the whole problem with Tuareg militants returning from Libya is now partially the west's fault
Not really. The Tuareg have always been warriors, and they're very good at it. "Bad times" were when the prevailing political situation prevented them from traveling/raiding/trading/fighting.
I don't know why they were able to succeed exactly, but if I had to guess, I would guess that the army of Mali isn't very good at fighting people who fight back.
You would be right. The army is not really formally trained, more a case of "money for show" than real fighters. And the Tuareg are *real* fighters, who don't need fancy weaponry.
Given that, maybe we should take some responsibility.
No. Unless there's direct proof of fiddling by Western nations foreigners need to stay out of it. Africa is in the mess it's in because of the hubris, greed, and meddling of foreign powers. Past time people shut up, and kept their noses out of it, and let the local people work things out for themselves unless they specifically ask for aid that isn't a means towards violating other group's human rights. Easier said than done, I know.
Quite selfishly I'm perturbed by this news because it means there likely won't be a Festival au Desert next year, because this is unlikely to die down any time soon.
no subject
Not really. The Tuareg have always been warriors, and they're very good at it. "Bad times" were when the prevailing political situation prevented them from traveling/raiding/trading/fighting.
I don't know why they were able to succeed exactly, but if I had to guess, I would guess that the army of Mali isn't very good at fighting people who fight back.
You would be right. The army is not really formally trained, more a case of "money for show" than real fighters. And the Tuareg are *real* fighters, who don't need fancy weaponry.
Given that, maybe we should take some responsibility.
No. Unless there's direct proof of fiddling by Western nations foreigners need to stay out of it. Africa is in the mess it's in because of the hubris, greed, and meddling of foreign powers. Past time people shut up, and kept their noses out of it, and let the local people work things out for themselves unless they specifically ask for aid that isn't a means towards violating other group's human rights. Easier said than done, I know.
Quite selfishly I'm perturbed by this news because it means there likely won't be a Festival au Desert next year, because this is unlikely to die down any time soon.