All right, Alexander, let's talk about the fact that France is out of Niger.

I think that's it.

That's the big news.

We talked about Niger a lot over the summer and the spring summer.

And we came very close to a big conflict, but it didn't happen.

And what happened instead is that France was pushed out of the country.

So this is a big event.

Absolutely. I think it is the first time there is no French presence

on the territory of the state we now call Niger since 1897.

I mean, that gives you a sense of how long France has had a presence in this part of Africa.

And it was Niger, very important country, country with, you know, huge uranium deposits, strategically positioned,

all of that we've been hearing about so much, a jewel in France's old colonial crown,

very much a place where France continues to exercise predominant influence right through the

Cold War and beyond, And now it's gone,

but they've finally severed their links with France. And if we go back a couple of months when

there was the coup in Niger, it was really, if you remember, it was touch and go. I mean, we had

threats from Macron at one point.

France was actually going to intervene in Niger.

There's going to be military action taken by France in Niger.

And it turned out the African Union was dead against it.

It was completely opposed to a neo-colonial intervention by France in Niger.

And then there was an attempt to try to split the Niger military.

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