Summary

Mali in northwest Africa was not rich in natural resources other than a medium-sized gold industry. Most assumed that China wouldn’t be interested in Mali but they were proven wrong. The Chinese presence is huge in Mali. They built a large embassy in Bamako, the capital. Its companies were everywhere as were its people. China financed a gigantic bridge that crossed the Niger River which led to a new hospital complex also built by the Chinese. The U.S. supported Mali because it was an ideal democracy.

There was some arrest and violence led by an insurrection by rebel groups that imposed Islamic rule over the people. France intervened and help defeat the Islamists in the elections. Things settled down in Mali and Bamako became the fastest growing city in all of Africa with the fastest growing population with a...