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AFRICOM, US Military Command for Africa to Stay in Germany
Posted by: CareTaker on February 18, 2008 Under: Africa, Discussion Lounge, Feature, General, Life & Culture, USA
After much heated debate, the US military has decided to keep the headquarters of its new Africa Command in Germany, after only one African nation, Liberia, offered to host it… “The US plan had been misunderstood by some African countries, Gen Ward, AFRICOM’s commander told the BBC.
The AFRICOM topic has been well discussed here on AfricanLoft, follow this link http://www.africanloft.com/tag/africom/ to peruse posts and comments on AFRICOM, be sure to visit the debate on the topic.
AFRICOM: http://www.africom.mil/index.asp
Related posts:
- AFRICOM will be Fully Operational by September 2008
- On AFRICOM: Nigeria will Partner with U.S. Military Command for Africa [Updated]
- Is Africa the Next Cold War Theater?
- US Officials Insist New Military Command To Benefit Africa
- Open Debate: Does Africa Need AFRICOM (U.S. Africa Command Base on the Continent)?
- Origins of AFRICOM
- Google Censored Blog over AFRICOM Rants?
Muti This
Xcroc | Feb 18, 2008 | Reply
It is a triumph for Africa that African countries held fast. However, AFRICOM can still do most all of what Bush has in mind without an HQ on the continent. Still, it shows they did not plan, and they did not take their target into account, and at least this far, they failed.
The Bush intention with AFRICOM has been to use mercenaries, to train African militaries to act as surrogate. And by “partnering” and training, get to know their strengths and weaknesses, in case of fighting with, or against them in the future. They don’t need an HQ on the continent to do this.
The question in my mind is will an Obama or Clinton presidency make a difference? I’m hoping it will and one of them wins. McCain is promising endless war. Traditionally US foreign policy has not changed too much from president to president. But Bush made radical changes. I’m hoping he has a democratic successor who will turn back to the constitutional principles of American democracy.
CareTaker | Feb 19, 2008 | Reply
As much as I like the US, I feel their timing was off. The war on Iraq is an eye-sore and no amount of PR can erase the fact that there isn’t any basis for the war. Also, there wasn’t enough “back-room” consultation before the idea was make public, and this is somewhat strange given how the US is perceived worldwide. Now it’s up to the next administration to make the decision; we haven’t heard the last of it yet.
Bobby | Feb 19, 2008 | Reply
Perhaps, as I have been saying all along, they are waiting for the country(ies) they want the HQ to be based in to stabilize before they make any announcements.
The sad thing about it is that the people who make the US foreign policies always seem to dismiss the interests of those foreign countries as though it won’t hurt the US in the long term.
Xcroc | Feb 19, 2008 | Reply
@CareTaker – I think the Bush people are not just insensitive. I think that if something does not matter to them, they genuinely believe it does not matter. And the people doing policy under Bush are all people who avoided military service, but are happy to send others to fight and die. And if you look at some of the documents I linked on Origins of AFRICOM, you can see that Bush and friends believe the US has the right to control the world by force, with no sense of how impractical, and counter productive it is for THEIR interests. The US and African countries should be natural friends, and that has been so corrupted by decades of really bad foreign policy decisions. I am hoping the Republican driven foreign policy of the last several decades has finally been discredited by the Iraq war. But I’m not holding my breath.
@Bobby – I completely agree when you say The sad thing about it is that the people who make the US foreign policies always seem to dismiss the interests of those foreign countries as though it won’t hurt the US in the long term. It does so much damage to the US, as well as the tremendous harm it does around the world. It would be so much cheaper, and do so much more good to engage as friends, in business, education, civil society, responsive government, urban planning, transportation, all the thing that add value to life anywhere in the world.
Bobby | Feb 22, 2008 | Reply
Listen to Adam Mynott reporting about Africom, GWOT, Somalia and Addis Abbaba from Nairobi at 1:20.
This BBC clip reinforces my arguments. With all the “welcoming” Africom received, why isn’t there a base yet? Because, simply, its not about where Africom is “welcomed” its about where the Pentagon wants to base it.
But since even Barrack Obama supports Africom, I am beginning to think that “insiders” are holding back some critical information that would make it seem as though it is, indeed, necessary for the US to have some sort of military presence in Africa.
Bobby | Feb 22, 2008 | Reply
Sorry for the link (or lack therof) Here is the Youtube video link… http://youtube.com/watch?v=lzGvvdtamSw
Afriq | Jan 22, 2009 | Reply
Africom is modern day colonization, think about it. Why would we need american troops on our continent? Simple to protect US interests! SAY NO TO AFRICOM!