BRANDEIS JOURNAL OF POLITICS
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    • Letter From the Editors
    • Debt As A Tool Of Inequity
    • A Comparison of Unemployment Insurance In Western Europe & The United States
    • Charter Schools: One Path To The American Dream
    • Re-examining Private Education And Social Inequality In Chile
    • Bargaining Against Americans: How Public Sector Unions Undermine Accountability And Hurt Citizens
    • Could the European Union’s Agricultural Policy Serve as a Framework For US Agricultural Policy
    • Reducing Emissions in Developing Nations
    • No-Excuse Absentee Voting: A Fair Equalizer
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  • Archive
    • Letters From the Editor >
      • Fall 2018
      • Spring 2019
    • Sub-Saharan Africa Section >
      • Burgeoning Cities and Suffering Publics: The Lagosian Infrastructure Trade-Off
      • An Explosive Climate: Spiraling Security Politics in the Lake Chad Basin
      • Africa's Digital Advance
      • The Language of Crisis
      • The African Gold Rush
      • Adowa Dance: Black Feminist Practice
      • The Panda’s Approach to Pandemonium: Managing Corruption in Nigeria
      • Student Movements in South Africa: Decolonization, Language, and Racial Justice
      • Foreign Investment in Africa: A Legacy of Unequal Relationships
      • The Politics of Inclusion
      • Uganda: The Politics of Persecution
      • The Politics of Destabilization: Interpreting Al Shabaab’s “Terrorist Attack” in Kenya
      • Senegal's Arduous Path Forward
      • Political Relations with Major Powers
      • A Half-Hearted Commitment to the Central African Republic
      • A Conflict-Free Congo: Can Corporations Revise Their Use of Conflict Minerals?
      • Rituals or Rights? The Politics of Female Genital Modification in Somalia
      • Mali: Tensions Between Islam, Ethnic Differences and the State
      • Manufactured Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa
      • Two Nigerias in Conflict: The Emergence of Boko Haram and its Implications for Nigerian Stability
      • US-Africa Summit: A Turning Point in Relations
      • A Change in Leadership at a Critical Period
      • The African Union and the International Criminal Court: Selective Justice?
      • Is the Fairytale Over For South Africa?
      • Interpreting US AFRICOM Toward a Future of Military Engagement on the African Continent
      • From Decentralization to Secession: Tuareg Rebels and the Quest for Balance in Mali
      • The Dragon's Gold: Chinese Investment in Africa
      • Deconstructing Boko Haram: Institutional Reform on the Path to Peace
      • Oil Money: Ghana’s Economic Considerations in the Global Oil Surplus
      • Protests in Ethiopia
      • Africa's Infrastructure: Leapfrogging the Traditional
    • Americas Section >
      • Three Kinds of Representation: The Case of Argentinian Women in Congress
      • American Military Presence in Okinawa: An Obsolete Endeavor
      • Abolish ICE: A History of the Agency and The New Movement for its Elimination
      • I Don’t Want to Talk About Vietnam”: U.S. Counterinsurgency between Saigon and Baghdad
      • Refugees in Canada: A Closer Look at the Safe Third Country Agreement
      • Sovereignty Under Attack?: The Costa Rican Case
      • Who, When, and How? Social Democracy Awaits in Cuba
      • Ni Una Menos: Twitter's Role in Fighting Femicide in Argentina
      • American Saber-Rattling Not Enough to Destroy Trade Relations with Canada
      • The Beaver and the Dragon: Canada's Strategic Embrace of China
      • Room For Improvement: Macri’s Economic Reforms, Argentine Political History, and the Argentinian Poor’s Protests
      • The More, The Merrier: Democracy, Corruption, and Impunity in Honduras
      • The Problem of Bouterse
      • The Socio-Economic Risk Factors that Culminated in the Zika Virus Outbreak
      • Trump’s Unfettered Populism and What It Could Mean for U.S. Foreign Relations
      • Cyber Attacks and Political Hacks: Implications of the 2014 Sony Pictures Entertainment Hack
      • The Past, Present, and Future of the American Immigration System
      • The Path to a Global Internet
      • Threat from the East: China's Pivot to Latin America
      • State of Anarchy: The International Void Created by Maras in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
      • Redefining Cuban Relations: A Closer Look at the End of the Cuban Embargo
      • The Dilemma of Mutual Understanding
      • The End of an Era: The Normalization of U.S.-Cuban Relations
      • Leader by Default: Why the Sun Has Yet to Set on American Global Leadership
      • Colombia and the FARC: Peace at Last?
      • Brazil’s Elections: The Long-Term Implications of a Tight Presidential Race
      • The Enduring Popularity of Rafael Correa and the New Left
      • The Secret Ingredient: Why Drones are Vital to U.S. Hegemony
      • Effects of Snowden’s NSA Leaks on U.S. Foreign Relations
      • The Failure of The United States’ Arab Spring Strategy
      • Apocalypse Postponed: The Enduring Importance of Maintaining the Arms Control Regime
      • Judicial Review or Institutionalized Racism?
      • Negotiating with North Korea: Try and Try Again
      • Celebrating Fifty Years of Diplomatic Gridlock: U.S.-Cuba Relations in 2012
      • Regional Integration and Private Sector Growth in Cuba
      • The Prospects of Slavery Reparations in the Caribbean
      • Protests Reflect Infrastructural Inadequacies in Brazil
      • History in the Making or a Recipe for Disaster? El Salvador’s Gang Truce Examined
      • Debating Iran: Can the United States Make a Deal with the Devil?
