tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post4768336930874556979..comments2024-03-27T20:37:08.065+01:00Comments on Defence and Freedom: Chinese efforts in AfricaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-57709152629459323872018-12-16T09:51:32.017+01:002018-12-16T09:51:32.017+01:00[insert even more snarky response here]
...so ther...[insert even more snarky response here]<br />...so thereAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-68184302303162055712018-12-16T00:33:00.653+01:002018-12-16T00:33:00.653+01:00"red menace" was apparently not obviousl..."red menace" was apparently not obviously snarky enough.<br /><br />The West sided against the Soviets in Africa a couple times, and the Soviets kept the upper hand. It was strategic backwater to them, though - and many African leaders preferred to experiment with their versions of collectivism instead of copying Eastern European policies.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-5731513053491629912018-12-15T18:24:46.957+01:002018-12-15T18:24:46.957+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.KRThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725091310284220350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-74125043213673094542018-12-15T16:02:08.041+01:002018-12-15T16:02:08.041+01:00Thought it was obvious, aparently not. "They ...Thought it was obvious, aparently not. "They dont have an answer." - "They knew what to do when...". Having a plan, enacting a plan, does not mean that that plan will be successful. Someone should have told that to Kissinger. What is different is that this time they don't have a plan they are satisfied with.<br /><br />"The West mostly failed in its red menace containment in Africa because...", the West entirely failed in containment because there was no red menance. Proxy power, proxy conflict, third front, whatever. That is all. No ideology. No commie african countries. The same as no element of the Vietnam war was ever to do with political communism. Vietnam is not, and was not intending to become, a communist state.<br /><br />We've done this a few times. You seem to lack quite a bit of knowledge when it comes to US involvement around the globe. I dont mean that as an insult, and Im not trying to say I'm more knowledgeable than you in totality.<br /><br />Try this, just one facet. What are we talking about? China. Loans. Development. Influence. Subversion, etc... Are you aware of the discussions that have surrounded the World Bank and the IMF over the last 50 years? (Thats rhetorical by the way)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-714116019673217672018-12-15T14:53:10.053+01:002018-12-15T14:53:10.053+01:00Indians dominate wholesale trade on the Indian Oce...Indians dominate wholesale trade on the Indian Ocean side of East Africa as far as I know, and Lebanese do so on the Atlantic side.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-54717388586267933422018-12-15T14:29:19.484+01:002018-12-15T14:29:19.484+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.KRThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10725091310284220350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-88560601030300257422018-12-15T04:57:35.955+01:002018-12-15T04:57:35.955+01:00"They knew what to do when the Soviets played..."They knew what to do when the Soviets played their games in Africa during the cold war."<br /><br />I dispute this. The U.S. did very little in Africa during the Cold War.<br />The West mostly failed in its red menace containment in Africa because the West was essentially a bunch of (former) colonial powers, and the Soviets had sided with the inevitably winning decolonialisation movement.<br />The French appear to have been much more active in Black Africa than the Americans during the 70's and 80's, at least in regard to non-clandestine activities.S Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03359796414832859686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-386077914312449748.post-14924765853583763672018-12-15T03:18:44.156+01:002018-12-15T03:18:44.156+01:00Why is such a big deal being made of Chinese aid i...Why is such a big deal being made of Chinese aid in Africa? Because it reveals the yanks impotence, and that is surprising, to the yanks themselves. They dont have an answer.<br /><br />Its a repeat of the proxy power strategy. They knew what to do when the Soviets played their games in Africa during the cold war. If China had played that game, the US would have known what to do, they would have been far more comfortable with that. But when the Chinese are deploying capital, it causes them a problem because they are too poor to mirror. There have been some discussions about the US publics savings, that they could be leveraged as a national asset. The government would like to be able to direct the investment of 401k's to strategically useful 'partners', I assume with no regard to the safety of that capital or the rate of return. This would be accomplished by deregulating to allow private equity and hedge funds in. Would be funny to watch. I cant see it happening, just a wet dream from policy wonks, so we might see Chinese oil terminals and mining railways getting blown up and 'popular' revolts against the Chinese in Africa instead. Stick to their strengths.<br /><br />Couple more points, it is a Chinese stated aim to offshore some Chinese manufacturing to Africa. If we go into another global recession Africa may be sufficiently far along as to sustain a low level of growth that outpaces the developed world (weasel word, 'may') investment in infrastructure would be the first stop. The French seem to have been discussing a strategy where France supplies the security and China provides development capital in nominally French aligned Africa. Extending, I dont imagine deployment of EU or European directed capital would meet hostility from China.<br /><br />Its always amusing to hear americans write about Chinese basing in Djibouti as 'a problem', it reveals so much about their thinking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com