Three West African juntas have turned to Russia. Now the US wants to engage them

[muriel_volestrangler]

The US has declared a stark policy shift towards three West African countries which are battling Islamist insurgents and whose military governments have broken defence ties with France and turned towards Russia.

The state department announced that Nick Checker, head of its Bureau of African Affairs, would visit Mali's capital Bamako to convey the United States' "respect for Mali's sovereignty" and chart a "new course" in relations, moving "past policy missteps".

It adds that the US also looks forward to co-operating with Mali's allies, neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, "on shared security and economic interests".

Absent from the agenda is the longstanding American concern for democracy and human rights. The Biden administration had halted military co-operation after coups deposed the elected civilian presidents of all three countries between 2020 and 2023, with Niger's Mohamed Bazoum still locked up in his own residence.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckglwnrx437o

Well, cosying up to dictators to stop them being best mates with the USSR was always a feature of the Cold War, but it does show that Trump and his regime put no value on democracy, anywhere.

[Tetrachloride]

1. Money changes everything