War

Government propaganda organ explains why Mali matters to the west, apologizing for French involvement and advocating for  a new NATO and US war. This is rich...

"Much of the problem can be traced to the Libya war in 2011. After the defeat of Moammar Gadhafi, thousands of his African recruits went back to their home countries, including Mali. They brought a massive arsenal of heavy weapons, which provided new strength to the rebel movement in northern Mali, led by Tuareg separatists and Islamist radicals. In early 2012, the rebels launched a major offensive, and by April of 2012 they had captured northern Mali, routing the Malian army. After that, the Islamist fighters were able to push aside the Tuareg separatists, and the Islamists ended up in control of the major northern towns and cities."

In other words, the US and NATO turned Mali into a problem. Who would have thought that US intervention created more terrorists than it killed? Oh, that was me. Eric Margolis reminded us that Timbuktu, the city so remote that it didn't matter, was in Mali.