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From what I hear, the French do want their presence to be limited, with an African unit taking control when they are ready. The only reason the French are involved is because the Malian army completely collapsed and the jihadists (Al-Qaeda included) were ready to take over the capital. It is true that the Malian government is currently unstable (two coups in the past year), however, I don't see this as nation building, just as a temporary measure. I do believe (hope) that realists in Washington and other European countries have learned from our neoconservative mistakes.
On the other hand, the US has been watching northern Mali for some time. Even though this particular involvement may be temporary, Mali will not disappear from the radar screen any time soon.
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I like my perspectives like I like my baseball caps: one size fits all.
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