Posted on 04/03/2007 10:40:19 AM PDT by dead
Harare, Zimbabwe
UNITED States President George Bush has approved the formation of a U.S. army to permanently operate in Africa, a move viewed by many as part of a wide plan to increase American hegemony on Africa.
The army called the U.S. African Command, was approved by Mr Bush on February 2, 2007 and US$50 million was last week injected in the project that should see the army being fully operational by 2008.
Navy Rear Admiral Robert Moellar, previously the special assistant to the commander of U.S. Central Command is heading the transitional team tasked to establish the army.
In yesterday's report, The American Thinker said: "The goal is to have Africom fully operational by the end of fiscal 2008, and that establishing the command will not adversely affect operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Also, Africom will cost about $50 million in fiscal year 2007, and costs for 2008 are still being evaluated."
The American Thinker, also reported that "Adm. Moeller was now at European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, planning for the activation of the command, which will hopefully, be physically located on the continent."
Yesterday, the People's Daily Online, reported that the U.S. was struggling to find a suitable African country to host the African Command.
The U.S. would have wanted to place the base in Algeria but the government of that country vehemently refused and the U.S. is now scouting for another country, especially one with access to the sea.
Mohamed Bedjaoui, the Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister was yesterday reported in the People's Daily Online as having strongly questioned the motive behind the military venture.
"He questioned why no one had ever proposed for any anti-terror co-operation with Algeria in the 1990s when terrorist violence went rampant and wrought havoc?"
A week prior to Mr Bush's approval, General William Ward, the deputy chief of Pentagon's European Command recently told journalists in Washington that the absence of a fully-fledged American military headquarters in Africa had long been cause for concern for the Americans.
"Over the past several months, senior military leaders have publicly discussed the potential benefits of creating a unified command in Africa.
"The secretary of defence has forwarded a proposal to the White House on a potential way of redesigning the unified command," he said.
However, analysts say African leaders should be wary of the move that appears meant to protect American interests in milking Africa of its resources and effecting illegal regime changes on the continent.
Mohamed Bedjaoui, the Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister strongly questioned the motive behind the military venture. "He questioned why no one had ever proposed for any anti-terror co-operation with Algeria in the 1990s when terrorist violence went rampant and wrought havoc?"
We weren’t addressing international terrorism in the 1990s because we had a president with his head in the sand back then. His husband is currently seeking the office to return to that posture.
If we do nothing it’s because we’re heartless and uncaring.
If we do something it’s because we’re greedy and oppressive.
Somalia sounds ripe.
Where’s the barf alert? This sounds like it was written by the DNC.
The giant sucking sound you will hear is American taxpayer money going down a bottomless toilet. We never learn from history. What a total waste. Hell you might as well spend that kind of money in the next best place, waste it in New Orleans, the chocolate city. I wish I’d never voted for George W. Bush.
I'm sure there were PR people in the Pentagon or in the local embassy who would be more than happy to provide information to this reporter.
The former colonies of Europe cried out for home rule and home rule is what they got only to discover that the business of running a nation-state isn't as easy as it looks.
That needed repeating. I totally agree and I am so sick of this crap. We are not the world's army, and we owe nothing to anyone.
ping.
Africa offers very little to us. Let ‘em wallow in their corrupt incomptence.
This isn't charity, this is strategy.
You two need to get a room.
You both read a Zimbabwe story from Mugabe’s newspaper and suddenly you are in fawning agreement with a tyrant that “Bush is bad.”
Rolls eyes...
Access to the sea, how ‘bout Watts or Harlem? The coast isn’t that far away.
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=43184&archive=true
Is this true, dead? Smells funny...
Where’s the *** April Fools! *** tag for this post?
Okay Mr. Bottomless Pit of Money, the reason I said I’m sorry I voted for George Bush is that along with this Africa farce he can’t close my southern border, he’s gone crazy spending my tax money, and he has a problem firing incompetent people in his administration, i.e. this useless attorney general that’s letting Sandy Burglar run around free. That’s just to name a few problems with this guy.
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