UN troops besieged in Ivory Coast

BBC News ^ | January 18, 2006 | BBC News

[sergey1973]

United Nations peacekeepers in Ivory Coast's main city are under siege by supporters of President Laurent Gbagbo. More than 2,000 protesters have tried to force their way into UN headquarters in Abidjan, and had to be held back by warning shots and tear gas.

More than 300 troops have been forced to withdraw from two UN bases in the west of the country after clashes that left at least four protesters dead.

[Johnnyboy2000]

Send Kofi to clean it up.

[Johnnyboy2000]

If the UN cannot deal with Iran, then the US should withdraw from the organization so that it can cease to exist. Call me naive, but I think that our NATO allies will ultimately clean this Iran mess up with our help....a lot of our help. We cannot allow Iran to go nuclear under any circumstances, and the US may have to act alone. Ultimately it will be American power that will solve this one way or another. Sanctions and possibly a naval blockade should be the first option along with a few surgical strikes on the facilities that are easier to reach. Arming and inspiring a democratic revolution among Iran's people would be the easiest and most agreeable way to solve this. We also have to make a very strong effort to round up Iran's foreign agents in the West once we are prepared to act. Iran has a strong ability to carry out terrorist attacks. If they are attacked they will come after us. In this sense Iran is at least as dangerous as al Qaeda. We have to address this problem immediately before it becomes a bigger problem down the road.

[globalheater]

um - oh yes we talk about it.

France IS a colonial power - and it is the last of this romatic old fashion style. I think it's not a secret here.

As for the war on the balkans:

It was the other way around ! Miss Albright ran around in europe to find somebody to support the war against Milosevic who threatened to kill some more then a million Albanians in the Kosovo. She got the senators to grand her budgets for a war if she managed to ring the bells in europe. She was not succesful at first but then got aid from germany and only germany in the beginning. The UK joined in after germany said to join a war against milosevic.

Of course it's always easy to say - 'we didn't even benefit from that', but I think it's cynical. This war was a success. Thanks for help - only you could do it.

[Uncle Vlad]

and these guys want into Iraq???????????????????

Well, of course they do. As soon as we make it safe for everyone, they want to come into Iraq and start resume screwing that country over, just like they did before we liberated it.

[thoughtomator]

I'm rooting for the "freedom fighters"!

[thoughtomator]

Someone mentioned that the color of the UN helmets seems designed to communicate that they are not real soldiers.

[AmericanDave]

LOL, remember when the Germans bombed Pear Harbor?...

[AmericanDave]

Rommel actualy was forced to commit suicide, after being involved with a kill Hitler plot........

[Palpatine]

Rommel committed 'suicide' (with some 'encouragement' from Hitler) in october 1944. There was some talk that he had agreed to become supreme commander of the armed forces if the plot to kill Hitler and replace the Nazi government had succeeded in july 1944. SS General Dietrich had already assured Rommel that SS troops would follow Rommels commands in that case, not Himmlers.

During the siege of Bastogne, the American commander Anthony McAuliffe replied 'nuts' to the German surrender demand by General Heinrich von Luettwitz of the XLVII Panzerkorps.

[AmericanDave]

It was the failed bombing attempt by a Count Valkenburg, IIRC; and the Germans put out the info that he died from wounds after his car was straffed by allied aircraft, to save face. After all Rommel was their most famous General, he had to die gloriously for the fatherland! But Hitler gave him the ultimatum (other Generals were garotted and strung up naked).

[Holicheese]

There is a show on the History Channel about a professional military company called Executive Outcomes.
All about how a group of 100 guys stopped a revolt in some aweful African country. Then the UN threw them out and took over. They sent around 18,000 troops. Within a year and a half, the UN was forced out by the same group of defeated rebels.

[Polyxene]

UN troops

Isn't that an oxymoron?

[Pookee]

You folks don't miss a beat (I'd expect no less). You are correct about my flawed history - I was thinking of a different episode in North Africa. The principle remains that whether it was McAuliffe, Bradley, or any other General, no one retreats from protestors. NYPD doesn't even back down from protestors. Maybe we should send them over there.

[SFC Chromey]

nah, then the job would get DONE! Then what? :)

[river rat]

Hmmmmm... If a few unarmed Africans can face and force armed UN "peacekeepers" to back down and withdraw from positions.....why can't millions of Zimbabweans drive Mugabe and his thugs to ground?

Lack of will?

Semper Fi

[Red6]

No-

Germany actually helped the de-stabilization of former YU along in that Croatia was recognized as an independent republic (Genscher’s era)before the country even fell apart. Before your time most likely.

As YU broke apart and the Bosnia issue flamed up, refugees began flooding Germany. At the peak, nearly 250,000 Bosniacs and others were in Germany. Suddenly Germany developed a higher moral calling and saw the need for armed intervention within the former YU.

It was Germany that WITHOUT UN approval through NATO basically got the US involved in the Balkans. I understand you see yourself as an “Opfervolk”, but this is hardly the case. Despite you wanting to believe that it was the US that wanted military intervention. The US had absolutely no interests to itself in the Balkans – NONE what so ever. Zero, Zip, nada , null, keine US Interessen wurden mit dem Balkan Einsatz gedient – keine. Stelle dir vor das das selbe Land das für diesen Einsatz sich voll einsaetzte (Ohne UN abschluss diesen Militaer Einsatz wollte) sich innerhalb 3 Jahre nach einem Angriff auf die USA sich so verhält wie Schroeder, Fischer und viele es tatten! Das ist doch was worauf man stolz sein kann!