      • Priority for 21st Century Defense: A Sustainable U.S. Military Strategy
      • The Rise of Drones in American Foreign Policy
      • From a Dirt Road to a Green Cup: Brazil 2014
      • Leftward Shifts and Power Shifts: Latin America’s Pink Tide
    • Asia-Pacfic Section >
      • No Country for the Rohingya: An Explanation of the Rohingya Refugee Crisis
      • The Future of American Trade Fear in East Asia
      • Entering The Chinese Room: China's Quest to Lead a New World Order
      • A Second Red Wedding: The Complications of Sino-Russian Relations
      • The Break Up: China and North Korea’s Toxic Relationship
      • Instability in the Middle Kingdom: The Shaky Foundations of China's Rise
      • The New Red Scare: An Examination of Cross-Strait Skepticism
      • A Realistic Move: China's New Silk Road
      • The Cost of Voting: How Xi Jinping Simultaneously Increased Democracy and Authoritarianism
      • Fishing For Trouble: The Economic Costs of Conflict in the South China Sea
      • The Danger of the Thucydides Trap: Xi Jinping's Visit to the United States
      • David vs. Goliath: The Philippines-China Arbitration Case
      • Xi's Return to Maoism
      • A Cause for Optimism?: China’s Energy Policy Post-COP21
      • The Show Goes On: Vietnam's Balancing Act
      • Redefining The State: Nationalism and the Push for Constitutional Revision in Japan
      • China’s Resources Policy: Expanding Influence
      • China’s Maritime Strategy: The Pursuit of Regional Dominance
      • China’s Geo-economics: Politics of Inequality
      • China’s Transition of Power: Domestic Struggles for Political Dominance
      • Confrontations Between Tibetan Protestors and the CCP Police Continue
      • 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster and Aftermath
      • Why Would China Want a Democratized Hong Kong?
      • East Asian Regional Integration
      • Stronger Together: A Case for ASEAN Military Integration
      • Capitalism Fights to Survive in China’s Special Administrative Regions
      • China’s Increased Involvement in Afghanistan Divergent from U.S. Wants
      • The Future of the Tibetan Problem
      • The Geopolitical Implications of the Indo-Japanese Abe-Modi Summit
      • Australia Experiences Heightened Degree of Geopolitical Influence U.S. and China Eye Each Other’s Moves in the Asia Pacific
      • Xi Jinping’s AntiCorruption Campaign: Stalinist Purge, or Second Chance for the Chinese Communist Party?
      • South China Sea Territorial Disputes ‘Rock The Boat’ of Regional Security
    • Europe Section >
      • Nominal Interests: A Breakthrough in the Ongoing Name Dispute Between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece
      • The Reinvention of the National Front
      • Democracy in Transition: Hungary's Descent into Authoritarianism
      • (Un)Orthodox Nationalism
      • Something is Rotting in the State of Denmark: Ethnic Nationalism Takes Root in Scandinavia
      • Blood, Oil, and Tears: Azerbaijan's Tradeoff Between Corruption and Growth
      • The Bear Awakens: Russia's Strategy to Sow Chaos in the West
      • Russia’s Return to Religion Signals Changes in Politics and Society, but Not Secularization
      • Spain: The Forgotten Frontier
      • Bye Bye Britain: Euroscepticism Threatens EU Solidarity in June Referendum
      • Europe's Migrant Dumping Ground: Serbia's Refugee Crisis
      • Regional Reconciliation: Evaluating Whether Cuba Will Join the OAS and the Subsequent Implications
      • Has Europe Got Milk?
      • Lifting the Iran Curtain: The Future of Economic Relations Between the EU and Tehran
      • Europe’s Take on the Rising Cost of Healthcare
      • Contrasting Eurozone Economies: The Good, the Bad, and the Corrupt
      • Europe's Take on Income Inequality
      • Russia’s Role in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Sustainer of Peace or Tension?
      • The Failure of Austerity
      • The Rise of Kazakhstan: A Solution for the EU’s Russian Energy Dependence?
      • Scotland After the Independence Referendum
      • Closing the European Security Gap
      • Europe Trading Up: The Strategic Importance of the TTIP
      • The UK to Tighten Immigration Restrictions
      • Old Powers, New Glory: U.K. and France’s Changing Roles in the New European Commission
      • Greece’s Political Pressure Cooker: the Rise of Radicalism
      • Caps Off: Analyzing the EU's Influence on Swiss Immigration Policy
      • Bulgaria and Romania’s Entry into the Schengen Treaty to be Further Postponed
      • Catalan Secession and Subsidiarity
      • The View from Independence Square
      • US-Russian Antagonism Reignited Over Human Rights Policy
      • The Dynamics of the Russia-China Relationship
      • European Action to Limit Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emission
    • Middle East and North Africa Section >
      • Confessionalism, the Rise of Hizbullah, and the May 2018 Elections in Lebanon
      • The Dilemma of Rebuilding the Cultural Heritage of Aleppo
      • Stars and Stripes in the Middle East: American Involvement in the Yemen Civil War
      • Unlikely Bedfellows: Israeli-Saudi Security Ties and the Middle East's Worst Kept Secret
      • The Constructed People: Kurdistan's Challenge to Iraqi Nation-Building
      • Globalism, Nationalism, and the Armenian Diaspora
      • The Turkish Coup Attempt: Was it an Erdogan Hoax?
      • Counterterrorism and Monarchical Power in Morocco
      • State and Familial Prostitution in Egypt
      • Post-Revolution Tunisia: The Challenges of Regional Inequality to the Political Transition
      • Examining Jordan's Influence in the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
      • Democracy in Tunisia
      • A Cold Peace: The Future of Egyptian-Israeli Relations
      • Can He Do It? Examining the Significance of Hassan Rouhani Regarding Iranian Relations
      • The Iranian Interim Deal: Perspectives and Implications
      • Transcending the Sunni-Shia Divide; An Overview of Al Qaeda-Iranian Relations
      • Turkey: The Middle East’s “It” Country, or Has It Outgrown Its Fifteen Minutes of Fame?
      • Religious Minorities in the MENA: The Baha'is and Druze in Israel
      • The Invisible Hand Behind the Arab Spring
      • Egypt as a Litmus Test
      • Instability in Yemen: A Rebel Takeover
      • Hitting Home: Understanding the Appeal of the Islamic State in the West
      • Lessons From Afghanistan
      • The Role of the US in Mediating the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict
      • The Everlasting Struggle: The Genius of Erdogan’s Political Rhetoric
      • Libya: Before and After the Fall of Muammar Gaddafi
      • Recent NGO Crisis Exposes Divisions in Egyptian Politics
      • The Revolution Will Be Live Streamed: The Role of the Internet in the Arab Spring: The Role of the Internet in the Arab Spring
      • Lebanon to join the Arab Spring?
