Vive la France.
What else can one say to the news that the French are using their military might to push back al-Qaeda-linked Islamist rebels who have taken control of northern Mali–a vast region bigger than France itself? While the United Nations passed toothless resolutions and the U.S. expressed concern but did nothing, France’s President, Francois Hollande, acted. He has dispatched some 400 troops backed by helicopter gunships and fighter aircraft to stop the rebel advance, which threatened to engulf the part of Mali still held by the ramshackle government. The U.S., UK, and other allies are providing non-lethal assistance, but it is very much a French show.
This could well be a harbinger of things to come: Given the “lead from behind” doctrine that animates the current American administration, and the declining defense capabilities of Britain, France may well be left as the Western power on the front lines of the fight against Islamist extremism. This move is certainly in keeping with France’s traditionally activist role in its former African colonies–something that Hollande promised to abandon but now seems to be embracing.
There are, however, sharp limits to French capabilities, which is why France is not intervening in Syria, much as it would like to: Bashar Assad’s regime is still powerful enough that it would require an American lead to take on its air defenses. France also lacks surveillance, airlift, and aerial refueling capabilities, all of which are being provided in Mali by the U.S., UK, and other European states.
Important as the French intervention is to block further advances by Malian extremists, France will find it harder to exit than to enter this conflict. Air strikes and the like can temporarily stymie a powerful army of guerrilla fighters but cannot defeat it. That requires boots on the ground for a prolonged period of time to reestablish control.
In Mali, the French hope that force will be provided by Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African States, which is moving up plans to deploy 2,000 peacekeepers. However, given the woeful historic performance of African peacekeeping forces in countries such as Somalia, it is clear that Ecowas, to be effective, will require considerable buttressing from France and other Western states for some time to come. France will also have to work with the U.S. and other states to train up and arm the ineffective armed forces of Mali itself–and to somehow avoid the fiasco of the last training program, run by the U.S., which resulted in units defecting to the Islamists and others overthrowing Mali’s elected leader.
That is undeniably a burden, and one that France would understandably prefer to avoid. But given the alternative–allowing al-Qaeda affiliates to gain control of a major African country–a long-term commitment would appear to be the lesser evil here.
Jusf what we need. A war in the Sahel. n nLet the froggies oppress their "ex-colonies."
Of course France took the lead, the Obama administration doesn't know what leadership is and if anyone pointed it out to them the "Dummy Jay" Carney would say somethink stupid like Obama actually has it. n nYou just cannot fix this much stupid
."You just cannot fix this much stupid ." n nWe missed our chance a couple of months ago. n nThe funny thing is "smart" is a Progressive code word for liberal/Progressive; "stupid" is a Progressive code word for conservative. What is funny about this is how often Progressives are in a state of projection and how truly mixed up they are.
This is the 5th Tuareg rebellion in 50 years. They've been fighting for a separatist "Azawad" since the 1890's. Azawad is an area larger than France itself but it only has 624,000 people total. It's for the most part one of the most inhospitable lunar landscapes on the planet. The fact that they've latched on to al Qaeda is merely a tactic. Once the French are pushed back and they give up and al Qaeda decides it's too much even for them, the Tuaregs will get back to what they do – rebelling. I say let them have it. The only thing Azawad, apart from Timbuktu, is useful for is testing atomic weapons.
The sky is falling. Trust and I agree on something. n nIf we need camels, we can breed our own.