Below is a translation of the New York Times editorial on the Mali situation (1/14/13):
Mali must fend for itself. Mali cannot. The West must help Mali. Previous efforts at this have been disastrous. Previous efforts cost hundreds of millions of dollars. They led to ethnic insurrection, stolen weapons, and the overthrow of what passes for a democratically elected regime in the area—all by American-trained forces. Mali must fend for itself. Mali bears a responsibility to make the world a safer place. The terrorists in its midst are dangerous to not only Malians but to global stability. Mali must protect us. The West must train Mali to defeat the terrorists. The West has done this before. The West was planning to do it again in the fall, but must hurry up the timetable. How about spring? Dear Malian soldiers: Can you make our recently added “jihadist-in-your-midst” troubleshooting session? Spring classes are enrolling now. We will give you weapons.
Mali’s army must protect its citizens and prevent further encroachment on the West and Western values by terrorists. Mali’s army tortures people. Mali’s army must stop doing that—especially with Western techniques and weapons—and get back to the business they were trained for. We will teach them to stop. To ensure success, we must train the army again. Mali must fend for itself.