      • The Persian Gulf and U.S. Strategy: Past and Future
      • Disintigrating Under Pressure: Saudi-U.S. Relations and the Syrian Conflict
      • Assessing the Effectiveness of Micro-finance Institutions in Jordan and Beyond
      • Prosecution, Politics, and Peace: Palestine’s Admittance to the International Criminal Court
    • Central and South Asia Section >
      • GST: India's Largest Economic Reform Since 1992
      • Investing in Kazakhstan: A Model of Chinese Power Acquisition
      • The Rise of Intolerance in India
      • The Past Guiding the Present: How Mongolia’s Soviet Past is Shaping its Development in the 21st Century
      • Will India Choose Israeli Technology or Iranian Oil?
      • The 2014 Indian Elections: The Rise of the BJP
      • Examining Modi's Defense Policy
      • The Indo-U.S. Relationship: Through the Lens of Republic Day
      • Hegemon Games: The Indo-Pak Question
      • Growing Forces: Foreign Investment in Central Asia
      • The Rupee Stumbles – What’s India’s Next Step?
      • The Enemy Behind the Gates: Pakistan's Teetering Talks
      • Indian Foreign Policy: In Search of a Direction
      • The Collapse of the India-Pakistan Talks
      • The Global Race to Myanmar
      • Trade: Is This the Way Ahead for Resolving Outstanding Disputes Between India and Pakistan?
    • Theme Section >
      • Economic Effects of Brexit: Should The UK Leave?
      • Will Demographics Drive China’s Debt Towards Disaster?
      • Using Realpolitik to Understand American Involvement in NATO
      • Security, Money, and Culture: The Role of the WTO in the Resilience of the U.S.-Japan Alliance
      • The Effects of China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Influence, Trade, and Resources
      • The Responsibility to Protect: A Well-Meaning yet Inadequate Solution to the Battle Between Sovereignty and Humanitarian Intervention
      • Disconnecting Dissent: The Dilemma of Privatized Public Speech and Free Information Online
      • Who Owns the Internet?: Control and Mastery of the New Public Sphere
      • Online Community Building: The Emotional, Social, and Political Challenges of Adapting to a New Way of Being Together
      • “The Great Firewall” as an Inefficient Barrier
      • Borderline Open: The Barriers of Schengen
      • The World’s Most Dangerous Border: Refugees in the Mediterranean Are Fighting for Their Lives
      • Overcoming the Physical Barriers of Natural Disasters: Despair and Hope in post-Hurricane Dominica
      • From Past to Present: The Porous Nature of the DRC’s Borders
      • India's Struggle for Gender Equality
      • A False Sense of Protection: Failure of the UN to Address Allegations of Sexual Assault Against Peacekeepers
      • Scapegoats of Politics: How the Malaysian Transgender Community Fell Victim to the Politicization of Islam
      • Adversity and Perseverance: The Story of Bangladesh's Garment Worker
      • "Bye, Honey!": Brazilian Women Fight for Their Rights After Dilma Rousseff's Impeachment
      • Mexico's Unstable Democracy: Self-Defense Groups, Cartels, and the Struggle Over the Rule of Law
      • Obama to Trump: Immigration Policy Rhetoric and Resistance
      • Translating Democratic Theory into Constitutional Design: A Conversation with Professor Jefferey A. Lenowitz
      • The Reign In Spain: Analyzing the Catalan Threat to European Democratic Order
      • Reaching for the Sky: The New Age of Connection in Sri Lanka
      • The Battle for Ukraine
      • North Korea’s Strategy of Escalating Threats and Its Problems
      • Accusations of Pinkwashing in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
      • Economies in Transformation, A Continent in Transition
      • The Dynastic Dictatorship Continued: The Internal Dynamics of North Korea and What to Expect From the New Leader
      • Russia's Gas Diplomacy
      • The "Oldest Profession" Organizes: A Conversation with Professor Gowri Vijayakumar
      • An Amazonian Legacy of Military Rule
      • Soldiers of Destiny, Deferred: Marriage Equality and Reproductive Rights in Irish Politics
      • A Tale of Two Courts: Why Chinese Capitalism Does Not Come With the Rule of Law
      • A Failure to Rise to the Occasion: Syria and the Future of “Responsibility to Protect”
      • South Sudan: Democracy Or Despair
      • Protests and Repression in a Digital Age
      • Wiping the Slate Clean: Modi's Water Conundrum
      • Increasing Oil Production: A Sound Approach to Achieving U.S. Energy Independence?
      • Water's Influence on Middle Eastern Policy: A Conversation with Dr. Mahmoud Abu-Allaban
      • A New Era for the Nile: The Effects of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
      • Getting Past the Green Monster: An Analysis of Germany's Energy Transition
      • Theme Section Graphics
      • The African Union and a New Scramble: A Continent in Transition
      • Regional Perspectives
      • Pervasive Issues in China's Continued Urbanization
      • Art, Power, Politics, and Protest in Saudi Arabia
      • Should Europe Brace Itself for Brexit
      • Energy Analysis
      • Composition & Organs
      • African Union Timeline
      • The Rohingya Refugee Crisis
      • Interview with Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee, Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor in Korean Studies
      • A Historical and Political Understanding of Aid: The Implications and Conditions of Aid Packages
      • Park Geun-hye’s “New Kind of Korea” Prospects for Re-envisioned Inter-Korean Relations
      • Interview with Professor Nyangoni
      • Interview With Professor Padraig Carmody of Trinity College of Dublin, Author of The New Scramble for Africa
      • Timeline of U.S. Refugee Resettlement
      • A closer look into North Korea
      • How Does North Korea Stack Up?
