A restrictive just war framework is used to assess French intervention in Mali. In cases of failing states, the moral presumption should be for UN intervention, but unilateral interventions are justifiable when the UN lacks capacity and will. While French intervention to defend against Muslim extremists could be justified, the “war on terror” can obscure the roots of conflicts and privilege military over political solutions. Thus, a remedial rights approach should be used to assess Tuareg secession, with a high threshold for independence and clear criteria for ensuring that a new state can meet its sovereign responsibilities. Intervention more akin to policing than war-fighting should be preferred, and when war-fighting is necessary, interveners should give priority to protection of civilians over self-protection.
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