Dr Jennifer Welsh explains Frances decision to intervene in Mali

In an article for the Globe and Mail (14 January), Jennifer Welsh recounts recent events in Mali in the lead-up to Frances announcement last week that it would intervene militarily in the country to stop the advance of Islamist forces.

Jennifer notes that Frances direct involvement runs contrary to earlier plans for intervention, as both African and Western nations had hoped to see an African-led mission to address the situation in Mali. It was all supposed to work out very differently, she writes, with regional African actors in the lead. But the crisis in Mali has revealed once again how problematic it is for Western actors to rely on regional solutions to regional problems [W]hile regional organizations are often touted as the legitimate and preferred actors in crises such as Mali, they cannot always fulfil their mandate. Capacity and politics can get in the way.

The full article can be read here.