      • According to the Expert: Interview With Professor Eva Bellin
      • Fulfilling an Ideological Destiny? An Insight into United States Policy Regarding the Syrian Conflict
      • PIS Off: Polish Women Mobilize to Reject Tightening of Abortion Restrictions
      • Brain Drain in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Downside of Migration
      • Grand Master and Pawns: Looking at the United States and Russia
      • In Putin’s Element: Why the U.S. Needs to Let Russia Take the Lead in Destroying Syria’s Chemical Weapons
      • In Syria, It’s the End of the Line
      • Greenback Boogie: The Story of Remittances from Central Asian Immigrants in Russia
      • Regional Perspectives
      • The EU as a Passive Actor
      • In Search of Home: The Impact of Syrian Refugees on the International Community
      • Vladimir Putin: The New Leader of the Free World?
      • Modi's Pakistan Strategy
      • Resistance Infographic
      • Mexico's Other Border: Human Rights Abuses of the Trans-North American Migrant Crisis
      • Most Significant Refugee Producing Countries
      • Syrian Conflict Statistics
      • The View From Moscow: Contention and Cooperation in the Middle East
      • A Discussion of the EU with Lorenzo Bini Smaghi
      • EU Timeline
      • Turkey's Membership in the EU: A Holy Venture?
      • Al-Shabaab and the Threats Posed to International Peace and Security
      • Interview with Professor Robert J. Art
      • Instability and Nationalism: Why Ecuador's Colombian Refugees Face Discrimination
      • ISIS Timeline
      • Interview with Professor Gary Jefferson
      • Contemporary Cyber-Terrorism
      • ISIS’ Rise to Prominence and Implications for the Future: A Conversation with Ambassador Dennis Ross
      • Qatar: An Uncertain Ally Against IS
      • Red to Pink: The Continued Evolution of the Chinese Internet Space
      • Russia’s Separatist Subversions: Return of the Steamroller, or Running Out of Steam?
      • Shifting Sands: Arab Tacit Support of Israel during the Recent Gaza Conflict
      • North Korea’s Other Crisis
      • China’s Korean Dilemma
      • State-Sponsored Separatism: the Specter of Russian Influence in Post-Revolution Ukraine
      • The Iraqi Crisis: The Effects of Sectarian Politics and Religious Divides
      • The Islamic State and the Rise of Western Jihadism: Interview with Professor Jytte Klausen
      • Regions Under Threat By Global Climate Change
    • Afro and African American Studies >
      • Malcolm X: A Misunderstood Legacy
    • Sociology >
      • The Implications of the Melting Pot: Examining the Political Socialization Process for Children of Immigrants
      • The Modern WelfareWarfare Nexus
    • Economics >
      • The Demise of Middle-Class America: Corporate-Performance Focused Development, Automation, and the Middle-Class Squeeze
      • Equity and Efficiency: Reconsidering the “Big Tradeoff”
      • Low Cost Carriers and the Future of Air Travel in Asia
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From Decentralization to Secession: Tuareg Rebels and the Quest for Balance in Mali
       by Jesse Koklas


            The call for decentralization is one heard often across the African continent. With so many power vacuums created with the severing of colonial ties, power was given to those who could fight for it. From this beginning, many leaders either did not have their peoples’ best interests at heart, or simply could not effectively manage a new nation, causing more issues for the future. It cannot be said that many African leaders have an easy job- most every system still deals with the eff ects of colonialism and constant unrest due to food insecurity, exacerbated by an unforgiving climate. Mali is no exception. The famine of the 1680s was so unbearable, that many sold themselves into slavery as a way to escape death. Nearly a century later, the country was subjected to a twenty-year drought, and so it continues. Although southern Mali is extremely fertile due to the Niger and Senegal Rivers, the northern half of the country is arid, Saharan dessert; 65% of Mali is semi-dessert or dessert. This type of infertile land fosters a nomadic style of life, which suited the Tuareg people of the north quite well.

         When speaking of decentralization efforts in Mali, it is important to mention the territorial organization attempts made in the beginning stages of the Republic in the 1960s. These territorial “laws” organized the country into hierarchical units, beginning with regions and ending in tribes. Unfortunately, they greatly resembled the territorial organizations made by the French colonists, and so did not always accurately represent the groups who lived there. Accordingly, they were not paid much heed and decentralization was not achieved. These lines were particularly difficult to apply to nomadic groups, whose boundaries could not be defined, and so in 1990 the northern nomadic Tuaregs began their armed struggle for decentralization, determined to have their voices heard through more localized power.

         Decentralization allows local governments to administer development programs in a more efficient manner than central governments. They often have a more personal connection with their people and therefore feel more responsibility towards them and can be held directly accountable for their action or inaction, as the case may be. For Mali, greater decentralization means more diverse representation, and therefore a more accurate representation of their people. However, in some cases decentralization can do more harm than good. Local governments may lack adequate resources to implement eff ective development policy, especially qualified individuals. Often local participation is minimal, and only a small group heads such efforts, which can easily lead to corruption. Even after power is shifted locally, the state can still control resources, and so retain control. Ironically, decentralization works best when the central government is strong, and can maintain authority during and after such reforms. Mali’s government is not one of these.

        The history of decentralization in Mali has largely been a story of success, yet it is now more than ever plagued with structural weaknesses. In the beginning stages of the Tuareg-led rebellion, a national conference of major local actors was held, where they outlined their goals of decentralization. The most important of these were free self-management of the municipalities through elected councils, and the creation of a “high council” of the municipalities focused on local development. This high council was meant to function like the second chamber of parliament, meaning it would check the actions of the government, and provide expertise in local development matters. These outlines were soon written into law, and in 1998 the then President Alpha Oumar Konaré organized the set up of municipal elections, and increased the number of municipalities from 19 to 702. The World Bank invested heavily in decentralization efforts from 1993-2004, in order to alleviate poverty through greater privatization. The strides the movement made in only a few years is remarkable, and attests to the will and strength of the people of Mali. Unfortunately, these laws are a great deal easier to write than to finance and effectively implement. Mali’s success with localization of power and multiparty elections has weakened it as a whole in some ways. Its democratic successes make Mali especially attractive to donor countries, and enforce a relationship of dependence on foreign aid. These foreign entities help with the design and implementation of decentralization, in essence undermining  local power and local control of development programs. This is especially easy for the foreign companies to do, because lack of funding for education in Mali makes it difficult to locate qualified, literate locals to lead the efforts. Since the World Bank withdrew its aid for decentralization, the fight has lost steam. Government strategy no longer stresses its importance, triggering a chain reaction of loss of enthusiasm from donor organizations as well.

