Article

2008-10-31 Africa Subsaharan

Congo: Mighty Uruguayans flee, Indian peacekeepers to face rebel advance on Goma

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Posted by john frum 2008-10-31 11:14|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 What is the capability of the Indian army in a jungle scenario?

Posted by bman 2008-10-31 11:52|| 2008-10-31 11:52|| Front Page Top

#2 Send the Uruguayans home. Do so in a public and humiliating way. Announce that they won't be permitted to do peacekeeping for the UN in the future.

Ditto for the Senegalese troops.

Shame them and their military forces. Name their commanding officers.

It may well turn out that other countries would decide not to do peacekeeping missions in the future. But the ones who do would understand what is expected of them.

Posted by Steve White 2008-10-31 12:15|| 2008-10-31 12:15|| Front Page Top

#3 What is the capability of the Indian army in a jungle scenario?

Counterinsurgency and Jungle Warfare School

Posted by john frum 2008-10-31 12:22|| 2008-10-31 12:22|| Front Page Top

#4 But the ones who do would understand what is expected of them.

Right now, the primary mission of armies like the Uruguayan and the Senegalese is probably to get their governments paid big UN peacekeeping bucks.

Posted by tu3031 2008-10-31 12:48|| 2008-10-31 12:48|| Front Page Top

#5 Tu is 100% spot on; leasing peacekeepers is a gigantic racket that allows for many third world countries to siphon off UN (read western) money, with the added benefit of sometimes giving some "geopolitical stature" to countries that don't deserve it, like pakistan. Downside is the soldiers often are left standing out in the water (the money paid to the gvt is not used to fund them sufficiently for them to be useful or even self-sufficient), AND, since the armies are third world armies, this brings along many "unpleasant" characteristics, like the sexual exploitation of the very peopel they're supposed to protect, or brutality and/or corruption.
I wouldn't even be so hard on the Mighty Uruguyans, I doubt they're the worse of the lot, and regarding the fighting, it's not clear 1) they have the means to fight effectively, and 2) the motivation to fight (would you be ok to risk your life for the UN, in a foreign land you have zero link with, for population you have zero affinity with???).

Posted by anonymous5089 2008-10-31 12:56|| 2008-10-31 12:56|| Front Page Top

#6 *Cough*
*Cough*
"Rwanda"
*Cough*

Posted by bigjim-ky 2008-10-31 13:15|| 2008-10-31 13:15|| Front Page Top

#7 I think the deathtoll since 1993 in the congo-rwanda area is about 3+, maybe 4 millions dead through war, disease and famine.

Posted by anonymous5089 2008-10-31 13:20|| 2008-10-31 13:20|| Front Page Top

#8 CHINESE MIL FORUM/DRUDGE > US INTELLIGENCE CHIEF SEES NEW POTENTIAL FOR FUTURE CONFLICT [Regional-World War]. POSTER - One Poster believes there will be a drive for stronger MilPol Alliances, wid conflict/war occurring ala the CHINA + RUSSIA versus USA-EU-JAPAN-SOKOR-INDIA, over CONTROL OF SOUTH ASIA, SE ASIA, + EAST ASIA. Also believes that INDIA'S HINDUS will NOT allow local MAOISTS to ever gain power, that India will come to threaten CHINA over Himalayan Water [India's primary source], and that INDIA'S RISING AND SEEMINGLY UNCONTROLLED POPULATION GROWTHS WILL ALSO COME TO COMPETE AND THREATEN ITS REGIONAL NEIGHBORS AND CHINA AGAIN???

OTHER > SINO-INDIAN COMPETITION AND CONFLICT VEE MAOISM/MAOIST SOCIALISM WILL DETERMINE WHOM WILL DOMINATE THE FUTURE PAN-ASIAN "POLE POSITION" VEE THE US-WEST + 21st "ASIA-PACIFIC" CENTURY [Asia proper]. RUSSIA > still be locally important but in a REDUCED ROLE = ASIA-GLOBAL "ALSO-RAN"???

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-10-31 21:09|| 2008-10-31 21:09|| Front Page Top

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