The French Army Is Building Renaissance-Style Fortresses in Africa

&gt; While the design ... appears anachronistic<p>Nothing anachronistic about it; this is likely an optimal design when considering how to maximise the effective coverage of guns. This is good design for a fortification that is meant to be held.<p>This design is relatively quite modern and is a direct response to the introduction of artillery to warfare. See <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;History_of_gunpowder#Changes_to_fortifications" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;History_of_gunpowder#Changes_t...</a> . It is a difficult fortification to crack. In fact it has a long history of use in colonial expeditions according to Wikipedia.

Other nations built castles in Afghanistan using the same HESCO bastion [1] techniques shown in the article, don&#x27;t think they were as interesting shapes though.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Hesco_bastion" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Hesco_bastion</a>

On the same vein, US embassy in Tunis is closer to a fortification than to a diplomatic building. It even has a turret. It seems that other US embassies around the world became fortifications after 2001.

Similar concept, lot more stars:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Fort_Bourtange" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Fort_Bourtange</a>

Also worth visiting when travel reopens:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.atlasobscura.com&#x2F;places&#x2F;musee-des-plans-reliefs-1" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.atlasobscura.com&#x2F;places&#x2F;musee-des-plans-reliefs-...</a>

For those interested, you can look up &quot;Vauban&quot; or &quot;Vauban fortifications&quot;, in reference to Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, an important military figure under Louis XIV.

Saint Barbara is entirely appropriate for a sapper[1] regiment, but it&#x27;s disappointing their motto is &quot;Sapeur suis, para demeure&quot; instead of &quot;Bâtis ou crève&quot; ...<p><pre><code> Nous croyions nous aimer pour la vie Mais hélas les beaux jours sont si courts </code></pre> [1] would their work be considered uncivil engineering?

If you&#x27;re ever in the Florida Keys Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas National Park is a (never completed) fort in the same style and definitely worth visiting on a day with good weather.

Am I missing something or is this article very short on photos? I can see only three of the actually fortification under discussion, none of them particularly enlightening.

<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.sites-vauban.org&#x2F;The-Vauban-fortifications-in" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.sites-vauban.org&#x2F;The-Vauban-fortifications-in</a>

How practical are these against modern weapons? Couldn&#x27;t some modern explosives just destroy a fortress wall, thus rendering its inherent purpose of withstanding a siege impossible? It&#x27;s an interesting sight and architecturally curious but I&#x27;m wondering what the purpose of such an effort is.

Relevant: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Bastion_fort#&#x2F;media&#x2F;File:StarFortDeadZones.png" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Bastion_fort#&#x2F;media&#x2F;File:StarF...</a>

The latest edition of the Economist had an article about the recent coup in Mali, and about the (rather obvious) need for institution-building rather than pure military interventions by European powers: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.economist.com&#x2F;middle-east-and-africa&#x2F;2020&#x2F;08&#x2F;19&#x2F;what-next-for-mali" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.economist.com&#x2F;middle-east-and-africa&#x2F;2020&#x2F;08&#x2F;19&#x2F;...</a><p>Mostly unrelatedly, whenever I see these types of forts I am reminded of the forts that workers build in Civ 5, which are equally useless

So... nobody is going to ask why is the French Army in Africa?

No mention of the Pentagon?

It’s interesting that the most socialist states pursue exactly the same objectives that the most capitalistic states pursue outside their national borders, often involving war, violence and exploitation.<p>The discourse internally is however one of solidarity, fraternity and equality.

European Renaissance civilization...<p>And noone is asking what the french are doing there.

This article doesn’t mention the months of protests in Mali which culminated in a coup d&#x27;état on the 18th forcing the president to resign. Yes, it’s a cool construction, it likely does serve Operation Barkhane but I think there are some unmentioned colonial interests.