Africa – The Future Frontline

Friday again.

I have been pondering on a few things this week, not the ancient world as I have been. This week it is the future.

I’ve been poking my nose in to what America is up to in Africa. Here are some links.

http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175743/tomgram%3A_nick_turse,_africom’s_gigantic_%22small_footprint%22

http://www.berryaviation.com/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/contractors-run-us-spying-missions-in-africa/2012/06/14/gJQAvC4RdV_story.html

https://theintercept.com/2015/10/21/stealth-expansion-of-secret-us-drone-base-in-africa/

https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/target-africa/

In short, they seem to be building quite a few “small” bases on the continent, focusing on special forces and drone deployment.

I have been wondering, why though? I appreciate that there are a fair few terrorist groups in Africa, including Al Shabaab for one. But this seems to not really justify the amount of resources being deployed there. So what is it?

The tyranny of distance is the terminology used by those with the drones. It is simply too hard for them to get their eyes and missiles in the sky over the areas they want them, without co-opting large parts on Africa. This seems crazy to me and one wonders what the host governments get out of it? Or perhaps they are just happy for some American troops to be on their soil.

Hmm

And finally,

Two things I learnt this week

Djibouti is a country in Africa. I had never even heard of this place. Huge US expenditure building a drone and special forces base there.

and

Quite an interesting progression from the UK making its nationals (eg Bilal el-Berjawi) non nationals and then America blowing them up. Thus handily getting around the whole normal judicial procedure before and most importantly afterwards.

6 thoughts on “Africa – The Future Frontline”

    1. Which bit is nonsense?

      I mean seriously, what proof have you got against what I said is this blog post? I’m not being conspiracy theory here, there has been a huge upsurge in US forces on the ground in Africa. Why? It is well documented, and the increase in the drone war is a prime factor in this.

      So what is absolute nonsense?

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  2. “AFRICA – THE FUTURE FRONTLINE
    Friday again.

    I have been pondering on a few things this week, not the ancient world as I have been. This week it is the future.

    I’ve been poking my nose in to what America is up to in Africa. Here are some links.

    http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175743/tomgram%3A_nick_turse,_africom’s_gigantic_%22small_footprint%22

    http://www.berryaviation.com/

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/contractors-run-us-spying-missions-in-africa/2012/06/14/gJQAvC4RdV_story.html

    https://theintercept.com/2015/10/21/stealth-expansion-of-secret-us-drone-base-in-africa/

    https://theintercept.com/drone-papers/target-africa/

    In short, they seem to be building quite a few “small” bases on the continent, focusing on special forces and drone deployment.

    I have been wondering, why though? I appreciate that there are a fair few terrorist groups in Africa, including Al Shabaab for one. But this seems to not really justify the amount of resources being deployed there. So what is it?

    The tyranny of distance is the terminology used by those with the drones. It is simply too hard for them to get their eyes and missiles in the sky over the areas they want them, without co-opting large parts on Africa. This seems crazy to me and one wonders what the host governments get out of it? Or perhaps they are just happy for some American troops to be on their soil.

    Hmm

    And finally,

    Two things I learnt this week

    Djibouti is a country in Africa. I had never even heard of this place. Huge US expenditure building a drone and special forces base there.

    and

    Quite an interesting progression from the UK making its nationals (eg Bilal el-Berjawi) non nationals and then America blowing them up. Thus handily getting around the whole normal judicial procedure before and most importantly afterwards.”

    ALL of that unsubstantiated nonsense you spouted above.

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    Reply

  3. I like to engage with intellectual debate as much as the next guy Philip – but judging from the diction used in your comments above, intellectual is miles away from you -I’d put money on you failing an IQ test.

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