Mali
William Hague: Somalia, Pakistan and Afghanistan is where the threat to the British homeland is coming from
On the Sunday Politics, William Hague confirmed that the greatest terrorist threat to the British homeland come from Somalia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. But he argued that without intervention, the Sahel… Continue reading
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The Cameron doctrine: Britain’s new foreign policy
David Cameron is continuing his tour of Africa today and is — according to the New York Times — ‘boasting a sheaf of commitments to new partnerships in the fields… Continue reading
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Two sides to the story in Mali
It is lovely to have Timbuktu back in the news, a welcome whiff of backwards exoticism and savagery. I am still not sure yet about Mali, and what we’re doing… Continue reading
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David Cameron visits Algeria for talks on ‘generational struggle’
The Prime Minister is visiting Algeria today to pay his respects to the victims of the hostage crisis. He will also hold talks with Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal, and… Continue reading
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The Americans accuse the French of being too ambitious in Mali as British involvement grows
It might have been pushed down the news agenda this week by David Cameron’s Europe speech and the bad economic news, but the situation in Mali is offering us a… Continue reading
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Mali is a British concern because it is a European concern
Aaron Ellis makes a good point: the comparison between Mali and Afghanistan is flawed. But I disagree with him as to why. Afghanistan was a failed state long before al-Qaeda… Continue reading
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Mali is not another Afghanistan
Why should we worry if jihadists control a poor, landlocked country thousands of miles away? As the French push on with the ‘reconquest’ of Mali, there’s a feeling here that… Continue reading
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There is nothing new about Islamism in Africa
The Algerian hostage crisis is over and the Prime Minister has warned that the focus of the al-Qaeda’s franchise has shifted westwards. In his statement on the situation, he was… Continue reading
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David Cameron redoubles his commitment to interventionism
David Cameron’s Commons statement on Algeria just now was the most interventionist speech he has made since the one he delivered at the Foreign Policy Centre during his 2005 leadership… Continue reading
19 Comments Can the West solve a problem like Mali?
I fear that we are all going to have to learn a lot about Mali and the Sahel—and fast. It is rapidly becoming the latest front in the war on… Continue reading
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Mali could be the gamble that defines Hollande’s presidency
The crisis in Mali is yet another unintended consequence of the Arab Spring. Specifically, they are a result of the revolution in Libya, where Tuareg rebels who supported Gaddafi were forced… Continue reading
43 Comments Mali: a Coffee House briefing
David Cameron has today confirmed that UK troops will offer logistical “assistance” to those of France now fighting Islamic insurgents in northern Mali. The below briefing outlines developments there so… Continue reading
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Could Mali become Cameron’s third war?
For a man cutting the military budget so much, David Cameron does seem to like using the Armed Forces. His personal conviction to act in Libya played a major part… Continue reading
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A few Easter questions
Apologies for my absence from this area: I took my two boys away for an uplifting week of cycling on a windswept and pretty Dutch island. I suppose they might… Continue reading
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