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Somalia is a breeding ground for Islamic extremists. Somali pirates regularly take over US and other allies' ships, taking hostages. And Al Shabaab, with bases in Somalia, regularly conducts terrorist attacks in other East African countries.
I was talking about 1994, but it that's how you define "direct economic impact", then every country qualifies.
I was talking about 1994, but it that's how you define "direct economic impact", then every country qualifies.
The US has participated in many humanitarian exercises all over the world, and the initial efforts of the US in Somalia were humanitarian (and very small in nature).
Our initial, main reason (in my opinion) for military action in Somalia though, boils down to this:
Quote:
Unable to explain to the world why the United States, the "sole remaining superpower" and leader of the "new world order," was not able to stop the starvation, President Bush ordered U.S. forces to deploy to Somalia. Their mission was to ensure that relief supplies reached the people who needed them and thus to "break the cycle" of starvation and save lives.
We do have and have had economic interests, however, in east Africa, and as I stated previously, Somalia is a breeding pit for radical Islamist sects and has been for a long time. The issues with pirates were a new development in the early 21st century (large scale, anyway) but they were a manifestation of an ongoing problem with radical Islam in that country - a problem that spills out across Somalia's borders on a regular basis to this day.
New Guinea really is a good counter example. 800+ languages, only half of them are related. All against all kinds of warfare in different areas. Admittedly, it's quite a lot smaller.
There is something to be said for a disinterested third party to come in and run affairs, hopefully at some profit to themselves (although most British-held areas were actually money losers for the mothership) if it can give you some standardized rule of law, court system, transportation network etc., but those days are gone I'm afraid. If nothing else, Mikhail Kalashnikov has seen to that.
My own personal feeling is that nations (as opposed to countries) that are inhabited by a culture that has it's act together can be the best examples of human progress, but modern politics and ease of transport have decided to grind them up.
New Guinea? That nation's population doesnt even remotely touch the population of Nigeria. Then there are over 50 other nations. Not even comparable to a vast continent like Africa.
It was a European created problem, and Belgium should've fixed it.
It's a Francophone nation...it's not within our sphere of influence.
I DON'T agree. Belgium said the hell with it and called it a day. Let Africa step up and deal with its own problems. Tho word is some of the "Black" African nations do miss the colonial countries because life was better way back then but the people CAN'T come out and say that because they'd be murdered.
Thank you for confirming my point. The entire African continent is not and has not ever been simultaneously at war.
There are over 50 nations. 15 have conflict.
LOL@ approving genocide. Your decision was not to express disapproval regarding mindless violence.
Your decision was to make highly uninformed and inaccurate comments about an entire continent, of over 50 nations, over 1000 ethnic groups, speaking over 1500 languages.
Now you're bothered because the idiocy was corrected. Do better. There are more than enough resources available to you to be informed. No excuse for the laziness.
I certainly struck a nerve.
My disapproval of Africa's refusal to step out of the stone age has definitely brought your denial to the fore.
I feel sorry for the people of the United States of America since we elected Obama.
Your misplaced pity is 14 years too late.
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