Should Africa welcome Africom?

Should Africa welcome Africom?

newsforums.bbc.co.uk

The US government last February launched its military command for Africa.

Currently stationed in Germany, the US Africa command(Africom) is responsible for its operations in Africa, a brief previously shared by three other centres based outside the continent.

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I am not sure how this really affects anything right now, my concern is the handover of African military power to an external source?????

newsforums.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

surely there will be a price for this "intervention", although if it helps
the common citizen gain the basic needs of life without causing
extreme landloss and pain, perhaps it is a good idea.

aaah , now ther is the question - will it help at all?

Yes, but who is it helping? Africa is always being helped and look at the state it is in.
It is time that Africa stands up and counts itself in, if it was not for the $$$ and the corruption it would be ideal :-)

africans have been ready to stand for a few hundred years. the problem
has been the leaders with no concern for their people, and those who
pay them for their natural resources. in a nutshell, greed.

Africom would help US strategic interest--Africa's oil going to China. Probably would help companies like Blackwater and Halliburton.
A few dollars going to help fight AIDS in return for allowing "military assistance". Once again, as in Biafra decades ago, we'll see children's swelling bellies as "care packages" in the form of military hardware are flown in.
Yes, natural resources to be had.

Well Eucom (US European Command HQ - also deals with Africa) is in Germany, CENTcom (Central command, deals with middle east, and parts of Africa, Eurasia) is just outside Tampa (FL, US), and SouthCom (southern command, deals with South America) is located in Doral (just outside Miami, FL)...

Africa certainly wouldn't be my first choice posting - given those alternatives above - I think the new Africom should be welcomed, and am surprised it hasn't found a host already. Africom is a reality (and for good reason) and it needs an HQ somewhere - wouldn't you want several thousand folks with decent income spending it in your country?

I've been to SouthCom a number of times and, well, it's just a big office building with tighter security (actually the metal detector was broken during one of my visits and I was just waved in, haha). Naturally things would be a little different in a foreign country, but if it's anything similar it seems like a win-win for both parties involved.

US drops Africa military HQ plan
Link

Well that lasted about a day!!!
My post worked :-)

[edit on 19-2-2008 by Valorian]

reply to post by Valorian


Thanks for the thread Valorian. I haven't really been keeping up on this topic, but its very interesting.

What makes the US military think we can go into every continent of the world and create bases?

We are the USA, not the world. Its insanity to think we have become the policemen of the planet.

There has been concern that Africom is really an attempt to protect US oil and mineral interests in Africa, amid growing competition for resources from Asian economies, says the BBC's Alex Last in the Nigerian capital Abuja.

Then there are fears about the continent being drawn into the US war on terror, our correspondent adds.

From the source you just posted.

There has been concern we were only attempting to protect US interests because that was the case.

Thank God Africa has some balls!



reply to post by AlphaHumana



Dude, are you for real?

Africom is a good thing?

We have enough things to worry about in our own country, yet we have no problem getting involved elsewhere.

We really are insane.

Just wanted to say, that when I was watching BBC The CNN International edition... They showed a video of George Dubbya and his recent rip to Africa...

More or less a ... What did he do/where did he go? video...
But...
Unlike the actual video from BBC.com, CNN has censored BBC's report... there is a section in the video that talks of Africom, it has been censored on CNN international... George W. "Had to confront worries about Africom"... it's quit funny... He says "That's Bologna...Or as we say in Texas, That's Bull"

found at 1:23-2:00
news.bbc.co.uk...
(BBC.COM Video page)
news.bbc.co.uk...

Well, in my Opinion (with sarcasm), "What George tells the world, is Gospel"