Fellow @FPRI. Studying African security, non-state armed groups, and paramilitaries.
Joined August 2022
- Tweets 80
- Following 181
- Followers 175
- Likes 209
3 Photos and videos
Raphael Parens retweeted
My latest with @MoreSecurityInt via @ForeignPolicy:
Mali Plays Russian Roulette - Recent violence exposes the flaws in the Kremlin’s mercenary security model. foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/13…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
Very excited to announce that "Moscow's Mercenaries: The Rise and Fall of the Wagner Group," published by @ColumbiaUP and co-authored with @C_Faulkner_UCF & @MoreSecurityInt, is now available for pre-order amazon.com/Moscows-Mercenari…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
"Shaping the Security Landscape: How Russia and China Approach the Issue of Security in Africa," my first piece with Delphi Global, co-authored with @C_Faulkner_UCF & @MoreSecurityInt delphigrc.org/research/shapi…
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Excited to announce that my first book is available for pre-order now! Moscow's Mercenaries, which @C_Faulkner_UCF, @ColinPClarke, and I have been putting together for the past three years, will be hitting the presses in two short months: amazon.com/Moscows-Mercenari…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
Moscow's Mercenaries is now available for preorder! In this book, @MoreSecurityInt, @ColinPClarke, and I walk through the rise and fall of the Wagner Group and what Russia's use of private military actors means for the future of war.
Use CUP20 for 20% off cup.columbia.edu/book/moscow…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
I have a new piece with @MoreSecurityInt via @WarInstitute on how the war in Ukraine will reshape the global market for force. We suggest that the conflict is producing a generation of military technologists whose skills, we argue, will easily travel: mwi.westpoint.edu/mercenaris…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
New piece w @MoreSecurityInt: The Africa Blind Spot via @FPRI
Written in the wake of the 2025 NSS, we examine how Africa receives limited attention as part of a deliberate narrowing of US priorities & why this may underestimate long term strategic risk
fpri.org/article/2026/01/the…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
2 Dec 2025
And now the book has a page on the Columbia University Press website (@MoreSecurityInt @ColinPClarke)...coming June 2026:
cup.columbia.edu/book/moscow…
And very cool to also see blurbs from @warnjason and @MarkGaleotti
25 Nov 2025
Looks like we have a cover! @C_Faulkner_UCF @MoreSecurityInt Coming in Spring 2026 published by Columbia University Press
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Raphael Parens retweeted
25 Nov 2025
Looks like we have a cover! @C_Faulkner_UCF @MoreSecurityInt Coming in Spring 2026 published by Columbia University Press
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Raphael Parens retweeted
12 Nov 2025
@MoreSecurityInt and I have a new piece out with Delphi Global (Cc: @bobham88 @MaiaVanRijn) on Russia's limitations in security force assistance (SFA) in the Sahel & beyond. While Moscow isn't solely to blame, at best it has contributed to if not accelerated current crises. 1/3
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Raphael Parens retweeted
11 Nov 2025
Our latest on the #JNIM blockade in #Mali for @FPRI & more general analysis on the insecurity situation in the Central #Sahel
@MoreSecurityInt
fpri.org/article/2025/11/the…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
7 Jul 2025
Drones Aren’t the Solution to Africa’s Security Crises | @MoreSecurityInt @plichta_marcel @C_Faulkner_UCF mwi.westpoint.edu/drones-are…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
14 Jun 2025
One week into Africa Corps in Mali and they’ve already suffered two of the biggest setbacks Russian forces have faced in 2025.
And now there’s no more glossing over it or scapegoating Wagner. This is what the Russian state offers as a partner.
Embarrassing for the Kremlin.
14 Jun 2025
#Mali image du moment de la chute de l’avion à Gao. Si effectivement il s’agit du Su24, il est le seul avion de ce type en dotation de l’AfricaCorps
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Raphael Parens retweeted
14 Jun 2025
If confirmed, this would represent a major step back for Africa Corps and Russia in Mali. The Su-24 is not a gamechanger in terms of the operational capabilities truly needed in the region, but it does serve as a symbol of Russian military power.
14 Jun 2025
#Mali🇲🇱- Today a military aircraft crashed near Gao airport in the Niger River. Both pilots were rescued alive. According to eyewitness reports, which have not yet been officially confirmed, it was an Africa Corps Su-24. A sandstorm could be the reason for the crash acc. to FAMa.
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Raphael Parens retweeted
30 Apr 2025
New article authored with @C_Faulkner_UCF and @MoreSecurityInt for MWI deals with the risks and challenges of getting involved in the DRC's security.
"On paper, a deal with the DRC may look desirable...in reality, this deal looks more like a trap."
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Raphael Parens retweeted
31 Mar 2025
Casting a Shadow: The UAE in Africa blog.icoca.ch/casting-a-shad… @MoreSecurityInt
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Raphael Parens retweeted
30 Mar 2025
It's Sunday morning, but keepin' on the grind with @C_Faulkner_UCF & @MoreSecurityInt as we get ever closer to finalizing the draft manuscript of our book on the Wagner Group for @ColumbiaUP
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Raphael Parens retweeted
24 Mar 2025
My latest with @MoreSecurityInt in @GJIA_Online on Russia in Africa: Private Military Proxies in the Sahel
gjia.georgetown.edu/2025/03/…
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Raphael Parens retweeted
12 Feb 2025
Russia’s African gambit is increasingly unlikely to pay off, but its ability to exacerbate state fragility and state failure remains a critical concern.
If left unchecked, the chaos Russia is sowing in Africa will likely outlast its presence. My latest: mwi.westpoint.edu/from-syria…
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