Paul Roger's column looks at:
The growing prospect of western-backed military intervention to reverse the spread of Islamism in west Africa is good news for an evolving al-Qaida movement.
Link:http://www.opendemocracy.net/paul-ro...i-and-next-war

Paul takes a pessimistic view on the "blow-back" Western involvement:
....a "shadow war" involving drones, special forces and private military contractors will rapidly develop, backing up regional troops whose main functions will focus on garrisoning regained land.

This key western involvement is likely to have a definite untoward impact. Jihadist propaganda may appear shadowy and opaque to those beyond its reach; but it will persistently and effectively represent such involvement in Mali as yet another western assault on Islam, and link the phenomenon with the suppression of Boko Haram in Nigeria...
Having tried to follow what has happened and the policy options for external parties I have yet to see any mention of:

a) external, non-coercive options
b) internal Mali options