On Mali and France.

First, if you haven't read Laura Seay's piece in Foreign Policy on Mali, you should. She gives a brilliant critique of the media coverage on Mali, and also some background on what is going on. So, what is happening in Mali? In short, it has a lot to do with a weak state and a tense domestic situation that spiraled out of control, now involving a France and ECOWAS, with several other African states promising and sending military support.

For almost a year, Mali was of no real concern to the international community- the coup and then takeover of half the country by rebels and militants was on the back burner of international issues. The United Nations Security Council passed a vague, open ended resolution back in December, but outside of that there was little haste to act.

Then France stepped in, and began what has amounted to a successful campaign against the militants in Mali. With over 3,000 troops on the ground, France is waging a real war, and winning. Yet, you can't have European intervention in a former colony without the conspiracy theories abounding, and almost as soon as the bombs began to fall, the op-ed pieces about 'France attempting to recolonize Mali' began to appear. This however, is far from the reason why France got involved. Hollande said it was due to 'one sovereign state asking for the help of another.' Hollande has made it clear that France will withdraw once the battles are done (March at the earliest). There is no reason to think otherwise. The bulk of the military engagement and peacekeeping will be done by an UN-backed African military force (AFISMA), not France. France is not after resources, not after colonies. It is simply waging its own fight against Islamic militants and doing a bang up job. While France mops up the al-Qaeda backed groups, the government of Mali attempts to set up peace talks with the MNLA to bring long term stability to the north.

So where does Mali fit in the 'War on Terror?' As Seay so brilliantly points out, Mali is not going to be a long, protracted engagement by France. It will not be an occupation. What Mali will be, and currently is, is an attempt by states working together to turn the tide of extremism, and roll back the influx of al-Qaeda backed movements in Mali.