US engagement with Mali junta exposes double standards

For the Trump administration to open up intelligence-sharing with the junta, such an approach sends a powerful message that the United States – first and foremost – is focused on advancing its fight against “extremist” forces by partnering with regimes that have practiced it themselves. Mali is no outlier when it comes to human rights violations: the regime has advanced extreme legislation that has eclipsed civil liberties, and rights abuses saw a 120 percent increase in recent years.

Where are loud US pronouncements about staying clear of regimes that do not fit the US definition of a democratic system? The fact is that the US itself has been a vocal promoter of terrorism on foreign soil: nearly two decades of Afghanistan’s occupation, the US role in sustaining the Taliban’s power, and its brazen support for "Israel’s" raging genocide – all make it a key figure in creating the unrest that it claims to counter through intelligence-sharing with Mali.