The danger in doing live TV/radio is that the interviewer almost always goes beyond the pre-interview. So even when I make it clear that I am no expert on Mali politics, they ask about it anyway. This time, I pretty much said: "Your guess is as good as mine."
I do this stuff because I feel obligated--by the university that hired me in part to help raise the visibility of the institution, by the grant agencies that want public engagement, by my profession's anguishing about relevance, and by my deep desire to poop on myths that keep getting spread, like Mali is like Afghanistan. Also, I am a self-admitted narcissist.
Anyhow, check out it and tell me what I should do better or if I should just shut up.
I would have like to hear you say something about civil military relations and military training. Canada did I believe do some of this in Mali and there was of course a coup. Is it wise to further training as you suggest might be requested before a return to democracy etc. And neither you nor the interviewer pointed out that Mali has been one of the biggest recipients of aid from CIDA in recent years.
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