Mark Steyn: The white man’s burden

The Spectator (U.K.) ^ | 08/02/03 | Mark Steyn

[Flashman_at_the_charge]

Why, thankee kindly.

[Paul Ross]

Indeed:

it’s now President Taylor’s lunchbox on the menu. He’s currently trying to avoid becoming just another ear-today-gone-tomorrow Liberian head of state..

[FreedomPoster]

As further backup to the other replies, I would mention that I've been reading for the last couple of years of the various interventions in Sierra Leone from a non-traditional source, that being Soldier of Fortune magazine. Based on what I've read of things there, nothing I read here seems at all out of line.

[PLK]

I pray to dear God that the U.S. stays out of that sewer.

I agree totally. The thought of even one American soldier sacrificing himself for this lost cause makes me feel physically ill. I felt the same way about Somalia. Sadly, Africa seems to be disintegrating into a sick, evil culture that should be isolated, monitored, and allowed to simply self-implode.

[Neophyte]

It would be nice to stabilize Africa...

Wow, what an old fashioned paternalistic attitude!

Who are you (we) to think that it's your (our) calling to manipulate independent states of that continent?! They fought a long armed struggle to achieve their independence, and now you (we?) want to take it away from them?!

IMHO, we could learn something from the security fence now being built between Israel and the palis' realm... Isolate them (politically, economically and otherwise), and leave them to resolve their tribal problems themselves. Some day in not so distant future Africa would become an absolutely safe place... AIDS and warlords are very effective for this purpose.

Oh, and something else: please, no refugees from there, not in my neighbourhood at least.

[Ronin]

Calling it a culture is giving it too much credit. Africa has degenerated into a cess-pit of tribalism, disease, brutality and decay. There is no hope for the place other than a total re-imposition of colonial rule, and that is not going to happen.

[Brian Allen]

<< Mark Steyn sure has an EAR for prose. >>

Not to mention the ... um ... external genitalia.

[Ichneumon]

Calling it a culture is giving it too much credit.

Or to update an old joke:

Q: What do you think of African civilization?

A: I think it would be a good idea.

[Ichneumon]

It’s precisely the lack of any national interest that makes it appealing to the progressive mind. By intervening in Liberia, you’re demonstrating your moral purity.

Many people can state the obvious. Steyn's brilliance is his ability to point out something that's so self-evidently true it *should* have been obvious to all, but wasn't until Steyn spoke it.

I've lost count of the number of times I've figuratively yelled, "oh, of *COURSE*!" while reading his essays.

As far as I know, he was also the first editorialist to point out that France's monkeywrenching during the Iraq build-up had less to do with any concerns about Iraq or the US or the UN or "peace" than it did with trying to maneuver into a stronger position as top dog in the EU. It was another one of those "blindingly obvious but no one noticed until Steyn pointed it out" things.

[AmishDude]

Click on the banner.

[GOPJ]

Says it all:

Three weeks! And Bush is still just talking! The Times spent 14 months deploring the ‘rush to war’ in Iraq, but mulling over Liberia for three weeks is the worst kind of irresponsible dithering.

[Bullish]

The new Bill Buckley?

[D-fendr]

I think we need to got to the UN. Work on a resolution or two, then maybe send some inspectors.

Next a half dozen or so more resolutions.

Then if we can get France and Germany and Russia and China and the Arab nations behind us, we should pass a security council resolution.

If after another decade, Liberia hasn't listened to reason, we should send Jimmy Carter to talk them.

Then maybe Kofi could go.

After that we could discuss some sanctions - if we can get worldwide support of course.

Liberia was not responsible for 9/11 and Al Qeda and never tried to buy yellow cake from Niger. No.

And, above all, we musn't rush to war unilaterally.

[DeuceTraveler]

"Wow, what an old fashioned paternalistic attitude!

Who are you (we) to think that it's your (our) calling to manipulate independent states of that continent?! They fought a long armed struggle to achieve their independence, and now you (we?) want to take it away from them?!

IMHO, we could learn something from the security fence now being built between Israel and the palis' realm... Isolate them (politically, economically and otherwise), and leave them to resolve their tribal problems themselves. Some day in not so distant future Africa would become an absolutely safe place... AIDS and warlords are very effective for this purpose.

Oh, and something else: please, no refugees from there, not in my neighbourhood at least."

We are dealing in a world where everyone intervenes in everyone else's business as it is. The African nations are not liberated. They were colonized by West Europeans who left, than replaced by Chinese and Russian communists who left, which is now being replaced by Muslim extremism and puppets of dictators such as Khaddafi. Africa is not, nor will never be free until made strong enough to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. I see nothing wrong with trying to combat the tyranny the continent has been bred in with an influx of more liberal and Christian ideals.

[iconoclast]

The account is written from a slightly left point of view

Admittedly, I read the article quickly, but I failed to detect the leftist slant(??).

[daviddennis]

Read his article about the United States, and you'll get the picture. He's bought the Democrats' side of the 2000 election, and that's a pretty good clue.

I'm not sure how much it affects his other work, but it does lower his credibility in my eyes.

He's still a fascinating chap and well worth reading - just be aware of possible bias.

Hope that helps.

D

[Neophyte]

I see nothing wrong with trying to combat the tyranny the continent has been bred in with an influx of more liberal and Christian ideals.

I'm not sure what do you mean under the label "liberal ideas". Liberal is one of those words hijacked by the Lefties and other radicals... like "gay" instead of "pederast" or "pooftah", for instance.

However, Europeans didn't drop Africa like an old mistress, because they'd become bored... They were fought and chased away. Africa made its own choice. And good riddance! But free choice is unseparable from full responsibility for one's actions, isn't it?

Exactly the notion that Africa and Africans somehow aren't mature enough to carry up their responsibilities I find deplorably paternalistic.

Oh, by the way... if I'm not right, and they aren't capable of being responsible for themselves, then they're not ready for having freedom of choice, too.

[Tailgunner Joe]

bttt

[ellery]

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