The Mali Mess

Mali is a West African country with a long and gloried past. In the middle ages, it boasted a major Muslim university, the metropolis of Timbuktu, and the legendary monarch Mansa Musa, famous for amassing so much gold that it became a virtually worthless commodity.

Today's Mali is not the same. Last year, the regional branch of Al-Qaeda joined with Tuareg separatists to fight the civilian government. Simultaneously, the military launched a coup in the face of what it saw as a weak response from the state. With the help of several thousand French forces, the Malian forces defeated the Islamist/separatist alliance. In the wake of the French intervention, new elections were held, and Ibrahim Boubacar Keita became President. He promised a swift national unification. However, only this week violence has started up again despite the presence of UN Peacekeeping forces. In addition to Al-Qaeda activity, the military is making trouble in the capital. In a minor diplomatic kerfuffle, President Keita had to leave a meeting with France's President Hollande to deal with the issue. As Radio France International reports, "A French presidential statement stressed that Keita 'has made reconciliation his top priority,'" (RFI).

The trouble in Mali stems from a lack of proper centralization, a problem Acemoglu and Robinson append to other groups, like the nation of Somalia and the Congolese Lele (Acemoglu and Robinson 81, 134). This is especially apparent in last year's conflict - with Islamists, Tuaregs, and the military all vying for power, the civilian state folded under the pressure. This type of instability renders sustained economic growth in the region all but impossible, as locals live under the constant threat of attack from any of the disparate forces. Further, the government's resources are primarily directed at restoring order, which prevents it from focusing too heavily on economic development. All the same, if President Keita can make good on his promise to unite the country, then perhaps a centralized Mali could improve its economic standing enough to evoke the riches of Mansa Musa.