DISQUS

poeticjustice · 1 year ago

It is worth while for journalists to explore this topic, and a key ingredient that should be addressed is: how is this development related to China's move into Africa? What conflicts can we expect?
Does China have a "State Department" equivalent in Africa?

ajm8127 · 1 year ago

The humanitarian effort sounds like a ruse just like the confirmation of WMDs in Iraq and the fact that Iraq had a direct link with al Qaeda. It seems like the Bush administration, after securing their interests in oil in Iraq, is ready to move on and disrupt more people's lives for the sake of having free flowing oil. Not only is this bad for the people of those nations, but it does nothing for our dependence on foreign oil. Also, keeping all that oil flowing will give consumers no reason to cut back, or explore other technologies. Burning fossil fuels is, of course, not helping climate change. Do we forget where Bush came from? He has a history of interest in oil in the private sector, and I kind of think he's keeping his interests alive as president, at the cost of the nation.

tahut · 1 year ago

To steal a quote from the movie Time Bandits...this Administration is so mercifully free from the ravages of Intelligence.

If they wanted to have a covert military presence in Africa, then using the State Department Embassies would be their perfect cover. It amazes me how juvenile this group is when it comes to foreign relations in other countries.

When you use a military force to prosecute diplomacy you end up alienating everything you come in contact with. All stick and no carrot doesn't make friends you can count on. Iraq and Afgan are fine examples of what happens when force trumps diplomacy.

This country is like the Boy Scouts...in dire need of adult leadership.

edward · 1 year ago

africom is stillborn for now, and we hope it stays that way. a classically flatfooted american proposition--do they have any idea how suspicious they look promoting such a thing? deaf, dumb and blind -- but still stumbling along with brilliant foreign policy ideas for africa!

even if we get regime change though, there will be little difference in the way the US deals with africa. obama has tapped the same morons in the clinton administration who gave us US paralysis during Rwanda '94, and whose resulting guilt drives our inability to thwack kagame repeatedly for screwing up the congo so bad ever since!