This project intends to analyze how media and popular discourse in Mali has adapted (or maladapted) to the ideological war currently being waged in local media between Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Western governments. To my knowledge, no scholars have addressed the role of media in the current situation in Mali. In my research, I will consult numerous academic archives in Mali to garner historical perspective, will interview academics, Imams, and teachers, and will observe various forms of popular media, most notably the radio and political pamphlets. By understanding Malian reactions to these conflicting foreign discourses, foreign discourse, one might predict how the Malian people can reassert their own culture and preserve their society, and thus protect their human rights and democracy.