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  1. RAND
  2. >The RAND Blog
/content/rand/blog/jcr:content/par/bloglist .topic.mali
The RAND Blog

Mali

  • MINUSMA Peacekeepers, during Operation Military 'FRELANA' to protect civilians and their property in Gao, Mali, July 11-12, 2017, <a h ref="https://www.flickr.com/photos/minusma/35834311872/in/album-72157683673223484/">photo</a> by Harandane Dicko/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">CC BY-NC-SA 2.0</a>
    Mali

    commentary

    Why the UK May Be Sending Troops to Mali

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Mar 16, 2020

    Wavell Room

    The UK government's decision to deploy an additional 250 soldiers to join the United Nations mission in Mali might be in Britain's security interests. Such deployments display the UK's commitment to international security and may well form a critical part of its post-BREXIT diplomacy.

    Read More »
  • Senegalese peacekeepers during a military operation in the Mopti region of Mali, July 5, 2019, <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/minusma/48289319002/in/photostream/">photo</a> by Gema Cortes/MINUSMA / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/">CC BY-NC-SA 2.0</a>
    Mali

    commentary

    Mali Violence Shows Limits of Intervention

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Nov 22, 2019

    RealClearDefense

    Each year brings more violence to Mali and its neighbors. Mali and Burkina Faso are rapidly destabilizing; the situation in Niger is less dire, but that is hardly a commendation. Why is the violence in Mali getting worse given the significant efforts by the international community to stem it?

    Read More »
  • Troops from the Malian Armed Forces and French soldiers conduct a joint patrol during the regional anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane in Inaloglog, Mali, October 17, 2017.
    Counterinsurgency

    commentary

    Mali Is France's Afghanistan, but with a Difference

    Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Dec 1, 2017

    War on the Rocks

    At first glance the comparison between the French military operations in Mali and America’s involvement in Afghanistan is compelling, and in some important ways, accurate. It also presents some fundamental differences that give reason for optimism in France.

    Read More »
  • French soldiers set up camp while waiting for the delivery of a replacement piece for a vehicle in Inat, Mali, May 27, 2016
    Counterterrorism

    commentary

    What Is the Sahel G5 Force and Why Should the U.S. Support It?

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Nov 6, 2017

    The Hill

    The French Joint Force G-5 Sahel plan offers the possibility of strengthening the Sahel nations' efforts to combat terrorism. Supporting the French initiative is a worthy undertaking, provided, of course, that everyone understands what it is and is not.

    Read More »
  • Security forces deploy to secure the area after an overnight raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, August 14, 2017
    Counterterrorism

    commentary

    Sahel Governments Need More Security Assistance

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Sep 14, 2017

    The Cipher Brief

    Developments in the Sahel are cause for alarm. Despite the presence of an active French counterterrorism force and a UN peacekeeping mission, al Qaeda groups are thriving. The region would benefit from approaches that combine police and military operations with economic development and improved governance.

    Read More »
  • French President Emmanuel Macron rides in a helicopter as he visits French troops in Africa's Sahel region in Gao, northern Mali, 19 May 2017.
    Security Cooperation

    commentary

    The U.S.-France Dustup Over Counterterrorism in the Sahel

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Jun 23, 2017

    U.S. News & World Report

    It's time for Paris and Washington to get together with the G5 nations of the Sahel and draft a strategy for achieving shared objectives. The French cannot do it alone or even with the support of the G5 nations. The U.S. would be penny wise but pound foolish to stay aloof or even just uphold the status quo.

    Read More »
  • French President Francois Hollande (L) walks with Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, President of Mali at the international conference center of Bamako ahead of the France-Africa summit in Bamako, Mali, January 14, 2017.
    Mali

    commentary

    What Mali Really Needs

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Jan 23, 2017

    U.S. News & World Report

    Mali needs more international engagement, as well as serious pressure on the Malian state to strengthen its hold on the country. The key will be helping beyond just security force assistance and conventional economic development aid; Mali needs help governing.

    Read More »
  • French soldiers from Operation Barkhane stand outside their armored personnel carrier during a sandstorm in Inat, Mali, May 26, 2016
    Counterterrorism

    commentary

    Mali's Persistent Jihadist Problem

    Christopher S. Chivvis

    Jan 12, 2017

    The Cipher Brief

    The 2013 French intervention in Mali averted an al Qaeda-backed thrust toward the capital of Bamako and reduced the threat from other jihadist groups. To ensure that a new threat does not materialize, France will need staying power and support from its allies.

