Mali’s new military dictatorship is in the unusual position of being unable to militarily defeat the indigenous Tuareg secessionists, while at the same time being uncomfortable with asking NATO or other foreign armies for help. As Philippe Leymarie writes at Le Monde diplomatique, the army is demoralized, generals have stopped wearing their uniforms, and the people of southern Mali are growing tired of dealing with the 800,000 refugees from the north. With the US, France and NATO poised to attack the Tuareg, it’s hard to imagine a happy ending.