         Unlike many other African countries, Malian politics have never focused on ethnic issues despite the great diversity of its population. As a result, decentralization and greater democratization has fueled ethnicity based political divides. The Tuareg unrest of late underscores Mali’s difficulty in maintaining a united nation. However, secession of the Tuaregs is not the solution. Traditionally a nomadic people, they are increasingly forced to settle down as severe droughts have rendered their style of life unproductive. However, attempting to draw this Tuareg state would prove difficult, as their nomadic tendencies have caused them to spread out- they live now primarily in Niger, Mali, Algeria, Burkina Faso, and Libya. The biggest reason secession would fail is because they have no sense of “sameness.” The Tuareg are divided into several main political groups or tribal units. Their distinguishing characteristics include the unity of their language, their alphabet, and their complex social organization. Although for the most part they share the same basic beliefs of Islam, they belong to different sects and have different cultures.

          The Timbuktu Tuareg, the Tahoua Tuareg, and the Udalan Tuareg are the main Tuareg groups in Mali, of seven principal Tuareg federations. The largest of these federations, the Ahaggaren primarily of Algeria, was declared terminated by the Algerian government in 1977. The Tuaregs of Mali have accepted resistance from the government, though, and have fought for their rights at every turn. 1991 estimates place the Tuareg population of Mali at 440,000. Now, the population of Mali is over 15 million, so the Tuareg people only account for a small percentage. The Tuaregs of Mali and Niger have had similar histories of resistance, primarily because of the tight restrictions the governments put on nomad groups. These, coupled with growing desertifi cation, caused clashes with government forces, as the Tuaregs of Mali and Niger, respectively, sought to regain their traditional homeland areas. They each signed peace agreements with their government, Mali in 1995 and Niger in 1996. In 2004 sporadic uprisings in Niger began, and recently Tuareg groups in Mali have offered resistance, displacing many people into neighboring countries as a result. It seems as if those Tuareg tribes that sacrifice some or all of their nomadic lifestyle for a more sedentary, agricultural one, are the tribes that are politically content. However, this integration comes at the price of the loss of their traditional lifestyle that, for now, defines their culture and their people.

          Secession of the northern Tuaregs in Mali would be ill conceived. It is unclear which Tuaregs are calling for this and what type of system they would put into place if they were to succeed. There are others to be considered, though, The Tuaregs are not the only inhabitants of the land, and we do not know that the other people there have any desire to be disconnected from their country. If the Tuaregs’ rights are not being respected, it is understandable that they should be upset. 

         However, at least some of the Tuareg groups seem to be able to organize themselves well, and so should be able to fight for stronger local government to make their voices heard, and even get a few members into government positions. If they lent their passion and their educated, willing individuals to work to improve development, their districts could make real change, while simultaneously giving them power and representation. Separating themselves completely would leave them with no political or economic structure, and much less support than before. Until the Mali government makes strengthening itself a priority, local governments must create development education programs to train their people to pick up the slack that the central government is creating.


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    • Letter From the Editors
    • Debt As A Tool Of Inequity
    • A Comparison of Unemployment Insurance In Western Europe & The United States
    • Charter Schools: One Path To The American Dream
    • Re-examining Private Education And Social Inequality In Chile
    • Bargaining Against Americans: How Public Sector Unions Undermine Accountability And Hurt Citizens
    • Could the European Union’s Agricultural Policy Serve as a Framework For US Agricultural Policy
    • Reducing Emissions in Developing Nations
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  • Archive
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      • Fall 2018
      • Spring 2019
    • Sub-Saharan Africa Section >
      • Burgeoning Cities and Suffering Publics: The Lagosian Infrastructure Trade-Off
      • An Explosive Climate: Spiraling Security Politics in the Lake Chad Basin
      • Africa's Digital Advance
      • The Language of Crisis
      • The African Gold Rush
      • Adowa Dance: Black Feminist Practice
      • The Panda’s Approach to Pandemonium: Managing Corruption in Nigeria
      • Student Movements in South Africa: Decolonization, Language, and Racial Justice
      • Foreign Investment in Africa: A Legacy of Unequal Relationships
      • The Politics of Inclusion
      • Uganda: The Politics of Persecution
      • The Politics of Destabilization: Interpreting Al Shabaab’s “Terrorist Attack” in Kenya
      • Senegal's Arduous Path Forward
      • Political Relations with Major Powers
      • A Half-Hearted Commitment to the Central African Republic
      • A Conflict-Free Congo: Can Corporations Revise Their Use of Conflict Minerals?
      • Rituals or Rights? The Politics of Female Genital Modification in Somalia
      • Mali: Tensions Between Islam, Ethnic Differences and the State
      • Manufactured Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa
      • Two Nigerias in Conflict: The Emergence of Boko Haram and its Implications for Nigerian Stability
      • US-Africa Summit: A Turning Point in Relations
      • A Change in Leadership at a Critical Period
      • The African Union and the International Criminal Court: Selective Justice?
      • Is the Fairytale Over For South Africa?
