Terrorism And Diplomacy: An Assessment Of Insecurity And Its Implications For Nigeria’s External Relations Under President Muhammadu Buhari (2015–2023)
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Date
2025-06-15
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Malete Journal of Politics, Peace and Public Administration
Abstract
since Boko Haram appeared in
the early 2000s, terrorism has
remained a stubborn challenge
for Nigeria, decisively influencing the
state’s foreign policy and international diplomacy. This thesis investigates how
escalating insecurity shaped Nigeria’s
external engagements during President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration,
spanning 2015 to 2023. The guiding
questions are: (1) how insecurity altered
Nigeria’s foreign policy priorities; (2) what effects this had on both bilateral
and multilateral interactions; and (3)
how Nigeria’s diplomatic maneuvers
are explained from both Realist and
Liberalist perspectives. Employing a
qualitative, descriptive-analytical design
anchored in secondary literature, the
analysis demonstrates that insecurity
undermined Nigeria’s posture of regional
leadership, created friction with Western
partners wary of human rights lapses,
and encouraged a pragmatic, interestdriven turn toward China. The research
finds that terrorism ultimately refocused
Nigeria’s diplomatic energy on security
imperatives, often overshadowing
comprehensive developmental and
humanitarian agendas. The study
recommends fortifying domestic
governance, overhauling the security
architecture, and pursuing a more
balanced diplomatic posture to restore
Nigeria’s standing in the international
arena.
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Citation
https://doi.org/10.58709/niujss.v11i4.2330