Africa is the next "gold mine" of natural resources left on the planet (well...ignoring the two poles) and the US and China are locked in a race to the riches.
So what happens when our side appears to be getting run out of town? Check this out from Marine Times.
By Lolita C. Baldor - The Associated PressI find this interesting on two levels.
Posted : Thursday Dec 27, 2012 21:03:27 EST
WASHINGTON — The State Department is closing its embassy in the Central African Republic and ordering its diplomatic team to leave as rebels there continue to advance and violence escalates.
U.S. officials said the U.S. ambassador and about 40 others, including a number of Americans, were flown out of Bangui (bahn-GEE’) on a U.S. Air Force C-40 headed to Kenya. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were unauthorized to discuss the evacuation publicly.
Rebels have seized at least 10 towns across the sparsely populated north of the impoverished country, and residents in the capital of 600,000 people fear insurgents could attack at any time.
On Sunday, the State Department issued a warning recommending against travel to the country and authorized non-emergency personnel in Bangui to leave.
The first that the fear of another Libya has become so great that even in an Embassy, it is thought better to evacuate rather than reinforce it.
The second thought is this. I haven't heard of our allies or the Chinese evacuating. I usually frown on face saving but if we're leaving and they're staying then something is out of whack.
Africa will be the future Middle East (meaning an intractable problem) unless we get a better handle on things.
UPDATE:
Naval Recognition tells me that while we "leave" or "run" or "evacuate" or however you want to call it, the FRENCH are reinforcing! Amazing. The French stand tall and we go away? I'm almost ashamed.
Read about it here and here.