      • Interpreting US AFRICOM Toward a Future of Military Engagement on the African Continent
      • From Decentralization to Secession: Tuareg Rebels and the Quest for Balance in Mali
      • The Dragon's Gold: Chinese Investment in Africa
      • Deconstructing Boko Haram: Institutional Reform on the Path to Peace
      • Oil Money: Ghana’s Economic Considerations in the Global Oil Surplus
      • Protests in Ethiopia
      • Africa's Infrastructure: Leapfrogging the Traditional
    • Americas Section >
      • Three Kinds of Representation: The Case of Argentinian Women in Congress
      • American Military Presence in Okinawa: An Obsolete Endeavor
      • Abolish ICE: A History of the Agency and The New Movement for its Elimination
      • I Don’t Want to Talk About Vietnam”: U.S. Counterinsurgency between Saigon and Baghdad
      • Refugees in Canada: A Closer Look at the Safe Third Country Agreement
      • Sovereignty Under Attack?: The Costa Rican Case
      • Who, When, and How? Social Democracy Awaits in Cuba
      • Ni Una Menos: Twitter's Role in Fighting Femicide in Argentina
      • American Saber-Rattling Not Enough to Destroy Trade Relations with Canada
      • The Beaver and the Dragon: Canada's Strategic Embrace of China
      • Room For Improvement: Macri’s Economic Reforms, Argentine Political History, and the Argentinian Poor’s Protests
      • The More, The Merrier: Democracy, Corruption, and Impunity in Honduras
      • The Problem of Bouterse
      • The Socio-Economic Risk Factors that Culminated in the Zika Virus Outbreak
      • Trump’s Unfettered Populism and What It Could Mean for U.S. Foreign Relations
      • Cyber Attacks and Political Hacks: Implications of the 2014 Sony Pictures Entertainment Hack
      • The Past, Present, and Future of the American Immigration System
      • The Path to a Global Internet
      • Threat from the East: China's Pivot to Latin America
      • State of Anarchy: The International Void Created by Maras in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
      • Redefining Cuban Relations: A Closer Look at the End of the Cuban Embargo
      • The Dilemma of Mutual Understanding
      • The End of an Era: The Normalization of U.S.-Cuban Relations
      • Leader by Default: Why the Sun Has Yet to Set on American Global Leadership
      • Colombia and the FARC: Peace at Last?
      • Brazil’s Elections: The Long-Term Implications of a Tight Presidential Race
      • The Enduring Popularity of Rafael Correa and the New Left
      • The Secret Ingredient: Why Drones are Vital to U.S. Hegemony
      • Effects of Snowden’s NSA Leaks on U.S. Foreign Relations
      • The Failure of The United States’ Arab Spring Strategy
      • Apocalypse Postponed: The Enduring Importance of Maintaining the Arms Control Regime
      • Judicial Review or Institutionalized Racism?
      • Negotiating with North Korea: Try and Try Again
      • Celebrating Fifty Years of Diplomatic Gridlock: U.S.-Cuba Relations in 2012
      • Regional Integration and Private Sector Growth in Cuba
      • The Prospects of Slavery Reparations in the Caribbean
      • Protests Reflect Infrastructural Inadequacies in Brazil
      • History in the Making or a Recipe for Disaster? El Salvador’s Gang Truce Examined
      • Debating Iran: Can the United States Make a Deal with the Devil?
      • Priority for 21st Century Defense: A Sustainable U.S. Military Strategy
      • The Rise of Drones in American Foreign Policy
      • From a Dirt Road to a Green Cup: Brazil 2014
      • Leftward Shifts and Power Shifts: Latin America’s Pink Tide
    • Asia-Pacfic Section >
      • No Country for the Rohingya: An Explanation of the Rohingya Refugee Crisis
      • The Future of American Trade Fear in East Asia
      • Entering The Chinese Room: China's Quest to Lead a New World Order
      • A Second Red Wedding: The Complications of Sino-Russian Relations
      • The Break Up: China and North Korea’s Toxic Relationship
      • Instability in the Middle Kingdom: The Shaky Foundations of China's Rise
      • The New Red Scare: An Examination of Cross-Strait Skepticism
      • A Realistic Move: China's New Silk Road
      • The Cost of Voting: How Xi Jinping Simultaneously Increased Democracy and Authoritarianism
      • Fishing For Trouble: The Economic Costs of Conflict in the South China Sea
      • The Danger of the Thucydides Trap: Xi Jinping's Visit to the United States
      • David vs. Goliath: The Philippines-China Arbitration Case
      • Xi's Return to Maoism
      • A Cause for Optimism?: China’s Energy Policy Post-COP21
      • The Show Goes On: Vietnam's Balancing Act
      • Redefining The State: Nationalism and the Push for Constitutional Revision in Japan
      • China’s Resources Policy: Expanding Influence
      • China’s Maritime Strategy: The Pursuit of Regional Dominance
      • China’s Geo-economics: Politics of Inequality
      • China’s Transition of Power: Domestic Struggles for Political Dominance
      • Confrontations Between Tibetan Protestors and the CCP Police Continue
      • 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster and Aftermath
      • Why Would China Want a Democratized Hong Kong?
      • East Asian Regional Integration
      • Stronger Together: A Case for ASEAN Military Integration
      • Capitalism Fights to Survive in China’s Special Administrative Regions
      • China’s Increased Involvement in Afghanistan Divergent from U.S. Wants
      • The Future of the Tibetan Problem
      • The Geopolitical Implications of the Indo-Japanese Abe-Modi Summit
      • Australia Experiences Heightened Degree of Geopolitical Influence U.S. and China Eye Each Other’s Moves in the Asia Pacific
      • Xi Jinping’s AntiCorruption Campaign: Stalinist Purge, or Second Chance for the Chinese Communist Party?
      • South China Sea Territorial Disputes ‘Rock The Boat’ of Regional Security
    • Europe Section >
      • Nominal Interests: A Breakthrough in the Ongoing Name Dispute Between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece
      • The Reinvention of the National Front
      • Democracy in Transition: Hungary's Descent into Authoritarianism
      • (Un)Orthodox Nationalism
      • Something is Rotting in the State of Denmark: Ethnic Nationalism Takes Root in Scandinavia
      • Blood, Oil, and Tears: Azerbaijan's Tradeoff Between Corruption and Growth
      • The Bear Awakens: Russia's Strategy to Sow Chaos in the West
      • Russia’s Return to Religion Signals Changes in Politics and Society, but Not Secularization
      • Spain: The Forgotten Frontier
      • Bye Bye Britain: Euroscepticism Threatens EU Solidarity in June Referendum
      • Europe's Migrant Dumping Ground: Serbia's Refugee Crisis
      • Regional Reconciliation: Evaluating Whether Cuba Will Join the OAS and the Subsequent Implications
      • Has Europe Got Milk?