    Read More »
  • French President Francois Hollande and Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian review troops at the fort of Vincennes, France, July 25, 2016
    Security Cooperation

    commentary

    Emergencies: France, Mali, and Turkey Are Playing with Fire

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Aug 15, 2016

    Breaking Defense

    The leaders of France, Mali, and Turkey have declared formal states of emergency. France's Hollande and Mali's Keïta, while responding to real threats, are risking democracy. Erdogan appears to be targeting democracy and using Turkey's recent failed coup as a pretext.

    Read More »
  • A French soldier from Operation Barkhane rides in an armoured vehicle in Timbuktu, November 5, 2014
    Military Strategy

    commentary

    The French Way of War

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Nov 17, 2015

    Politico

    There is a French way of warfare that reflects the French military's lack of resources and its modest sense of what it can achieve. They specialize in carefully apportioned and usually small but lethal operations, often behind the scenes.

    Read More »
  • A Malian gendarme climbs stairs at the Byblos hotel, site of a siege over the weekend in which 17 people died in Sevare, Mali, August 11, 2015
    Terrorist Organizations

    commentary

    How to Defeat a New Boko Haram in Mali

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Sep 8, 2015

    Newsweek

    While there is a need for stepped up military and police efforts against the self-proclaimed Macina Liberation Front, Mali's policymakers and their international partners need to focus on countering revivalist Islam, ideally by promoting Mali's other Islamic traditions, while finding ways to calm the inter-communal competition.

    Read More »
  • Juba, South Sudan, February 2014: Internally displaced persons in South Sudan find a safe shelter at the UN House IDP Camp
    Maternal Health

    commentary

    Family Planning Must Be Part of the Humanitarian Response in Africa's Conflict Zones

    Mahlet Atakilt Woldetsadik

    Jul 1, 2015

    The RAND Blog

    Worldwide, nearly 800 women die every day due to mostly preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. More than half of these deaths occur in fragile states torn by armed conflict and generalized violence.

    Read More »
  • A soldier stands outside La Terrasse restaurant where militants killed five people in a gun attack in Bamako, Mali, March 7, 2015
    Counterterrorism

    commentary

    Help Malians Fight Back

    Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Mar 13, 2015

    U.S. News & World Report

    The March 7 terrorist attack that killed five people in a nightclub in Bamako, Mali, underscores the importance of international support for the West African country, which has become another front in the struggle against Islamist radicalism.

    Read More »
  • Fighters from the Tuareg separatist rebel group MNLA take shade under a tree in the desert near Tabankort, February 13, 2015
    Mali

    commentary

    Mali's Peace Accord Offers Little More Than an Opportunity

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Mar 11, 2015

    The RAND Blog

    The good news is that Mali's latest attempt at peace presents a real opportunity. The bad news is that all the reasons that previous agreements failed are still present.

    Read More »
  • French President Francois Hollande arrives at the Elysee Palace in Paris to speak about French airstrikes in Iraq against Islamic State militants, September 19, 2014
    France

    commentary

    Does France Have the Master Plan to Defeat ISIS?

    Christopher S. Chivvis

    Sep 24, 2014

    The National Interest

    In Mali, France stopped jihadists from taking over, ejected them from the country almost entirely, and struck a major blow to their ability to threaten France and the region. This success story provides important lessons for the U.S. debate about how to deal with ISIS.

    Read More »
  • French Army General Bernard Barrera (L) speaks with a soldier during a patrol in northern Mali, March 23, 2013
    Counterterrorism

    commentary

    France Gets Tougher on Terrorism

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Jul 29, 2014

    U.S. News & World Report

    The launch of Barkhane, a new military operation by France, signals a change. Rather than simply reacting to an emergency as it did in Mali, France is committing to a long-term counterterrorism campaign, a much greater and more public commitment. This is welcome news for the United States.

    Read More »
  • French soldiers take up positions outside Markala, Mali, January 19, 2013
    North Atlantic Treaty Organization

    commentary

    NATO Needs a Southern Strategy

    F. Stephen Larrabee, Peter A. Wilson

    Feb 26, 2014

    Epoch Times

    If NATO wants to avoid strategic irrelevance, it needs to give increasing attention to the threats from the Middle East and North Africa region. A southern strategy should draw on recent experience, such as NATO's intervention in Libya and the successful operation in Mali.

