AP IMPACT: Al-Qaida carves out own country in Mali

Piece from Associated Press reported in the Guardian breaking news stream. Report on the situation in Northern Mali, where al Qaeda related groups appear to be digging in for a long conflict. The lesson should be: the West cant afford to undermine states. The long term winners are non-state actors such as al Qaeda. There is no mention of organised crime in this piece, but the people smuggling and trafficking trails will be there at the very least. What else?