Article

2003-08-12 Africa: West

Donât count on regional forces, send the Marines

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Posted by Steve White 2003-08-12 12:30:52 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 We have no stake in the outcome of the civil war or the UN operation in Liberia.

If the UN was more receptive about our own national security needs last year concerning Iraq, I would say consider sending troops. But since this is a UN operation, the only goal the UN has in mind is for soldiers to become targets and subsequently corpses. If the UN can kill US troops by proxie, all the better for the UN.

Posted by badanov 2003-8-12 7:59:15 AM|| [http://www.rkka.org] 2003-8-12 7:59:15 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 If the world really wants our troops in Liberia, they can offer to deploy troops under US command in Iraq in exchange for a US deployment to Liberia. Since that's not happening, I can only conclude that all the posturing about Liberia is just another ploy to tie our troops down in yet another bottomless sinkhole.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2003-8-12 10:12:12 AM|| 2003-8-12 10:12:12 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Shoot. What part of "NO" do they NOT understand?

Posted by Ptah 2003-8-12 10:47:27 AM|| [http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2003-8-12 10:47:27 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Good buffer zones make good neighbors? Peace at any cost? Where are the Swiss? In the high mountains!

Posted by Lucky 2003-8-12 11:42:11 AM|| 2003-8-12 11:42:11 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 When I read about why we need to send troops to Liberia I get this image of the headline the NYT, the Guardian or the Beeb will print the first time a 19-year old Marine fires when he shouldn't have (in hindsight), or the first time a Marine shoots a 10-year old Liberian "soldier". What some folks seem to have in mind is an "Immaculate Intervention" in which the Marines simply explain to the bad guys that burning and eating people is considered tacky, and the bad guys then stop.

Posted by Matt 2003-8-12 11:51:46 AM|| 2003-8-12 11:51:46 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 We need to stay far, far away from this. We have no business there and they (UN / Media), won't let us fight for real. Stay away!

Posted by SPQR 2755 2003-8-12 12:16:35 PM|| 2003-8-12 12:16:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 What part of "NO" do they NOT understand?
Any of it, Ptah, that doesn't allow them some control of US Military Forces. That's Kofi's (and the UN's) goal in all of this - direct control of US forces. That's the number one reason we should stay out of this stupidity.

Number two reason is that nothing ANYBODY does is going to make a nickel's worth of difference as long as the primary commitment of 99.9999999% of Africans is to their Tribe, their Family, or their "god". There IS no link to "nation". There is no commitment to "nation". There is no understanding of why governments are created, or what they're supposed to do. Africa is even farther behind today than the native North Americans were in 1700. There were at least several "nations" among the native Americans, where there are currently none among African tribes.

Among all the other trappings of management I received as an Air Force NCO was an introduction to Abraham Mazlow's pyramid. Right now, 99% of Africans are concerned with personal survival. Until enough people can escape from the endless loop of spending every waking moment thinking about survival, there can be no successes in Africa.

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-8-12 1:03:49 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-8-12 1:03:49 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 ZF and badanov

Ive been thinking for weeks that a tradeoff like that would make a lot of sense - US marines to Liberia, in exchange for a UNSC res authorizing troops to Iraq under US or NATO or equivalent command, with no significant concession of political authority. Hasnt happened yet, but it is interesting that we're keeping the Marines offshore. I mean if we're never going to put them in under any circumstances, why not just let them go home already? and if we're going to send them in without quid pro quo, why not just send them now, now that Chuckles is gone? And Germany the other day said they WOULD be willing to send troops to Iraq under NATO command, as long as there was a UN mandate. And there is talk that some UNSC res, recognizing the interim governing council, could go through any day.

Posted by liberalhawk 2003-8-12 2:13:46 PM|| 2003-8-12 2:13:46 PM|| Front Page Top

14:07 David A. Garrett, Jr.
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23:13 David A. Garrett, Jr.
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