Uncle Sam's adventures in Africa

The recent media kerfuffle over US troops in Niger didn’t so much concern US troops in Niger as it did the Trump condolence call to one of the widows of the servicemen who died there. As such, the “story” wasn’t about US troops in Africa, but about whether or not the POTUS is an a-hole, as if the answer to that question is somehow inconclusive and the matter requires further debate.

A host of your top-end US politicos have since come forward to claim that they had no idea there were US troops in Niger. According to some of the stuff I’ve been reading (admittedly on non MSM sites) the only country in Africa that does NOT have US boots on the ground is Zimbabwe. Not to worry; the National Endowment for Democracy (that US government “non-government organization” – and a shout-out to Orwell is in order here) have been busy beavers there, tilling the soil to prepare for the inevitable demise of the crotchety Bobby Mugabe. 

According to General Thomas Waldhauser, AFRICOM boss, the US has an “enduring interest” in Niger and is there to fight terrorists and create stability.

Of course!

Just like they’ll soon be fighting terror and bringing stability to the entire continent!

They’ve been bringing stability to Somalia for forty years now, with underwhelming results. One could argue that Somalia enjoys far less stability today than it had when America first started gifting them stability, but that’s another place where the US has “enduring interests.”

Just like they’ll soon have enduring interests all across Africa!

And might these “interests” have anything to do with the best interests of Africans?

Not likely. After all, Uncle Sam’s regime doesn’t run the USA in the best interests of 350 million Americans; it’s unlikely that they’ve got the best interests of 1.2 billion Africans in mind.

No, General Waldhauser is talking about the enduring interests of America’s one percent, the clique of war-profiteers and their acolytes who are determined to rule the world.

While I didn’t notice much in the way of congratulatory reportage, AFRICOM celebrated it’s tenth anniversary this month.

They’re just getting started…