As France mourns plane crash victims, Hollande consolidates military might in Africa.

The Conversation, 29 July 2014.

But the two goals are in some ways contradictory: where French capital is most dominant, it has weakened Saharan states to the point that military intervention is repeatedly needed. And Hollande also failed to address key questions about the role of Libya and Algeria. Those countries substantially drive events in the Sahara by tolerating smuggling, and the various Islamist militias that live on it.

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