Islam in Mali in the neoliberal era

At the end of the twentieth century, Mali—one of the world’s poorest countries—had become one of the top recipients of foreign aid in the world. In the post—cold war era, the U.S., European donor countries, and multilateral lending agencies have all regularly praised Mali as a model for the transition to democracy, the implementation of economic reforms, and liberalization. For more than a decade, Mali has tended to meet International Monetary Fund and World Bank targets and timetables for structural adjustment programs, privatization schemes, and reductions in state budget deficits. One recent U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) publication (2002, 11) has even called Mali—without any apparent irony—a “poster child” for such reforms. It would seem that Mali’s compliance, which lenders and donors often link to “good governance,” has helped to keep massive loans and other aid flowing into the country.