The case for a ‘cognitive turn’ in conflict analysis: Lessons from Afghanistan and the Sahel

Abstract

This paper advocates for an integrated approach to exploring and analysing contemporary conflicts, especially in complex socio-political and cultural contexts. It examines how a framework that incorporates cognitive, socio-political and historical factors can enhance our understanding of these conflicts. Grounded in the ‘cognitive turn’, an idea that advocates combining cognitive and social sciences insights to understand human experiences and actions, this paper draws on secondary sources to demonstrate how neglecting emotion-laden factors and local contextual realities has undermined conflict analysis. Using as case studies the US intervention in Afghanistan and the French missions in the Sahel region it argues that emotional blind spots led them to overlook critical local factors while focusing narrowly on the rational aspects of the conflicts. The paper promotes the development and adoption of cross-disciplinary theoretical models that integrate cognitive influences, environmental conditions and politico-historical contexts to improve conflict analysis and intervention outcomes.