By guest-bloggers Steve Mason, Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), and Katie McGregor, University of Ottawa. Renowned as a place of rich history, diverse cultures and world-famous musicians, Mali has been making headlines for very different reasons over the past twelve months. Once cited as a model of peace and stability in West Africa, Mali’s two decade… Read More
Tag Archives: Mali
Lessons from Canada’s Development Engagement in Fragile States (Post)
For anyone who thought that ‘fragile states’ would quietly fade off Canadian policy agendas when Canadian forces withdrew from Kandahar, the last year has been full of surprises. In 2012, Mali—long considered a paragon of democracy and a stable African partner for Canada—suffered a military coup and lost the northern half of its territory to rebels. Sout… Read More
Tags: Canada, development, fragile states, Haiti, Mali, Stephen Baranyi
Mali: Global Jihad, Local Struggles and the Dangers of a Single Story (Post)
In the wake of the French intervention in Mali, there is much talk of the Sahel region becoming a safe haven for extremist Islamists. Africa’s vast desert territories are perceived as ‘ungoverned spaces’, or ‘black holes’ where a dangerous underworld of terrorists and criminals operate freely and whence they will eventually launch their attacks on a West… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, iraq, Islamism, jihad, Mali, Rita Abrahamsen, terrorism
Misinterpreting Mali: The Uses and Abuses of R2P (Post)
As argued in this space recently, there are sound legal and political justifications for the intervention of French and West African troops in northern Mali. Further, the apparent achievements of the operation so far lend support to those who argue it is feasible to defeat the Islamist insurgency. But lasting success will depend on the extent to which the r… Read More
Tags: David Petrasek, France, humanitarian intervention, Islamism, Mali, Responsibility to Protect, Syria, UN Security Council
Development in Fragile States? Lessons and Options for Canada (Event)
SYMPOSIUM presented by the Fragile States Research Network at CIPS in partnership with the School of International Development and Globalization Studies. The 2011 New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States recognizes that few fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS) are on track to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. As a result, it call… Read More
Tags: Canadian International Develpment Agency, fragile states, Fragile States Research Network, gender, Haiti, international development, Mali, New Deal, South Soudan, Stephen Baranyi
To those of us deeply skeptical of the deployment of Western military force in the developing world, the French intervention in Mali in recent days poses something of a dilemma. It appears to be legally and militarily justified, and enjoys strong local and regional support. Yet at the same time, it appears to be based on the same assumptions about Western ai… Read More
Tags: Afghanistan, Al-Quaeda, David Petrasek, France, intervention, Islamism, Mali, UN Security Council
An Intervention Ahead in Mali? (Post)
These days, when Western politicians or analysts discuss the possibility and likely consequences of an international intervention, they tend to refer to Syria. This is understandable, given the gravity and complexity of the crisis unfolding there. But the focus on Syria has led us to overlook the growing international support for intervention in anot… Read More
Tags: Africa, ECOWAS, humanitarian intervention, Islamism, Mali, Syria
