If we extrapolate from the current trend lines, democracy will be gone in a couple decades, melted away like the polar ice. But although down, democracy is not out.
Democracy: On the Precipice?
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Mali
In Mali, Conflict Continues a Year After the French-led Invasion
A French re-militarization of Africa, under the well-worn pretext of humanitarian intervention, is in the making.
Can Mali Reunite?
Now that Mali has held its first election following the state’s near disintegration—a 16-month period marked by a fierce rebel offensive, a military coup, and a French military intervention—the prospects for peaceful reunification are on the minds of many. A high...
The In Amenas Fiasco Throws Cold Water on the Algeria-U.S.-France Love Fest (Part Two)
Algeria intended to send a message to the United States and France that Algeria can handle domestic terrorism.
The Mali Blowback: More to Come?
The French-led military offensive in its former colony of Mali has pushed back radical Islamists and allied militias from some of the country’s northern cities, freeing the local population from repressive Taliban-style totalitarian rule. However, despite these initial victories, it raises concerns as to what unforeseen consequences may lay down the road.
Mali, France, and Chickens
Northern Mali stands poised to provide the working definition of a quagmire.
From Here to Timbuktu
The solution in Mali must be a multi-pronged approach involving more than just military measures. The challenge ahead is complex and treacherous. One longs for the heyday of ancient Timbuktu, when African scholars pored studiously over learned manuscripts in quiet libraries.
No Military Solution in Mali, Emira Woods Says
“There cannot be a military solution to this crisis in Mali,” said Emira Woods, co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at IPS. “The crisis has its roots in political and also economic processes.”
Mali: After the Intervention
The international community must implement stabilization measures alongside political solutions, military intervention, and humanitarian aid.
Mali’s War: The Wages of Sin
The bad dream unfolding in Mali is less the product of a radical version of Islam than a consequence of the West’s scramble for resources on this vast continent, and the wages of sin from the recent Libyan war.