Why the Wagner Ambush in Mali Underscores Russia’s Decimated Force Projection

Already bogged down in a perpetual ten-year war that has not yet captured a fully occupied oblast or reached any military objective, the Neo Russian Empire Putin envisioned he would have, akin to Peter the Great, is now rapidly taking heavy losses simultaneously in various regions akin to the last Tsar, Nicholas II. Time will tell if Vladimir Putin’s disastrous imperial ambitions will leave him in the same fate as Nicholas II.

Resurgence of Islamist Militant Groups in the Russian-Backed Juntas of Africa

The resurgence of extremist groups in West Africa intertwines with various socioeconomic and geopolitical events such as corruption, authoritarian juntas, foreign interference, and deteriorating stabilization in the Sahel. With a lack of cooperation amongst local and regional blocs, groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS could make a comeback and choose the Sahel as their new haven.