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2010-03-30 Africa Subsaharan

Ghaddafi urges Nigeria split into ethnic states

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Posted by Fred 2010-03-30 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Nigeria's 140 million population is almost equally divided between Muslims and Christians.

Okay: given that it's Ghaddafi saying this (which means by definition that it can't be a good idea), why is this actually a bad idea?

Posted by Secret Master 2010-03-30 01:27|| 2010-03-30 01:27|| Front Page Top

#2 Ever heard of stopped clocks, SM?

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2010-03-30 02:49|| 2010-03-30 02:49|| Front Page Top

#3 Why is this a bad idea?

Think of the lives lost in the partition of India and Pakistan.

Think of the instability that would result as the Muslim state(s) do what Muslim states do. Think of the problems the 'Christian' states would have. Think of the problems going back and forth.

Then consider how this might lead to partition and civil war in other parts of Africa as various separatist movements gain encouragement -- why, if Nigeria can fragment, so can (fill in the blank).

Khaddafi knows what he's doing. An unstable Africa is to his benefit.

Posted by Steve White 2010-03-30 07:48|| 2010-03-30 07:48|| Front Page Top

#4 Tribal 'city-state' concept once again eh? Worked so well in the past. For a more in depth view, forget the trip to the middle east or Africa. Simply examine Detroit, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Posted by Besoeker 2010-03-30 07:53|| 2010-03-30 07:53|| Front Page Top

#5 The way I see it most of Africa has two solutions to fix their political problems: (1) Split nations into ethnic-based nation-states the way Europe is. This is the gist of Ghaddafi's plan and it leads to stability within nations that has been unseen in Africa. (2) Increase the size of African states so that a single minority cannot easily dominate the others. This might mean a couple very large states. Democracy would be pretty iffy to keep such a nation together though, I don't think African states are really ready.

Posted by rjschwarz 2010-03-30 15:50|| 2010-03-30 15:50|| Front Page Top

#6 of course, oil resources would go to the muslim state. They are the 4,378th holiest site in Islam

Posted by Frank G 2010-03-30 18:55|| 2010-03-30 18:55|| Front Page Top

#7 Frank, if you'll check a map, you'll notice that Nigeria's oil resources are predominantly either in the Christian parts or offshore of them.

Remember that Nigeria _did_ already have a civil war where the Christian parts tried to break away... guess what side the Arab world supported at the time?

(BTW, I just checked... Qadaffi Duck's first year of rule overlapped with the last year of the Biafran War. Anyone remember what side he took at the time?)

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2010-03-30 21:46|| 2010-03-30 21:46|| Front Page Top

#8 "maps, shmaps" is what you'll hear...in Arabic, of course

Posted by Frank G 2010-03-30 22:04|| 2010-03-30 22:04|| Front Page Top

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