Despite its minor positive outcomes, preparation (or lack thereof) of the event highlighted existing societal divides and opposing points of view.
The Arab proposal was largely a reiteration of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. It promised complete normalization between Arab states and Israel should Israel withdraw from Palestinian and Arab land it occupied in 1967.
Given that ordinary Malians would have so many reasons for resenting and overthrowing these figures, the question is particularly acute there—why has so much of the status quo persisted for so long?
The situation represents a “perfect storm” characterized by weak health systems; proximity to borders with Uganda and Rwanda; a dense and mobile population of 6 million people; and…
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