Content

KFOR Headquarters

NATOSource

Dec 3, 2013

NATO: France Pulling Its Troops Out of Kosovo Mission

By AP and Reuters

From AP:  NATO’s supreme commander says France is pulling out of the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo because of commitments in Mali and Central African Republic.

France
NATO
French fighter jet refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker, March 17, 2013

NATOSource

Nov 4, 2013

The Role of the US Air Force in the French Mission in Mali

By Gabe Starosta, Air Force Magazine

France’s intervention in Mali earlier this year—helping its former colony defend against Islamic extremists—didn’t get the media attention lavished on the overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi or the crisis in Syria. But the Mali mission has so far proved successful

France
Sahel
The Franco-German Brigade

NATOSource

Nov 1, 2013

The Widening Gap Between France and Germany Over Defense

By Judy Dempsey, Strategic Europe

Steadfast Jazz takes place against the background of a widening gap between France and Germany over defense and security matters.

European Union
France

External

Oct 25, 2013

IntelBrief: West African Piracy

By J. Peter Pham

Bottom Line Up Front Gulf of Guinea piracy remains a persistent, potential danger, with significance for commercial shipping and local economic development The lucrative take from theft of cargo, fuel oil, and crew and vessel ransom drive the motivation of the criminal networks Frequent, local ‘seaway robbery’ and sale of stolen crude on the oil […]

North & West Africa

External

Sep 18, 2013

IntelBrief: Guinea-Bissau: The World’s First Narco-State

By Zachary Feinstein

In the latest in the series of “IntelBriefs” on African security issues being produced by the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center in partnership with the Soufan Group, an international strategic consultancy, Africa Center intern Zachary Feinstein analyzes Guinea-Bissau’s narco-corruption and political instability.Read the IntelBrief 

Africa
North & West Africa

New Atlanticist

Jul 25, 2013

Mali’s Election: Good enough, but not sufficient

By J. Peter Pham

Nearly a year and a half after a coup brought down its elected government, inadvertently paving the way for the takeover of the northern two-thirds of the country by ethnic separatists temporarily aligned with al-Qaeda’s regional affiliate and other extremists, and seven months after a French-led military intervention turned back the insurgents, scattering the militants […]

Elections
Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jul 11, 2013

How France ‘Set the Standard’ for Crisis Intervention

By Julian Lindley-French

A very senior British general said of Operation Serval in Mali that France had “set the standard” for crisis military interventions. Praise indeed and not easily given. One can always tell when a crisis is being managed to effect as the press lose interest.

France
Sahel

New Atlanticist

May 23, 2013

Crisis in the Sahel: Mali Terrorism Threat Growing

By Rudolph Atallah

Over the past year, things have escalated dramatically in Mali, causing further instability in the Sahara and the Sahel. Many skeptics underestimated the Islamist threat and claimed that the Saharan branch of Al-Qaeda in the Magreb (AQIM) was only focused on kidnappings for ransom and illicit trade, rather than jihadist activities.

National Security
Sahel

New Atlanticist

May 22, 2013

Crisis in the Sahel: Overview

By Rudolph Atallah

North Africa and the intertwined Sahel, from Egypt to Mauritania, is a region that has undergone profound and destabilizing political and social change in the last several years, especially since the “Arab Spring” of 2011. Nascent political systems, newly empowered non-state actors, and underlying structural problems in the region contribute to an increasingly volatile mix, […]

National Security
North Africa

Congressional Relations

Apr 17, 2013

Former French Prime Minister François Fillon, Senator Chris Coons discuss threats in Northwest Africa in Capitol Hill briefing

By Africa Center

The Atlantic Council’s Michael S. Ansari Africa Center organized a briefing on Capitol Hill on “Collective Security Threats in North and West Africa” featuring a keynote presentation by former French Prime Minister François Fillon and remarks by Senator Chris Coons, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs. Also participating in the event, […]

Conflict
Extremism

Experts