Why, Mr. President, would you do this thing now?
What is happening in the world that will possibly have some bearing on this? First and foremost, there is conflict between Soudan and South Soudan, because one has the oil, and the other would like to have it, and can control the passage of the oil through it as a chokepoint.
China has recently announced big plans to build up the oil infrastructure in South Sudan.
The Republican debates started talking about our trade policy with China, with at least one front runner talking about changing the way things are done to the detriment of China’s current trade practices.
Places like South Africa are heavily involved in trade with China, to the extent that they will not allow the Dahli Lama to go there as it would offend the Chinese. You know this happened because the Chinese threatened some sort of retaliation, and they have the clout now to do it.
The high tech communications industry needs rare Earth metals and minerals that are found in large measure in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Joseph Kony and the LRA travel and hide throughout large areas of the DRC and surrounding countries to avoid detection and capture. The area is extremely vast and difficult to travel, with many unsettled parts. (Deepest, darkest Africa) There is no infrastructure or authority in those parts other than by the point of a gun.
To get the rare Earth materials that both the US and China need, there needs to be peace in the DRC, which means the fighting troublemakers need to be eliminated.
It is an excuse to say that Kony and the LRA are the reason we are going in there. My hypothesis is that we are competing with China for the rare Earth minerals.
When we stabilize the situation, after a long term build-up of forces, we may or may not have dealt with Kony and the LRA. Either way, if he is not taken out, he will be strengthened by our failure, and his god-complex will increase asymptotically. He will exercise his right by his perceived devine intervention to retaliate against the people of Uganda and Rwanda. He will kill many innocents.
These people cannot defend themselves, and in general have no firepower to do so. They are the mercy of those with machetes. The LRA has weapons, and guess who sold it to them? Think frogs, and you’d be right.
So if we don’t do this right, the deaths of all of these people will be on Obama. When it is time to cast blame for the deaths of all of these people, on whose shoulders will you try to place it, Mr. President?
Call me cynical, but there are lots and lots of bad actors that need killin’ on the ‘dark continent’. First and foremost: Muslim terrorists defined by their BEHAVIOR! (God, I feel dirty - as if I am an Obama apologist)! Release the hounds. Seals, Rangers, Special Forces, Recon, etc. (not forgetting the USAF CCT’s and PR’s. Warmonger? Nope! Pragmatic.
“There have been no LRA attacks in northern Uganda since August 2006.”
“In FY 2010, U.S. development assistance to Uganda totaled approximately $526 million.”
“In FY 2010, the United States provided approximately $285 million for HIV/AIDS.”
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2963.htm