'Colonialism' is a four-letter word it seems these days. Nothing good came out of that era of history and many nations still suffer from the after effects of centuries of occupation and brutality. And yet, the current governments of many nations, like Mali, use the history of colonialism to ignore their own ineptitude, including when it comes to counter terrorism. It is time for these nations to pull their own socks up and recognise they need help to fight terrorists.