The simple tropes offered so far about elections, territorial unity and ending marginalization in the north are insufficient. We must recognize three serious obstacles to restoring political legitimacy and rebuilding state institutions in Mali. None of these will be easy for outsiders or Malians to fix quickly.

First, the political process in Mali is broken. Mali underwent a remarkable democratic transition in the early 1990s. But things went wrong. Corruption took hold. Resources were misallocated. Rather than fostering vibrant political parties, Mali’s politics swallowed up independent voices. The Malian democratic dream was shattered in March last year when a U.S.-trained military officer seized power in a coup. Since then, politics has been paralyzed. With the democratic veneer removed, the coup has revealed a rotten core.

Second, the military forces that staged the coup and have stubbornly meddled in politics ever since need to retreat from the political arena definitively. But there is a Catch-22: For the intervention in Mali to be successful, the French need robust cooperation and commitment from the Malian Army. The Malians in turn are likely to demand a high political price for their actions against the jihadis. Negotiating this dilemma will not be easy.

Third, a durable solution for northern Mali is required. The north is home to many Malian ethnic groups, including various Tuareg groups who at different periods during the past 50 years have fought against southern rule. An initial collaboration between Tuareg separatists and the jihadis helped the jihadis take control of northern Mali last year. (The groups have since fallen out, and the main Tuareg nationalist group supports French intervention.) Finding the right mix for recognizing the particular needs of northern Mali while integrating the region and not alienating southern Malians is also no easy task.

All of these issues deserve immediate attention. While they are focused on Mali, the French, the Americans and other international actors need to pull together a brain trust and devote resources to these problems. To that end, we put three recommendations on the table.