An article by Andrew Lebovich on Al-Wasat blog as he explains, with plenty of links:
This post is my attempt to sort through some of the current popular attitudes about the security situation in northern Mali, the very real risks to regional and international security that may be looming in the north, and the equally real constraints on militant groups attempting to impose shari’ah in northern Mali or project force beyond Mali’s already porous (or nonexistent) borders.
Link:http://thewasat.wordpress.com/2012/0...t-afghanistan/