Abstract
State Department officials stated at the end of 2011 that after a careful review of year's events concerning the terror group Al Qaeda, the threat of terrorism was now greatly diminished with little chance of retunring. Less than four months later, Al Qaeda affiliate group Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) staged a coup in the West African country of Mali, effectively splitting the country in half. The article will analyze the conflict in Mali as an example of how Islamic fundamentalism and global terrorism of Al Qaeda has not dissipated, despite the best hopes of American foreign policymakers. After providing historical context to the country of Mali, the article will describe the beginnings of the conflict and its development, including the foreign intervention of France and to a limited extent the United States. I conclude by discussing several options the United States can consider to ending the conflict, and provide my own insights as to how to stop the war to ensure future conflicts will not occur and Al Qaeda may not again threaten the stability of a sovereign state, region or global community.
Recommended Citation
Primo, Nicholas
(2013)
"No Music in Timbuktu: A Brief Analysis of the Conflict in Mali and Al Qaeda’s Rebirth,"
Pepperdine Policy Review: Vol. 6, Article 6.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/ppr/vol6/iss1/6
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