State-Building Through Security Sector Reform: The Political Economy of SSR Programming

This book review critically examines a recent monograph analysing Morocco's experience with security sector reform (SSR) as a tool of state-building. It assesses the author's central thesis that SSR programming has been instrumentalised by the monarchy to reinforce the Makhzen's authority rather than to foster democratic governance or human security. The review evaluates the evidence presented on key institutions—the military, police, and intelligence services—and the political economy of international donor support. It concludes by situating the work within broader debates on hybrid regimes and the inherent tensions between externally promoted SSR models and domestic power structures in the Maghreb.