Os interesses da França no Mali: uma visão realista da politica externa francesa

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to understand the real interests of France's foreign policy when it undertook military intervention in the Republic of Mali in 2013 and is based on the realist theory of international relations writen by German professor Hans Joachin Morgenthau. In order to understand the reasons why an European country launches into a conflict on the African continent miles away distant, it is necessary to go beyond its historical relation of colony and metropolis and discover the hidden motivations, not reported in the television media nor printed in popular tabloids. After an overview of the political and military condition of Mali and France, and a notion of the local availability of mineral resources, we will analyze Morgenthau's thinking, which directly and assertively teaches the struggle of a nation for power, warns of the importance of the ideological element in foreign policy and explores which elements of national power are essential for the implementation of an effective policy. After understanding the theory, we will proceed to its application in the present case, applying principles and concepts in an attempt to clarify the facts on a scientific basis. We will come to the conclusion that there have been a number of interests that have led France back to Mali, all covered by an ideology of humanitarian aid and a question of survival in Mali. Some motives are explicit and easily to be understood, others have to be unraveled by theory, and can be explained by the policy implemented by states who intend to expand their industrial capacity and power on the continent.