Professional Soldiers ® - Mali could be the next Afghanistan

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Mali could be the next Afghanistan

Original paper is turned in and I have removed it to avoid being accused of plagerizing...myself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bechorg (Post 518705)

Because of their nomadic nature, the Tuaregs do not identify as Malian citizens and do not accept the defined colonial borders. Therefore, they want their own state of Azawad and believe that they can eradicate it from terrorism (Jullien, 2012).

Regarding the statement: "eradicate it..." a more concise and substantive statement might be -- "believe that they can carve out the desired nation-state (Azawad) utilizing acts of terrorism.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bechorg (Post 518705)

The end result of the Tuareg uprising is another base of operations for thousands of extremist and foreign fighters from all around the world, whom threatening the American interests in the region.

Here I would alter the verbiage somewhat because while it may prove a potential attraction to foreign extremists, unless there is definitive intelligence to suggest otherwise I would probably state the following: "... uprising is another potential base of operations for thousands of extremist and foreign fighters from around the world who will threaten American interests in the region."

Hope this provides another perspective ....

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In addition to UWOA's comments, I suggest defining what the Azawad region is and maybe a sentence or two of its strategic/economic/political importance before the following:

Quote:

The Tuareg rebel’s group National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (NMLA) is the political and military arm of the Tuareg people and is a conglomeration of historical factions. The NMLA’s adopted end state is also to attain autonomy and independence of the Azawad region.

Also, I would suggest a brief introduction to the Mali government and how it was formed after independence from France in 1960. A little history of the government, its structure, and its politics and policies since 1960 might be helpful to understanding the background and rationale for the Taureg uprising and the present conflict.

Is this a Sunni v Shia conflict? What is the strategic or economic importance of Mali?

Just some thoughts and questions that came to mind while I was reading? I am sure I will have more as this piece is fleshed out. :D

Good start and very interesting. I look forward to following this. :lifter

BTW, I assume you didn't think you were finished and that you really did want critical feedback. Careful what you ask for, you might get it. ;)

Thanks for the input. I am looking for any advice to make it better.

The focus is supposed to be on the NMLA and their success/failure, endstate, and effects on population.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocIllinois (Post 518776)

Mali's gold exports caught my eye.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2828.htm

Bingo! That's got to be the prime mover of the Tuaregs/NLMA! A ready source for financing al Qaeda operations. The Azawad state is just a political misdirection, IMO. Don't know if any of that fits into your FYSA paper, but it surely is the driving force here. As always it comes down to economic power.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bechorg (Post 518773)

Thanks for the input. I am looking for any advice to make it better.

The focus is supposed to be on the NMLA and their success/failure, endstate, and effects on population.

ha ha...SLC?

You know it, riding the pain train. Thought I would use it as an opportunity to actually learn and contribute something :eek: Something that has really confused me is how there is very little that mentions the support of the tuareg people, and any auxilliary. Does anyone have any experience working in that area and with them?