      • Lifting the Iran Curtain: The Future of Economic Relations Between the EU and Tehran
      • Europe’s Take on the Rising Cost of Healthcare
      • Contrasting Eurozone Economies: The Good, the Bad, and the Corrupt
      • Europe's Take on Income Inequality
      • Russia’s Role in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict: Sustainer of Peace or Tension?
      • The Failure of Austerity
      • The Rise of Kazakhstan: A Solution for the EU’s Russian Energy Dependence?
      • Scotland After the Independence Referendum
      • Closing the European Security Gap
      • Europe Trading Up: The Strategic Importance of the TTIP
      • The UK to Tighten Immigration Restrictions
      • Old Powers, New Glory: U.K. and France’s Changing Roles in the New European Commission
      • Greece’s Political Pressure Cooker: the Rise of Radicalism
      • Caps Off: Analyzing the EU's Influence on Swiss Immigration Policy
      • Bulgaria and Romania’s Entry into the Schengen Treaty to be Further Postponed
      • Catalan Secession and Subsidiarity
      • The View from Independence Square
      • US-Russian Antagonism Reignited Over Human Rights Policy
      • The Dynamics of the Russia-China Relationship
      • European Action to Limit Aviation Greenhouse Gas Emission
    • Middle East and North Africa Section >
      • Confessionalism, the Rise of Hizbullah, and the May 2018 Elections in Lebanon
      • The Dilemma of Rebuilding the Cultural Heritage of Aleppo
      • Stars and Stripes in the Middle East: American Involvement in the Yemen Civil War
      • Unlikely Bedfellows: Israeli-Saudi Security Ties and the Middle East's Worst Kept Secret
      • The Constructed People: Kurdistan's Challenge to Iraqi Nation-Building
      • Globalism, Nationalism, and the Armenian Diaspora
      • The Turkish Coup Attempt: Was it an Erdogan Hoax?
      • Counterterrorism and Monarchical Power in Morocco
      • State and Familial Prostitution in Egypt
      • Post-Revolution Tunisia: The Challenges of Regional Inequality to the Political Transition
      • Examining Jordan's Influence in the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
      • Democracy in Tunisia
      • A Cold Peace: The Future of Egyptian-Israeli Relations
      • Can He Do It? Examining the Significance of Hassan Rouhani Regarding Iranian Relations
      • The Iranian Interim Deal: Perspectives and Implications
      • Transcending the Sunni-Shia Divide; An Overview of Al Qaeda-Iranian Relations
      • Turkey: The Middle East’s “It” Country, or Has It Outgrown Its Fifteen Minutes of Fame?
      • Religious Minorities in the MENA: The Baha'is and Druze in Israel
      • The Invisible Hand Behind the Arab Spring
      • Egypt as a Litmus Test
      • Instability in Yemen: A Rebel Takeover
      • Hitting Home: Understanding the Appeal of the Islamic State in the West
      • Lessons From Afghanistan
      • The Role of the US in Mediating the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict
      • The Everlasting Struggle: The Genius of Erdogan’s Political Rhetoric
      • Libya: Before and After the Fall of Muammar Gaddafi
      • Recent NGO Crisis Exposes Divisions in Egyptian Politics
      • The Revolution Will Be Live Streamed: The Role of the Internet in the Arab Spring: The Role of the Internet in the Arab Spring
      • Lebanon to join the Arab Spring?
      • The Persian Gulf and U.S. Strategy: Past and Future
      • Disintigrating Under Pressure: Saudi-U.S. Relations and the Syrian Conflict
      • Assessing the Effectiveness of Micro-finance Institutions in Jordan and Beyond
      • Prosecution, Politics, and Peace: Palestine’s Admittance to the International Criminal Court
    • Central and South Asia Section >
      • GST: India's Largest Economic Reform Since 1992
      • Investing in Kazakhstan: A Model of Chinese Power Acquisition
      • The Rise of Intolerance in India
      • The Past Guiding the Present: How Mongolia’s Soviet Past is Shaping its Development in the 21st Century
      • Will India Choose Israeli Technology or Iranian Oil?
      • The 2014 Indian Elections: The Rise of the BJP
      • Examining Modi's Defense Policy
      • The Indo-U.S. Relationship: Through the Lens of Republic Day
      • Hegemon Games: The Indo-Pak Question
      • Growing Forces: Foreign Investment in Central Asia
      • The Rupee Stumbles – What’s India’s Next Step?
      • The Enemy Behind the Gates: Pakistan's Teetering Talks
      • Indian Foreign Policy: In Search of a Direction
      • The Collapse of the India-Pakistan Talks
      • The Global Race to Myanmar
      • Trade: Is This the Way Ahead for Resolving Outstanding Disputes Between India and Pakistan?
    • Theme Section >
      • Economic Effects of Brexit: Should The UK Leave?
      • Will Demographics Drive China’s Debt Towards Disaster?
