The French War on Al Qa'ida in Africa

'Well and comprehensively researched, using multiple interviews with key actors (including a former President of Mali and the French commanding general), The French War on Al Qa'ida in Africa provides a compelling analytical narrative of the important French mission in Mali since 2013. It will stand as a - if not the - major study in English of these important events.' Jolyon Howorth, Yale University

'Following Toppling Qaddafi, his study of the Libyan air war, Chris Chivvis has produced another first-rate campaign history, this one of the lightning 2013 French campaign in Mali. Intervening as that country was about to fall to Al Qaeda-linked militants, French troops conducted a daring and unexpectedly successful operation the nature and significance of which Chivvis captures well in this excellent and highly readable account.' Ambassador James Dobbins, Distinguished Chair in Diplomacy and Security, RAND Corporation

'The best American analysis of Serval, this book fills the gap on how the United States judged the operation.' General Bernard Barrera, commander of French Forces in Mali during Serval

'An excellent one-stop analysis of a complex situation and successful intervention, focusing on the military but not limited to it. Chivvis's superbly informed book illustrates the rich potential of French-American exchanges on this subject.' Justin Vasse, Director for Policy Planning, French Foreign Ministry

'Chivvis provides an overview of the French military intervention against Salafi jihadists in northern Mali in 2013. His book is one of the first in English to explain the calculations of French military and political elites leading up to the intervention, and how the French organized and executed operations on the ground ... Particularly informative are his descriptions of France's coordination with its Western allies and its complex logistical operations involving its assets in the Sahel and West Africa ... the writing is clear and jargon-free.' B. L. Dillman, Choice

'Chivvis provides a strategic summary of this brief, yet apparently effective, campaign against the terrorist group, emphasising the lessons that he believes could help inform the broader fight against the spreading terrorist threat in North Africa.' Survival: Global Politics and Strategy

Christopher S. Chivvis is Associate Director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center and teaches at the Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Chivvis has worked in the Pentagon, published in Foreign Policy, The Huffington Post and The New York Times, and appears frequently in media such as CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera. His previous books include Toppling Qaddafi, on NATO's military intervention in Libya, and The Monetary Conservative, a biography of Jacques Rueff.

Preface; 1. France, Mali, and African jihad; 2. Al Qa'ida's North African franchise; 3. French security strategy in the age of kidnappings; 4. Merah and Malistan; 5. Leading Africa from behind; 6. Crisis and opportunity; 7. Serval; 8. The elusive 'political' dimension; 9. The road ahead.