War Archive
Weather Grounds Drones
Predictions about African security linked to global warming have proved frighteningly correct. Does weather trump drones? As the stubborn, not-too bright bully on the block, America has shifted to accepting global warming as human caused, but it took a few Katrinas and Sandys to tip the balance. And experts still spend inordinate amounts of time [...]
Should the Past Burn Away?
The Mali war has reignited an old debate: should precious artifacts always be returned to the motherland, or should they be kept in safety by the greater, more stable powers of the world? Yesterday France returned to Nigeria in an elaborate ceremonial handover several confiscations of ancient Nok Arts, prized terra cotta sculptures of Nigerian [...]
Give Peace A Chance
Posted by jimheck in "Modern" Africa, Global Relations, Terrorism, War on February 1, 2013
Conflict in Africa is declining, not only relative to the rest of the world, but historically within the continent itself, and a brilliant University of Wisconsin professor has discovered why. The truth is counterintuitive to many Americans whose understanding of Africa comes mostly from the nightly news and America’s very distorted and political travel advisories. [...]
Frighteningly Wonderful in Mali
France’s liberation of Timbuktu and defeat of Malian Islamic revolutionaries is right on schedule and demonstrates perfectly the American/French axis routing world terrorism. Sunday’s Meet the Press roundtable was in contrast the perfect example of how fooled and even bamboozled old guard American media personalities still are. Andrea Mitchell excepted, the remaining two old men [...]
David? Debby?
Posted by jimheck in Environment, Kenya, Poaching, War on January 25, 2013
Yesterday’s prickly article in Science that there aren’t as many species going extinct as you thought might be because we’re using drones to nuke rhino poachers. The journal Science is no teenage blog. The rigors of getting published in magazines of this caliber are legend, and the author, Dr. Nigel Stork, comes well credentialed. He’s [...]
Surge Then Peace?
When’s the last time the U.S. fought a war in a foreign land that ended with a better society and government for those people and greater peace for all the world? Yesterday. But before that, you have to go back to World War II. But yesterday the U.S. officially recognized the existing Somalia government after [...]
Death Knell for al-Qaeda
The death knell of the al-Qaeda of Osama bid Laden is gonging in Mali. France is bombing al-Qaeda into oblivion. This is likely the last time you’ll ever hear of the al-Qaeda that blew up the Twin Towers. The battle today is fierce. There is absolutely no question that this is Afghanistan 2003 in Mali. [...]
No More Grains of Rice
Posted by jimheck in Congo, Foreign Aid, Global Relations, Kenya, Politics, Rwanda, Sudan, War on November 30, 2012
Susan Rice’s performance on the Sunday Talk Shows incorrectly explaining the Benghazi attacks is a perfect example of how she has historically allowed political considerations to trump more important foreign policy or human rights considerations in Africa. She’s been acting like this for years. She seems incapable of intricate analysis and quiet diplomacy. She’s no [...]
Goma Solution
Starve Rwandan and Ugandan dictators of any aid, significantly beef up the UN peace-keepers in Goma, allow the “Arab Spring” to develop and let the chips fall where they may. That’s my solution for the Goma catastrophe. It surprised me that Goma has stayed in the news. I’m not sure why, as the current crisis [...]
So Terribly Terribly Sorry
The genie is out of the hell hole, again. Sorry to burden you with another war but Goma fell, today. Rwanda’s imperial strategy worked and a man indicted for Crimes Against Humanity is in control. We’re all so terribly terribly sorry. Goma is the biggest city (300,000) in the eastern DRC Congo, where the countries [...]
General Ndugu Obama
Posted by jimheck in Foreign Aid, Global Relations, Terrorism, War on October 19, 2012
Many will be surprised that America has grown increasingly militant in Africa. Because Africa is where most world terrorists now locate, American policy on the continent is defined overwhelmingly by the American War on Terror. Obama’s massive military involvement in Africa is mostly covert, so not readily understood. But the policy is public if difficult [...]
Fight For The Present
Acting as a true global, singular power, the UN has vowed military action if rebels holding most of Mali don’t surrender. This is an astounding world development and I’m even more astounded about how little press it’s being given in the United States. America likes to portray the United Nations as a leftist thorn in [...]
Mission Accomplished Now What
Twelve months ago Kenya invaded Somalia with the expressed goal of taking the city of Kismayu. This past weekend Kismayu fell but there are no celebrations, no parades. The fall of Kismayu will go down in history as the defeat of al-Qaeda’s first organized state. Until al-Shabaab took Kismayu after the failed Ethiopian invasion of [...]