Author: Bushmaster
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Politique of the Françafrique
On the night of September 25th, 2025, mass youth protests began in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. The protests were fueled by anger at frequent power cuts in the capital, but quickly turned into a wider social movement against the ruling elite.[1] One man in particular got much of the blame, that being president Andry…
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Francophile leaders
This short article is intended as an addition to the main article on the politics of the Françafrique, which I recommend you read first. This is not a comprehensive list of French relations with African countries, or a comprehensive analysis of France’s relationship with the countries mentioned. It is rather a collection of interesting, informative…
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The Sahel War
When discussing foreign policy in Africa, the war in the Sahel often serves as a backdrop, an explanation for French and other international military involvement. The war in Mali has been ongoing since 2012, and there has been no clear moment or defining event that has made it newsworthy since, apart from some media interest…
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French pullout of Africa
Ever since the end of the French colonial empire in the 1950s and 1960s, France has remained an important partner to most of its former African colonies. The system of military, political and economic cooperation of France in Central and Western Africa has been dubbed the “Françafrique”. French influence is maintained through the use of…
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Economy of the Françafrique
In 1960, 17 African countries achieved formal independence, in what is known as the “Year of Africa”. Of these 17, 14 were French colonies, and while France would still maintain some colonial outposts for years after (some even until today) the Year of Africa was also the death of the French colonial empire. Since then,…
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Two Years of War in Sudan
The war in Sudan has entered into its third year, and shows no signs of a speedy conclusion. On the one year anniversary of the war’s beginning I posted an article here about the war up until that point, and the political background for the fighting.[1] If you have not read it and do not…
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Military alliances of the United States
The United States is currently the most powerful country in the world, and the most influential in global politics. Part of this influence is exerted through the US’ network of alliances, which covers much of the globe. The many allies of the US both provide the US with support in conflicts, deterrence and power projection,…
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An end to the war in Ukraine?
As the invasion phase of the Russo-Ukrainian war enters its fourth year, there is a growing popular and political demand to find some way to resolve the conflict in all countries directly or indirectly involved. With the election and inauguration of US president Trump it seems more likely than before that some sort of ceasefire…
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Norden og Russland
Russlands invasjon av Ukraina i 2022 skapte tvil i vesten rundt hvorvidt de europeiske NATO-landene kunne forsvart seg selv i tilfelle en konvensjonell krig med Russland skulle bryte ut. Før den russiske invasjonen var dette et helt hypotetisk spørsmål, der den vanlige antagelsen var at Russland ville bruke sin fryktede «hybridkrigføring» til å destabilisere europeiske…
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Who must go?
Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime just collapsed. After 24 years in power and 13 years of civil war, Assad would fall to an opposition offensive that lasted just 11 days. The opposition advances were so fast that they have forced me to do rewrites on most of the article, with Damascus falling before I was able…