    Read More »
  • Malians attending a concert for their upcoming elections
    Mali

    commentary

    Remembering What Mali Needs

    Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Jul 26, 2013

    U.S. News & World Report

    Free and fair elections are important, to be sure, but what Mali really needs is a leader who is dedicated to democracy, unity and reform of Mali's politics and institutions, write Stephanie Pezard and Michael Shurkin.

    Read More »
  • USARAF commander meets with Mauritanian senior leaders
    Counterterrorism

    commentary

    What Does the Amenas Attack Mean for U.S. Policy in Africa?

    Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

    Jan 31, 2013

    The RAND Blog

    Coinciding with continuing, contentious hearings on the U.S. response to last September's terrorist attack in Benghazi, the attack on the Amenas natural gas facility in Algeria has elevated a more general debate about the war on terrorism and U.S. policy in Africa, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

    Read More »
  • Armed Islamist fighters race near the Mauritania-Mali border
    Algeria

    commentary

    The Motivations Behind the Amenas Terrorist Attack

    Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

    Jan 29, 2013

    The RAND Blog

    An attack of this complexity would have required months of reconnaissance, planning, recruiting of inside confederates, and training of participants. France's intervention in Mali was used to “justify” an attack that would likely have taken place anyway, writes Brian Michael Jenkins.

    Read More »
  • French soldiers prepare for their departure for Mali on January 25, 2013
    Mali

    commentary

    Foreign Intervention in Mali Is Libya in Reverse

    Christopher S. Chivvis

    Jan 25, 2013

    U.S. News & World Report

    France is in Mali not just to prop up a failing state in French Africa, but because Mali was becoming a magnet for jihadis from around the world and Paris rightly feared the country could become the next Afghanistan—only much closer to Europe, writes Christopher Chivvis.

    Read More »
  • Islamists in Mali
    Terrorism Threat Assessment

    q&a

    The al Qaeda Threat in North Africa

    Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin, William Young, Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Seth G. Jones

    Jan 24, 2013

    Last week's terrorist attack at the In Amenas gas complex in Algeria, along with the recent success of the militant groups fighting government forces in Mali, indicate al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are gaining influence in North Africa. RAND experts weigh in on the latest developments.

    Read More »
  • A newly-created AQIM (Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) Touareg brigade aims to control a large area of the Sahel
    Algeria

    commentary

    Hostage Taking Exposes Terror Threat in Africa

    Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Jan 18, 2013

    USA Today

    There is a danger in viewing Mali through the prism of counter-terrorism, since the rebel element there is tangled up in movements and groups with a wide variety of interests and motives, ranging from sincere religious conviction to local political rivalries to base economic opportunism, writes Michael Shurkin.

    Read More »
  • Malian refugees
    France

    commentary

    The French Intervention in Mali Is Necessary, but Risky

    Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Jan 17, 2013

    U.S. News & World Report

    No solution is likely to offer more than a short-term reprise if it is not accompanied by real progress toward resolving Mali's political crisis and strengthening the Malian state and Malian democracy, write Stephanie Pezard and Michael Shurkin.

    Read More »
  • Malian troops stand guard outside Kati Barracks in Bamako, the headquarters of coup leader Amadou Sanogo
    France

    commentary

    France Needs More Than Force in Mali

    Stephanie Pezard @StephaniePezard, Michael Shurkin @MichaelShurkin

    Jan 17, 2013

    CNN

    France should coordinate military action with efforts to engage with local factions to use as partners and proxies, write Stephanie Pezard and Michael Shurkin. This is, in effect, how France conquered and secured northern Mali in the first place a century ago.

    Read More »
  • Malian pro-government militia members take part in a training session at their base in Sevare, Mali, November 12, 2012
    Mali

    blog

    Unrest in Mali Leaves Opening for Radicalism

    Dec 6, 2012

    African leaders meeting in Paris on Wednesday reportedly agreed that an African-led operation is needed to keep the western part of the continent, including Mali, from becoming overtaken by terrorists, including al Qaeda affiliates.

    Read More »

Quoted

  • The disorganized public health response to the pandemic in the United States helped ensure that the nation led the world in infections nearly from the beginning of the pandemic and it has remained there since.

    Rafiq Dossani

    Rafiq Dossani

    Director, RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy

    Source: The RAND Blog

  • I worry less about mobs in Washington than I do about terrorist plots by diehards after the inauguration… The 2020s could turn out to be a turbulent decade.

    brian michael jenkins, brian jenkins

    Brian Michael Jenkins

    Senior Adviser to the RAND President

    Source: The Hill

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