Man Stadt zu seinem verbündetem für Ganze drei Monate und schon hörte man Kritik und machte den Rückzieher nach Einmarsch in Afghanistan. DREI MONATE nach Einmarsch in Afghanistan und Schroeder reduzierte die BW zu einer Hilfspolizei Aufgabe innerhalb Irak. Darauf sollte man auch stolz sein. Man hielt ja DREI Monate zu seinem verbündeten!

Das verhalten des Deutschen Volkes in bezicht Irak, wo man mit Wut und Schadenfreude geil zuschaut. Nach dem Balkan Einsatz wo die USA sich auf Anfrage der Deutschen engagierten, nach 9-11 und dann schon innerhalb DREI Monate den Rückzieher macht - das ist schon etwas hart. 50 Jahre stand die “Hegemonie, imperialistische Weltpolizei USA” mit ihren Truppen in Deutschland. Natürlich nur in PURE Eingeninteresse und das arme Deutsche Volk musste leiden! 50% der RAF Anschläge waren gegen ihnen. Berlin wurde per Luftbrücke am leben gehanten (Rhein Main die Basis wovon man dies im Westen tat – und kennst noch nicht einmal den Nahmen der Basis!) – das ist das Land das heute mit aller macht versucht den “Ami” schlecht hinzustellen. Wieso? Weil man so seine eigene Feigheit und heuchlerei vertuschen möchte. Sie wollen noch nicht einmal zu geben das Deutschland hinter dem Balkan Einsatz stand! Wieso? Wie muss man sich selbst definieren wenn man nur 7 Jahre nach dem Balkan unter Ähnlichen Politischen Umstände DEM verbündetem der zu einem Standt im Balkan in dem Rueckenfaehlt.

Mein kleiner Transatlantischer Freund. Ich bin teil Deutsch, und das auf dem du stolz bist, davor schäme ich mich. Für den Zweiten Welt Krieg hasst du keine Verantwortung, aber für deine Wörter schon.

Red6

[Panzerlied]

"2000 protesters trumps 300 troops only when they are U.N. troops."

20 protesters trumps 3000 troops for sure when they are U.N. troops.

[Panzerlied]

"2000 protesters trumps 300 troops only when they are U.N. troops."

20 protesters trumps 3000 troops for sure when they are U.N. troops.

[globalheater]

Now I am impressed. A lot of knowledge and a ton of emotions mix in two languages.

Your picture of the germans of course is emotional and single sided and your attacks partially on me are powerful but of aim. Your observations are all true but your conclusions are partially - please forgive me to say - a 180° of aim.

Maybe it's to your very best to let off steam but be aware that you do it on my account - well - be my guest I can stand it.

As for the interests of the US in the Balkans I have read in the autobiography of miss Albright, that she just couldn't see eastern Europe destabilized since this meant a power vacuum that couldn't be ZIP and Nada for you. Or was the Russian threat on Europe of no interest either? Add to that she lived a long time in Belgrade and is born in eastern Europe and has developed her political mind there she sure had a very personal interest in these matters. She really hates Milosevic and quite right so. We (US and Germany) did the right thing in Kosovo and learned the hard way in the fight between Serbia and Croatia.

I just cannot imagine that genscher acted unilaterally there must have been talks with the Clinton administration in advance and his acceptance of Croatia saved their asses because Serbia would have rolled them with the help of russia. Maybe it was a white house idea anyhow - that's far more likely then genscher leading global politics instead of the US admin.

The best joke I heard recently is that YOU from all I know attack ME for the fact that my country did something without asking the UN for permission.

And - of course - Schröders campaigning with anti Americanism is nothing to be proud of. I am not - and this attitude of yours and mine spreads in Germany. That is much to my satisfaction, since I like my compatriots to wise up in the face of the conflict we still may have to face.

What I like to ask you to consider is the history of my people. No one was keen on a strong German Military power for a long time. It's certainly all a legacy to WWII being an almost direct offspring of WWI.
Many people grew up learning what a disgrace the German military strength has brought us. Is it any wonder we have a high percentage of pacifists who wouldn't understand the need of military interventions ?

Learning needs time - especially if you are the country having committed the WWII crime. You can see it clearly in the younger history - sending troops other then medics to a crises was without example until Yugoslavia conflicts. And you have to admit there's lots of people that appreciate the Germans to keep their tanks in Germany.

The first military missions where far from being effective but the partnership with the US in Kosovo was a success. Not brilliant - but for German scales the biggest throw.

Afghanistan was an even bigger challenge to the German public mind - but we made (make) it.

It was difficult - but we made it. Please be reminded on the issues you guys are having at home to keep people in the mood for the actions in the middle east. Now imagine how delicate these things look for a German politico. We have a press and an opposition here, to. Add this up to our history.

Schröder just shat it when his polls nose-dived. He figured he could go down in flames and leave the German political theater to the far left and the greens - or shovel the shit in front of your door, which he did.

Now that doesn't make the shit any more smelling like roses, but I like to ask you to recognize the German progresses as well as you hate the shit in front of your door. It's not about what we know - but how fast we can learn.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"Special Memo To UN Troops: SHOOT BACK AT RIOTERS! Just a suggestion..."

"But they might not like us then."