Sunday, January 13, 2013

France declares victory in Mali

That was quick! Even quicker than W's infamous "mission accomplished" moment on that aircraft carrier.

But according to the BBC French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has declared the mission of stopping the terrorists in Mali has already been accomplished.

In a mere three days.

The ECOWAS troops that the UN authorized to stop the rebels haven't even got to Mali. Will they be able to maintain the glorious achievement?

Not likely.

Here's why. The three or four thousand troops coming from neighboring countries are poorly trained, poorly disciplined, and poorly motivated.

The Islamists are highly disciplined and highly motivated.

The "legitimate" government of Mali has it's legitimacy respected primarily by a handful of Western states who have mining operations in the country that they want to keep secure. While there is a core of elite Malians who have done well by this arrangement, it means nothing to the average citizen. While foreign companies ship vast wealth out of Mali, that average citizen is one of the poorest anywhere on the planet.

Not many Malians are prepared to fight to maintain that state of affairs. Nor are their brothers in ECOWAS.

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