
N2 - The Middle East conflict has been identified as one of the most polarizing issues in the history of foreign relations of Nigeria during the First Republic (1960-6). The Christian-majority southern regions supported close relations with Israel, while the Muslim-majority Northern Region aligned with Arab states. The Sardauna Ahmadu Bello, Premier of the Northern Region, is remembered as particularly hostile to Israeli incursions in Nigeria. Reviewing new evidence from the Israel State Archives, this article introduces more complexity into portrayals of the Sardauna's positions. Contending with the enormous challenges of decolonization, the Sardauna continually vacillated in his approach to Middle East relations, weighing opportunities against drawbacks in establishing ties. Examining the more accommodating approach that the Sardauna adopted beyond the public eye, we gain new insights into his attempts to achieve political and economic objectives with regard to the Northern Region, while navigating the contentious political landscape of Nigeria's First Republic.
AB - The Middle East conflict has been identified as one of the most polarizing issues in the history of foreign relations of Nigeria during the First Republic (1960-6). The Christian-majority southern regions supported close relations with Israel, while the Muslim-majority Northern Region aligned with Arab states. The Sardauna Ahmadu Bello, Premier of the Northern Region, is remembered as particularly hostile to Israeli incursions in Nigeria. Reviewing new evidence from the Israel State Archives, this article introduces more complexity into portrayals of the Sardauna's positions. Contending with the enormous challenges of decolonization, the Sardauna continually vacillated in his approach to Middle East relations, weighing opportunities against drawbacks in establishing ties. Examining the more accommodating approach that the Sardauna adopted beyond the public eye, we gain new insights into his attempts to achieve political and economic objectives with regard to the Northern Region, while navigating the contentious political landscape of Nigeria's First Republic.
KW - Israel
KW - Nigeria
KW - West Africa
KW - decolonization
KW - diplomatic relations
KW - political culture
KW - politics
KW - postcolonial
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140631942&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/S0021853722000263
DO - 10.1017/S0021853722000263
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85140631942
SN - 0021-8537
VL - 63
SP - 197
EP - 213
JO - Journal of African History
JF - Journal of African History
IS - 2
ER -