The new US tactic appears to be to jaw-jaw about Wagner and Russia in the Sahel region of Africa. For our general orientation purposes here’s a pretty handy map of the region: As we know, the region is rich in resources, including most of the uranium used in French nuclear power plants, but is desperately poor. Most of the area was formerly part of what was known collectively as French West Africa. France has, since independence was granted to the various countries, maintained a tight security and economic control over the region. Following NATO’s attack on Libya, radical Islamic groups were empowered across the Sahel (and further south into ECOWAS countries such as Nigeria), endangering France’s hold over its client states in the region. This led to the collective West participating in the French led
Very informative and insightful discussion Mark. As always, you provide great clarity and analysis in your post. The French media is typically opaque and ever-ready to spin in Mac’s direction…God forbid they put 2 and 2 together and connect Niger - impossibility of moving militarily/politically - to the Ukraine débacle - France as poodle to US…now it may be dominoes across Africa.
As with sanctions and US attempt to distance Ru from China, the West is again reaping the whirwind, presently in Niger: from MKB’s latest:
“The developing countries are gaining room to manoeuvre in the game of big powers and their political influence has risen rapidly. Their diplomatic independence and strategic autonomy against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis has accelerated their rise as an emerging force in global politics in a remarkably short period of time.”
Didn’t the good old USA find itself in another quagmire before by picking up the pieces where the French left off? It started off slowly last time as well. That’s the first thing that strikes me when I see this current situation in Africa.
As a kid, I really wanted to join the French Foreign Legion after reading "Beau Geste". It's probably a good idea I didn't. Dying to support Macron and keep French uranium stocks high isn't very romantic.
Oh good. Another Obama nuland Biden successful foreign policy success!! Keep this up and just think how much the budgets for the state dept, the DOD and the CIA can be reduced. Always looking on the bright side.
…and don’t forget Killary as Sec State (if memory serves) in the Libya catastrophe…which turned it into a massive arms bazaar funding Islamic insurgents across the Sahel. When you think that a good part of many of these African countries used to be majority Christian. What a bunch of feckless and hubristic fools…in DC as well as Paris. In the present coup, Macron must have calculated that politically the Left (what remains) would not support a military intervention. Along with that, French generals and the intel community have been at odds with Mac , so yes, the term “disarray” applies. Another split in Nato! Now is the summer of discontent…
Mark, I agree w you that we need to understand the situation in Niger better. It makes me think we also need to better understand all the various US/CIA efforts to control and/or undermine various elected governments around the world. I assume we don't have somewhere around 1000 military bases around the world to promote tourism...
If Richard Poe is to be believed, the Brits may be the worst of the bunch, if only because they managed to practically disappear while maintaining their colonial wealth extraction through regional destabilization.
Very informative and insightful discussion Mark. As always, you provide great clarity and analysis in your post. The French media is typically opaque and ever-ready to spin in Mac’s direction…God forbid they put 2 and 2 together and connect Niger - impossibility of moving militarily/politically - to the Ukraine débacle - France as poodle to US…now it may be dominoes across Africa.
As with sanctions and US attempt to distance Ru from China, the West is again reaping the whirwind, presently in Niger: from MKB’s latest:
“The developing countries are gaining room to manoeuvre in the game of big powers and their political influence has risen rapidly. Their diplomatic independence and strategic autonomy against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis has accelerated their rise as an emerging force in global politics in a remarkably short period of time.”
Didn’t the good old USA find itself in another quagmire before by picking up the pieces where the French left off? It started off slowly last time as well. That’s the first thing that strikes me when I see this current situation in Africa.
Nahm
Don't forget Libya... that started as a "save the CFA Franc" operation
As a kid, I really wanted to join the French Foreign Legion after reading "Beau Geste". It's probably a good idea I didn't. Dying to support Macron and keep French uranium stocks high isn't very romantic.
Marty Feldman and Michael York were terrific.
Oh good. Another Obama nuland Biden successful foreign policy success!! Keep this up and just think how much the budgets for the state dept, the DOD and the CIA can be reduced. Always looking on the bright side.
…and don’t forget Killary as Sec State (if memory serves) in the Libya catastrophe…which turned it into a massive arms bazaar funding Islamic insurgents across the Sahel. When you think that a good part of many of these African countries used to be majority Christian. What a bunch of feckless and hubristic fools…in DC as well as Paris. In the present coup, Macron must have calculated that politically the Left (what remains) would not support a military intervention. Along with that, French generals and the intel community have been at odds with Mac , so yes, the term “disarray” applies. Another split in Nato! Now is the summer of discontent…
You beat me to it, Joseph. Wherever Nuland goes, disaster follows.
Wherever Nuland goes a tribunal needs* to follow. Nothing would surprise me less than to read of her demise at the hands of (insert group X here).
She's the Nurse Ratched of international diplomacy
Mark, I agree w you that we need to understand the situation in Niger better. It makes me think we also need to better understand all the various US/CIA efforts to control and/or undermine various elected governments around the world. I assume we don't have somewhere around 1000 military bases around the world to promote tourism...
There's that saying "can't see the forest for the trees". The General Public can't comprehend the Shit Empire when tossed the occasional turd.
Yep. Too busy making Tik Tok videos.
Perfectly understandable. One must focus one's efforts on importance. Tik Tok will define a generation of distracted America.
The US and the European former colonial nations. The Brits still have quite a few bases too.
Like that island at the other end of the hemisphere? Wonder if the time is ripe for another bite of the apple.
If Richard Poe is to be believed, the Brits may be the worst of the bunch, if only because they managed to practically disappear while maintaining their colonial wealth extraction through regional destabilization.
Just to prove you wrong, King Charles will succeed where Nuland didn't :)