      • Using Realpolitik to Understand American Involvement in NATO
      • Security, Money, and Culture: The Role of the WTO in the Resilience of the U.S.-Japan Alliance
      • The Effects of China’s Belt and Road Initiative: Influence, Trade, and Resources
      • The Responsibility to Protect: A Well-Meaning yet Inadequate Solution to the Battle Between Sovereignty and Humanitarian Intervention
      • Disconnecting Dissent: The Dilemma of Privatized Public Speech and Free Information Online
      • Who Owns the Internet?: Control and Mastery of the New Public Sphere
      • Online Community Building: The Emotional, Social, and Political Challenges of Adapting to a New Way of Being Together
      • “The Great Firewall” as an Inefficient Barrier
      • Borderline Open: The Barriers of Schengen
      • The World’s Most Dangerous Border: Refugees in the Mediterranean Are Fighting for Their Lives
      • Overcoming the Physical Barriers of Natural Disasters: Despair and Hope in post-Hurricane Dominica
      • From Past to Present: The Porous Nature of the DRC’s Borders
      • India's Struggle for Gender Equality
      • A False Sense of Protection: Failure of the UN to Address Allegations of Sexual Assault Against Peacekeepers
      • Scapegoats of Politics: How the Malaysian Transgender Community Fell Victim to the Politicization of Islam
      • Adversity and Perseverance: The Story of Bangladesh's Garment Worker
      • "Bye, Honey!": Brazilian Women Fight for Their Rights After Dilma Rousseff's Impeachment
      • Mexico's Unstable Democracy: Self-Defense Groups, Cartels, and the Struggle Over the Rule of Law
      • Obama to Trump: Immigration Policy Rhetoric and Resistance
      • Translating Democratic Theory into Constitutional Design: A Conversation with Professor Jefferey A. Lenowitz
      • The Reign In Spain: Analyzing the Catalan Threat to European Democratic Order
      • Reaching for the Sky: The New Age of Connection in Sri Lanka
      • The Battle for Ukraine
      • North Korea’s Strategy of Escalating Threats and Its Problems
      • Accusations of Pinkwashing in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
      • Economies in Transformation, A Continent in Transition
      • The Dynastic Dictatorship Continued: The Internal Dynamics of North Korea and What to Expect From the New Leader
      • Russia's Gas Diplomacy
      • The "Oldest Profession" Organizes: A Conversation with Professor Gowri Vijayakumar
      • An Amazonian Legacy of Military Rule
      • Soldiers of Destiny, Deferred: Marriage Equality and Reproductive Rights in Irish Politics
      • A Tale of Two Courts: Why Chinese Capitalism Does Not Come With the Rule of Law
      • A Failure to Rise to the Occasion: Syria and the Future of “Responsibility to Protect”
      • South Sudan: Democracy Or Despair
      • Protests and Repression in a Digital Age
      • Wiping the Slate Clean: Modi's Water Conundrum
      • Increasing Oil Production: A Sound Approach to Achieving U.S. Energy Independence?
      • Water's Influence on Middle Eastern Policy: A Conversation with Dr. Mahmoud Abu-Allaban
      • A New Era for the Nile: The Effects of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
      • Getting Past the Green Monster: An Analysis of Germany's Energy Transition
      • Theme Section Graphics
      • The African Union and a New Scramble: A Continent in Transition
      • Regional Perspectives
      • Pervasive Issues in China's Continued Urbanization
      • Art, Power, Politics, and Protest in Saudi Arabia
      • Should Europe Brace Itself for Brexit
      • Energy Analysis
      • Composition & Organs
      • African Union Timeline
      • The Rohingya Refugee Crisis
      • Interview with Dr. Sung-Yoon Lee, Kim Koo-Korea Foundation Professor in Korean Studies
      • A Historical and Political Understanding of Aid: The Implications and Conditions of Aid Packages
      • Park Geun-hye’s “New Kind of Korea” Prospects for Re-envisioned Inter-Korean Relations
      • Interview with Professor Nyangoni
      • Interview With Professor Padraig Carmody of Trinity College of Dublin, Author of The New Scramble for Africa
      • Timeline of U.S. Refugee Resettlement
      • A closer look into North Korea
      • How Does North Korea Stack Up?
      • According to the Expert: Interview With Professor Eva Bellin
      • Fulfilling an Ideological Destiny? An Insight into United States Policy Regarding the Syrian Conflict
      • PIS Off: Polish Women Mobilize to Reject Tightening of Abortion Restrictions
      • Brain Drain in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Downside of Migration
      • Grand Master and Pawns: Looking at the United States and Russia
      • In Putin’s Element: Why the U.S. Needs to Let Russia Take the Lead in Destroying Syria’s Chemical Weapons
      • In Syria, It’s the End of the Line
      • Greenback Boogie: The Story of Remittances from Central Asian Immigrants in Russia
      • Regional Perspectives
      • The EU as a Passive Actor
      • In Search of Home: The Impact of Syrian Refugees on the International Community
      • Vladimir Putin: The New Leader of the Free World?
      • Modi's Pakistan Strategy
      • Resistance Infographic
      • Mexico's Other Border: Human Rights Abuses of the Trans-North American Migrant Crisis
      • Most Significant Refugee Producing Countries
      • Syrian Conflict Statistics
      • The View From Moscow: Contention and Cooperation in the Middle East
      • A Discussion of the EU with Lorenzo Bini Smaghi
      • EU Timeline
      • Turkey's Membership in the EU: A Holy Venture?
      • Al-Shabaab and the Threats Posed to International Peace and Security
      • Interview with Professor Robert J. Art
      • Instability and Nationalism: Why Ecuador's Colombian Refugees Face Discrimination
      • ISIS Timeline
      • Interview with Professor Gary Jefferson
      • Contemporary Cyber-Terrorism
      • ISIS’ Rise to Prominence and Implications for the Future: A Conversation with Ambassador Dennis Ross
      • Qatar: An Uncertain Ally Against IS
      • Red to Pink: The Continued Evolution of the Chinese Internet Space
      • Russia’s Separatist Subversions: Return of the Steamroller, or Running Out of Steam?
      • Shifting Sands: Arab Tacit Support of Israel during the Recent Gaza Conflict
      • North Korea’s Other Crisis
      • China’s Korean Dilemma
      • State-Sponsored Separatism: the Specter of Russian Influence in Post-Revolution Ukraine
      • The Iraqi Crisis: The Effects of Sectarian Politics and Religious Divides
      • The Islamic State and the Rise of Western Jihadism: Interview with Professor Jytte Klausen
      • Regions Under Threat By Global Climate Change
    • Afro and African American Studies >
      • Malcolm X: A Misunderstood Legacy
    • Sociology >
      • The Implications of the Melting Pot: Examining the Political Socialization Process for Children of Immigrants
      • The Modern WelfareWarfare Nexus
    • Economics >
      • The Demise of Middle-Class America: Corporate-Performance Focused Development, Automation, and the Middle-Class Squeeze
      • Equity and Efficiency: Reconsidering the “Big Tradeoff”
      • Low Cost Carriers and the Future of Air Travel in Asia
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