I've been trying to figure out where I stand on the French intervention in Mali

[cali]

Not having known jack about Mali prior to recent events, I decided to try and inform myself.

Most experts on Mali and West Africa seem to support- albeit with cautions- the French Intervention. There is little doubt that most Mali citizens are supportive. There are those who believe that this is merely an attempt by the French to re-colonize Mali and other countries:

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However, regarding the situation of Mali and Algeria, terror attacks can spread to Europe. In a US News & World Report article titled “The French Intervention in Mali Is Necessary, But Risky” stated that “Military operations in northern Mali are likely to radicalize the population, spark a race war, and spread the conflict to neighboring countries. They also are unlikely to yield a long-term solution.” This is exactly what the French government wants, an excuse to re-occupy Mali and Algeria as colonial possessions. The Mali intervention is necessary for corporate interests, not for the interests of the Malian people. The radicalization of the Mali population is possible and can cause a blowback to France in the form of a terrorist attack. This would allow France to clamp down on its own citizens because more protests are expected in the coming months since the French economy is in decline due to the European debt crisis. When there is a terrorist problem, the French government would offer the solution to protect its citizenry. When Imperial powers unleash their militaries on the local population to combat terrorism, organizations such as the ‘Ansar Dine’ were most likely used to commit the terror attacks. They are linked to an Islamic organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda known as the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) created by the West during the Soviet-Afghan War when they were called the “Mujahideen”. Members of ‘Ansar Dine’ come from Mali, Algeria and Nigeria. When Western powers use military force to fight terrorist organizations, the population gets caught in the crossfire, many innocents are killed causing a radicalization of the population to retaliate. They create hatred among the people who would eventually become the resistance against the occupation. This becomes an opportunity for the west."

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http://www.globalresearch.ca/from-the-battle-of-algiers-to-the-intervention-in-mali-french-imperialism-resistance-movements-and-false-flag-terrorism/5320087

Here are some thoughtful articles:

The question from a colleague -- one whose work I admire -- could have come from anyone in the United States.

"So the French," he asked, "now have their own Afghanistan?"

The answer is yes and no. Western military interventions should be carried out only as a last resort. But Mali today is a legitimate place to act.

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http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/01/a-malian-quagmire-in-defense-of-french-intervention/267339/

France in Mali: the End of the Fairytale

Whew, Mali. French air raids against Islamist positions in Mali began Thursday night, and the dust hasn’t settled yet. The news is changing fast, but, three things emerge from the haze. First, fierce fighting in the North and the East, with French forces in the lead, will open up a whole new set of dangers. With Islamist forces on the attack, foreign intervention was necessary, and many Malians at home and abroad welcomed it enthusiastically. Still, this remains a dangerous moment all around. Second, while the latest crisis might not break the political deadlock in Bamako, it has already changed the dynamic. And third, despite the sorry state of mediation efforts to date—both within West Africa and beyond—savvy diplomacy is needed now more than ever.

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http://africasacountry.com/2013/01/14/france-in-mali-the-end-of-the-fairytale/#more-60804

Vive la France! Vive la Republique! Vive la Francafrique! Ah, the good times are back for France in Africa. It may be the 21st century, Africa may be liberated, and racism may be less fashionable than it was just a few decades ago, but other things haven't changed much. On Saturday, a French president stepped off a French military plane in what was once a French colony. The French honour guard saluted, while the locals did what locals do best: sing and dance, and give curious cultural gifts, such as the unhappy baby camel which was the only creature in Bamako airport remotely disquieted by Francois Hollande's arrival. (Hollande is already getting the T-shirt printed: "I intervened in Mali and all I got was this lousy camel.&quot

But this time it's different. The French are no longer colonisers, or imperialists, or even plundering racists. This time, they are saviours. They are liberators. They are – let's shout it from the rooftops and the embassies and even our continental institutions – heroes. "Thank you France," screamed the cheering crowds that turned out to greet the French president in Mali. "Hollande is our saviour."

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/06/mali-crisis-not-over

In addition to the nightmarish physical dangers that wartime brings, there is a conceptual danger that arises for people watching Mali at this moment: the danger of being swept up in a triumphalist narrative of good versus evil. It is one thing to know, in theory, that an American or Western European military can take territory rapidly from rebel groups; it is another to see, even from a distance, a display of Western military might unfold. To be shocked and awed by French bombs and soldiers reconquering in some eighteen days what some observers had thought might take months to do. To see the French sweep Gao, Timbuktu, and Kidal without even seeming to break a sweat. It is one thing to know, in theory, that the early phases of military interventions like these often prove popular with both domestic constituencies and liberated populations; it is another to see French flags waving in Bamako, and President Francois Hollande receive a rockstar reception. There is a danger in a moment like this of falling prey to some kind of intoxication, and pretending there is no hangover to follow.

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http://sahelblog.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/feed-people-resettle-them-and-keep-them-from-killing-each-other/

So where do I stand now after reading all this- and more?

I still don't know. I tend to err on the side of caution when it comes to Western military interventions. I don't believe that France is trying to recolonize Mali or their other former colonies in West Africa. I do think it's clear that most Malians support the intervention, at least as several experts note, to this point. But what are the ramifications? Was there any other way?

[el_bryanto]

1. Mali has some good music as well n/t