[Am4TIfIsER0ppos]

Conspiracy theory time: deliberate acts to provide Casus Belli for American invasion. Along the lines of Colin Powell's vial of anthrax at the UN or the "baby incubators" statements from a Kuwaiti princess a decade earlier.

The article states "closely allied with Russia" and the current establishment desires to punish anyone who doesn't distance themselves from Russia. The emails might be nothing sensitive to the state but they can just lie and say "Mali is deliberately intercepting emails meant for the military". Well that wouldn't even be a lie because someone did set up something to catch emails going to dot-ml which were meant for dot-mil.

A nice war helps also helps with elections at home.

[boveus]

I would put my money on a junior enlisted / junior officer not paying attention when they type the email to book their hotel over a government conspiracy to generate a Casus Belli to invade Mali of all places.

[A4ET8a8uTh0]

As reasons go, this appears to a pretty weak one ( not that US needs a good or even a real reason anyway based on our Afghanistan / Iraq experience ). Remember, that you want to sell a war to the populace at a time where war is not exactly popular.

[bloqs]

Hanlon's Razor disagrees

[causi]

Why would the US want to invade Mali?

[jpoesen]

Mali's a Daesh hotbed.

Mali has been close to Russia politically, culturally, economically, and militarily since the 1960's.

Mali's welcomed Russian troops, including Wagner's, in the wake of the French pulling out.

"[The Russian involvement in Mali] signals a major expansion of Russia's military interests in Africa and a strategic setback for the West. The deployment of Russian military contractors signals a profound break with France and the West."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58751423

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/un-security-council-end...

https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/12/russias-presence-mali-r...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali%E2%80%93Russia_relations

[Eumenes]

Chyna