Introduction

After showcasing the discrepancy between Britain’s and France’s postcolonial security roles in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, and Africa more generally, the introduction presents the major actors—Britain, France, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire—their underlying motivations and positions, and how they were affected not only by global, but importantly also by local and regional circumstances. Therefore, and to set the scene for the comparative analysis of the making of the Anglo-Nigerian and Franco-Ivorian postcolonial security relationships, the introduction then provides an extensive discussion of Africa’s Cold War and African agency. Thereafter, it provides a discussion of sources and, finally, presents the architecture of the book.