The fact is, THEY ARE PRISONERS. Trapped.
No nation will let white South Africans in--they are trapped in a Catch-22: if they stay, they will be slaughtered. Yet they can't leave.
Our immigration policies make it near impossible for them to come here. Same with many other nations--they won't have 'em. Nasty white bigots all, dontchaknow. ;)
A quick check shows that there are at least 7,000,000 whites there...and they need to GET OUT if they can. But how do you transport SEVEN MILLION people when there are few nations that will let them emmigrate?
This is a serious matter. When Mandella kicks the bucket, the slaughter will begin.
The crime rate there is the worst in the world. There's barely any law. I've heard tell that business delegations have been known to be mugged at the airport, right off the plane...and one out of two women have been raped.
Anyone want to verify/correct those assertions, please chip in. I've heard of cars with flame throwers custom-made to prevent carjackings. How rape is COMMON. How home invasions are COMMON.
People are living in fear, on borrowed time. I only hope they are well-provisioned, have a plan, and are well-armed. We can't sealift enough men quickly enough to matter. Any airlift would be a one-way suicide mission--wouldn't have enough ammo or men to effectively do the job. A logistical nightmare.
Add to this, you have the bad guys mixed in with the good guys in an urban center, difficult to differentiate....
It would be smarter for a strong warning to be given, and to station troops there NOW, proactively, and not wait for Mandella to die.
Problem is, our military is scattered to the four winds on errant missions. I'd pull our guys out of Bosnia for starters; they've been there too long. We'll need 'em for South Africa...or Columbia...or Venezuela.
My $0.02.