Resources.
SSA shares timely insights through three channels: original research and in-depth reports, expert commentary featured in the press and media, and our blog highlighting emerging trends from the field.
Explore our latest analysis below.
Our Commentary in the Press
As part of the civil-military committee initiative, the NGO [Spirit of America] is collaborating with the expert and risk consulting firm called Strategic Stabilization Advisors (SSA). Based in Washington but with a team in Cotonou… In addition to setting up the committees, SSA played a major role in the communication campaign designed to amplify their impact.
— To curb jihadist threat, Cotonou tries to win over hearts and minds
featured in Africa Intelligence, 2025
Ms. Bernard, the former State Department adviser, said the equation was a little different for the United States because of U.S. Air Base 201. “In the coastal countries, they would have to start from scratch,” she said, referring to the recent reports that the United States was considering building new bases there, “while the base in Agadez was the biggest investment in U.S. military history. I don’t see us moving away from it.”
— After Niger Coup, U.S. Scrambles to Keep a Vital Air Base
featured in The New York Times, 2024
Aneliese Bernard, a Washington-based expert and former US official in the region, said local actors were key to the JNIM expansion into littoral states. “It’s a hybrid of spillover and homegrown … JNIM’s strategic approach is to do prospecting. They pay marginalised youth, often from Fulani communities or teenage girls, to provide intelligence on local security forces and communities which might be open to approach but the homegrown jihadist cells now linked to JNIM probably would have emerged on their own,” Bernard said.
— Who are JNIM, the jihadist ‘ghost enemy’ gaining momentum in the Sahel?
featured in The Guardian, 2025
Aneliese Bernard, a former State Department adviser who now runs a private security firm working in West Africa, said the group has metastasized to such an extent that it now “directly impacts [U.S.] national security.” And, she added, “they are expanding undeterred into the countries we have long considered robust security partners.”
— A powerful, opaque Al-Qaeda affiliate is rampaging across West Africa
featured in The Washington Post, 2025
Our Features in Media & Podcasts
France24 — The Debate (2023)
Aneliese Bernard joined The Debate on France24 to discuss the domino effect of France’s withdrawal from Niger following earlier exits in Mali and Burkina Faso. In this live panel, she shared insights on regional stability, international intervention, and shifting security dynamics.
Domino effect? France quits Niger after Mali and Burkina Faso
CNN One World (2023)
Appearing as an expert commentator on CNN One World, Aneliese Bernard provided critical insights on Niger’s coup leaders, regional unrest, and the public backlash against French influence in West Africa.
Angry Planet Podcast (2023)
As a guest on the Angry Planet podcast, Aneliese Bernard unpacked the costs of Africa’s latest coup, exploring the global ripple effects of instability in the Sahel. The conversation covered both grassroots realities and geopolitical consequences.
ABC Radio National Breakfast (2023)
Featured on Australia’s leading morning news program, Aneliese Bernard examined the coup in Niger and the broader failures of Western intervention strategies. Her analysis highlighted the regional implications and local responses shaping the crisis.
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