War as riposte; French socialists attempt to recapture colonial glory

Back in the dark ages when I was studying the history of colonialism, "socialists" were typically the folks fighting for an end to colonialism.

That idea is so last century.

Today Hollande's socialist France embarked on a bombing campaign in Mali. This will escalate to much more than a bombing campaign very soon, because there is no possible way that the Islamists now in control of northern Mali are going to be bombed out of the picture.

Hard to say what Hollande is thinking. Sure, it's a short-term ploy to take the eye of the electorate off the manifold problems enveloping France. But many of those problems hinge on the failure of France's massive Muslim immigrant community to successfully integrate into French society.

How is that massive Muslim immigrant community going to react to France's bombing of Islamic rebels in Mali? That's a no-brainer, as in nobody with a brain would even consider such a course, but that's not slowing down the latest pretender to Napoleon's throne.

France's bumboy in Mali, acting President Dioncouda Traore had this to say about today's developments;

"this is a powerful and massive riposte against our enemies."

Any would-be African leader who counts on the colonial masters to do his dirty work is flying in the face of the last 200 years of anti-colonial struggle.

Mr. Traore is living on borrowed time.