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Unfortunately for Africa, Temple, their problems have been legion
for centuries, long before the coming of the modern extremist movements, long before the civil wars, long before AIDS. It is a sad thing to see, the death throes of a mighty continent, but I don't see an end in sight, considering the new economic imperialism (which is supplanting the old military and economic colonialist imperialism that divided Africa before) that has most of the continent in a vise, while the rest is being strangled by Muslim fundamentalists (generalizations, I know, but close enough to true).
posted by
saul_relative
on June 11, 2005 at 8:13 PM
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Yes, I agree.
What I meant to say was in the past it was so much more related to other things, even if there are terrorists now that are related to fundamental Muslims now. I was responding to OPB's comment that there have been terrorists there for years, but that hasn't been the problem there for years.
posted by
Temple
on June 10, 2005 at 8:40 PM
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Thanks, Temple. And it is true that most of Africa's problems today stem
from ethnic violence, internecine struggles, famine and drought, but the the one thing I touched on but didn't go into any great detail on was the fact that all these countries have significant Muslim populations. Guilt by association. They're Muslim, so they must be terrorists or hiding terrorists or abetting terrorists. Typical Bush mentality.
However, the Salafist Group and the Sudanese government both have ties with al-Qaeda and bin Laden, so there is a tenuous but real connection.
posted by
saul_relative
on June 10, 2005 at 7:48 PM
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Yes, New York and Iowa are so deeply in danger.
It's such a tremendous mess I can't comprehend what it will take to help clean this up and smooth relations with allies as well as those we have delicate relations with. This bull in a china shop technique is not the way to handle foreign policy. There have not been terrorist cells in Africa prior to now, and even now I would call any connection to al-Qaeda flimsy at best. The violence in Africa was because of other problems, religions, ethnic, etc....not terror cells. We'll go where the oil is. Bush wants his legacy to be power....or something. At this point I can't see how he and his people don't just see that they are just alienating everyone and that will be his legacy. Not anything else. Anyone blindly devoted to him and his administration is ignorant or uneducated or just not doing their homework. Great post as always, Saul. It's been awhile. Hope you're well. :)
posted by
Temple
on June 10, 2005 at 7:27 PM
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Unless you have the ear of someone in the corridors of power, Spitfire,
that's all you can do. Same as it ever was, as David Byrne would say.
posted by
saul_relative
on June 10, 2005 at 7:25 PM
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Thanks, offbeatpub. I agree, this is the future of war...
posted by
saul_relative
on June 10, 2005 at 7:24 PM
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saul,
Unfortunately, all we can do is wait and see...and hope. It seems that's all we have these days.
posted by
SpitFire70
on June 10, 2005 at 7:15 PM
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Saul
These terror cells have been operating throughout Africa for years. Thank God we are not sitting on our butts while they continue to grow. Pro- active methods such as this may very well be the future throughout the world! Good post! Thanks for sharing..
posted by
Offy
on June 10, 2005 at 7:07 PM
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