The Role of Domestic Control in Proxy War Realignment

A Case Study of Chad and Mali

Abstract

Proxy war research is a growing field within International Relations theory. This paper focuses on proxy war realignment: the strategic decision of a proxy actor to shift its alignment to a rival sponsor, typically occurring in the context of great power competition. The selected case studies are both relevant and instructive: while Mali exemplifies a sharp pivot away from previous French and broader Western alignment toward Russia, Chad (thus far) avoided a similar break by pursuing cautious hedging among external partners, despite a significantly smaller-scale European intervention and France’s recent military withdrawal. Building upon existing academic explanations, this paper places the emphasis on domestic political control as the decisive variable driving realignment, offering both timely and pragmatic insights into whether external intervention can achieve its intended outcome in the Sahel region.