The current crisis in Mali began in January last year, when a rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs (helped by weapons brought from Libya as the Gadhafi regime crumbled) erupted.

CNN: Six reasons events in Mali matter

According to the peace deal, Macedonia was to pass increased rights for the ethnic Albanian minority in return for the weapons' surrender.

CNN: NATO withdrawing from Macedonia

The United States is concerned about the command and control of Soviet nuclear weapons, the potential for ethnic strife inside the former USSR and the international implications of economic collapse there.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy