Niger. One of the poorest countries on earth. Also one of the largest uranium producers on earth. The uranium that powers French nuclear reactors, which provide seventy percent of France's electricity, has come from Niger for decades. The price France paid for that uranium was set by AREVA, the French state nuclear company. Below market rate. For decades. Niger sat on one of the most valuable energy resources in the world and could not afford to keep its lights on. The irony is not ironic. It is structural. It was designed. When Niger's new government after the 2023 coup demanded renegotiation of the uranium contracts, France called it instability. Called it a threat to regional security. Called for international pressure to restore the previous order. The previous order in which French reactors ran on Nigerien uranium at prices set in Paris. That order was called stability.