France's Operation Serval (named after an African wild cat) in Mali is reminiscent of similar operations undertaken by Paris and London, the two of them being led by Washington in a number of these. Paradoxically, this “wild" operation comes after the utter failure of these countries in Iraq and Afghanistan, and after their withdrawal from Baghdad and decision to withdraw from Kabul. In other words, the colonialist mind has failed to learn its lesson. The invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq was justified by a global war being waged against terrorism. George Bush Junior used to say that if we do not strike at them, they will strike at us in our own capitals. He was determined to change the Middle East and to spread democracy wherever he would send his troops. The former US President found in Britain and France the best allies to help him destroy Mesopotamia and return it to the Dark Ages. And after the “mission [was] accomplished", the occupying armies withdrew, leaving behind corporations, gangs and “Mujahideen" to continue spreading freedom and democracy, until these values overflowed to neighboring countries – and what we are witnessing in Syria is only the finest example of such a strategy. In fact, the countries allied against terrorism would have invaded Syria had not the Syrians, and the “Mujahideen", taken it upon themselves to destroy their own country, and had not Russia and China made use of their veto powers at the Security Council. And here is the White House today negotiating with the Taliban so that they may be restored to their former “glory" in Afghanistan, and in Pakistan as well. Hollande is repeating the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan in Mali. His troops set forth to pursue the terrorists and drive them out of the capital Bamako, but were “surprised by their strength and training", which forced them to increase the number of their troops and to ask for help from NATO, the United States and African countries, in particular Algeria, Mauritania, Niger and Morocco. And he will be surprised to see them move to these countries and others as the war goes on, a war that is expected to last a long time and to cost Paris more than it can bear. He may even have to negotiate with them, just like Washington is negotiating with the Taliban, and to leave neighboring countries in a state of constant war. The first signs of such a war have started with hostages being detained in Algeria, which has not yet rebuilt what its own internal wars destroyed in the 1990s. They are also spreading across the entire African Sahel region (the former French colonies), which represents an even greater threat for France's interests themselves, in view of Mali's strategic location in this region. Indeed, Mali neighbors Niger, a source of uranium, as well as Mauritania, where French oil companies are located, in addition to the Ivory Coast and Algeria with their tremendous amount of resources. These are the same deadly colonialist illusions and greed that have been translated in wars and destruction for centuries, being confronted by the illusions of “Mujahideen" of restoring doubtful historical glory, translated in terrorism, backwardness and disdain for human dignity and for people's right to live.
