A French soldier involved in the regional anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane patrols on March 10, 2016 in Timbamogoye. © Pascal Guyot, AFP
Stephanie Pezard and Michael Shurkin, War On The Rocks: Mali is France’s Afghanistan, But With a Difference
In a recent editorial in Le Monde, French journalist Christophe Ayad draws disturbing parallels between the French military operations in Mali — which will reach their five-year mark in January — and America’s involvement in Afghanistan. At first glance the comparison is compelling, and in some important ways, accurate. Yet these two interventions present some fundamental differences that make the Afghanistan case likely more intractable than Mali’s, and give reason for optimism in France.
Ayad’s argument relates to the course of the wars and the apparent bind in which the American and French militaries now find themselves. Ayad observes that in both cases a lightning offensive gave way to a grinding counter-insurgency. In neither case can one now discern an alternative to continuing indefinitely to pay in blood and treasure to prop up governments that frequently act in ways contrary to good sense or good strategy.
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WNU Editor: The French have been engaged in Mali for five years .... but unlike the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, the conflict in Mali is vastly different. The big difference being that extremists in Mali do not have a safe haven like the Taliban have in Pakistan .... where they can rest, rearm, train, and regroup. The French are also engaged with every African nation in this region who want to defeat these extremist groups, unlike Afghanistan where its neighbors are pursuing their own agenda to have influence in that country.
2 comments:
With all due respect i have to disagree , you have to look to the big picture , mali,Algeria,Niger,Nigeria,central Africa , this area with size of Europe , with movement of tribes and people and history of extremism started since the 90s in Algeria then spread , now you have Libya ,chad involve , i would say it worse than Afghanistan , as there is players you can negotiate with , in Africa most if not all governments are Western backed with separate movement all of the area , which why most future assessment consider Africa the future of extremism battle.
They teach French in American schools to African immigrants so that the kids do not lose it.
America has money for seemingly everything.
And of course the school districts are broke.
But of course being Blue is dumb.
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