Category: Mali

‘Obama’s Man in Africa’

The ouster of the hopelessly corrupt Ali Bongo represents a particularly sharp rebuke of Obama, who groomed the Gabonese autocrat as one of his closest allies on the continent, writes Max Blumenthal.

Another Regime in ‘French Africa’ Is Toppled

Military officers in Gabon on Wednesday overthrew and arrested the country’s president, whose family ruled  since 1967.  It is the fourth coup in a former French African colony in the past three years as pressure mounts on Paris.

Niger Coup Takes Bonapartist Turn

Niger faces a “messy” situation rather than a revolutionary situation. Perhaps, certain Bonapartist elements are discernible — for which, of course, there is plenty of blame to go around, writes M.K. Bhadrakumar. 

Every Empire Falls

Every empire falls and the fantasy of American exceptionalism doesn’t exempt the U.S., writes Wilmer J. Leon, III. Yet the failing hegemon behaves as though it still controls events, but instead creates worldwide danger.

Patrick Lawrence: Africa for Africans

The animosities toward the French abroad among Nigeriens have been widely reported. But history is only part of the story, and not the largest part. Those who led the coup in Niger are facing forward, not backwards.

Niger is Far from a Typical Coup

Rather than send troops in response to the coup, France and the U.S. seem to favor a “Rwanda” type solution applied in Mozambique, writes Vijay Prashad. Only this time ECOWAS would apply force.