The making of terrorists: Anthropology and the alternative truth of America's 'War on Terror' in the Sahara

This article, based on almost eight years of continuous anthropological research amongst the Tuareg people of the Sahara and Sahel, suggests that the launch by the US and its main regional ally, Algeria, in 2002-2003 of a 'new', 'second', or 'Saharan' Front in the 'War on Terror' was largely a fabrication on the part of the US and Algerian military intelligence services. The 'official truth', embodied in an estimated 3,000 articles and reports of one sort or another, is largely disinformation. The article summarizes how and why this deception was effected and examines briefly its implications for both the region and its people as well as the future of US international relations and especially its global pursuance of an increasingly suspect 'War on Terror'.