Experts & Staff

Andrew Lebovich

ECFR Alumni · Policy Fellow

Areas of expertise

Religion, politics, and society in North Africa; the Sahara; the Sahel

Languages

English, French, Arabic

Biography

Andrew Lebovich was a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. His research focuses on North Africa and the Sahel.

Lebovich is currently a doctoral candidate in African History at Columbia University in New York, where he studies religion, politics, and society in North Africa, the Sahara, and the Sahel. He previously worked for the Open Society Initiative in West Africa (OSIWA) as a Sahel consultant, advising the organisation on political, social, and security issues in West Africa and the Sahel, and for the New America Foundation. He has lived and conducted field and archival research in France, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, and Niger.

Lebovich graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in History in 2009. His writings have appeared in Foreign Policy, The Atlantic, and the Combating Terrorism Center’s publication Sentinel, among other outlets.

Mali’s impunity problem and growing security crisis

On June 13 Malian soldiers and security forces were responsible for killing more than 30 civilians throughout the country – the government and international forces have been unable to reverse the trend

Blocked arteries: The EU’s problem with African integration

Encouraging regional integration could improve economic diversification and economic security in North Africa, while encouraging the regional labour migration that has long helped sustain the Sahel and West Africa

G5 Sahel: Much done, more to do

Significant progress on funding and co-ordination, but problematic partnerships with local militias and abuses by security services still hamper prospects for EU’s Sahel strategy

Misunderstanding migration in North and West Africa

A shocking report on the apparent slave trade in migrants trapped in Libya has focused European attention on combatting smugglers. But ‘cracking down’ on migrant networks is not the answer.

Publications

Articles

Russia’s long shadow in the Sahel

The EU’s values-led foreign policy and its stabilisation objectives in the Sahel are in tension with each other. Russia is now waiting to exploit that tension.

Why UN votes shouldn’t define Europe-Africa relations

Many Europeans were disappointed with how African countries voted on UN resolutions to condemn Russia’s war on Ukraine. But they should remember that African states still need to diversify their partnerships.

Endless concessions: Spain’s tilt to Morocco

Spain’s recent move has little to do with peace in Western Sahara and everything to do with its desire to mend ties with Morocco. But, ultimately, Spain has only made itself more vulnerable to Moroccan pressure.

Specials

Podcasts

Events

In the media