Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - With Niger and the people of Niger it’s a matter of “I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours.” (Bob Dylan

Hi cornelius

I few random thoughts.

I turned 80 last month. Ever since my earliest days i learned about american imperial adventures, especially in the vietnam years. I doubt chomsky would have said much i wouldn't have agreed with.

But i particularly like hannah arendt, whose book became the bible for our generation, The Origins of Totalitarianism.

I was able to oppose american imperialism by demonstrating at home; but i learned about stalist and nazi totalitarianism via arendt's history of it.

For me opposing imperialism and autocracy is relatively comparable. It is all of our business to do so. I am perfectly happy for you to critique u.s. or french policies, and see no contradiction in my doing so as well, while also seeing in the wagner theugliest side of contemporary neocolonialism.

It is hypocritical to point to the french and ignore the russians, or to say it is the malians' business.

I don't subscribe to the rightwing ultranationalism of American First or its equivalent in sweden or france or the u.k., or in africa.

I believe it is our obligation to speak up, not simply about what occurs at home.

A model for that might be soyinka. Or many others. If chomsky will speak up about ukraine, why shouldn't i speak up about mali or niger, places i care about a good deal?

And it is equally true we should be willing to hear voices that disagree with us. Some have closed their ears, some not. And maybe to do so is always a question of it being a work in progress.

Ken

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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Cornelius Hamelberg <corneliushamelberg@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 6, 2023 1:55:48 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - With Niger and the people of Niger it's a matter of "I'll let you be in my dreams if I can be in yours." (Bob Dylan

 

The way things are going with the new wind of change blowing over Africa the most recent milestone was passed on that first day of rage when Mali abolished French as the official language. Make no mistake about it, we are rapidly approaching the great day, we are getting closer and closer to The Qiyamah… 

Begging the question ( "to keep out nigeria and senegal, ecowas" etc)

" If this is the people's coup, do they need wagner to keep out nigeria and senegal, ecowas? Is wagner the voice of anything, but russian predators?" 

That was our US-American Don Harrow, not enquiring about the predatory Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Bush, Obama, Sleepy Joe Biden and Don Corleone, as Chomsky makes clear on page one of this book, Uncle Sam looting and plundering everywhere he can, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, looting and plundering all over the planet and on the high seas, no, Don Harrow is only wondering about Don Prigozhin and the Wagner Group's benevolent, anti-imperialist intentions in  Niger, which is a part of Mother Africa.

As my radical Pan-African Bro from Ghana would remonstrate with Don Harrow, 

"Stop being so paternalistic! Do you want to decide for them? Do you want to decide over them?  What business is it of yours? Is it your business who the Nigeriens choose to play ball with? As free human beings, are they not free to partner with Russia and China, as they deem fit? " 

In my own humble opinion, the Niger Military and the people of Niger are free to make a pact with whomsoever they deem fit, be it the Wagner Group, the Kremlin, or even The Great Satan.

As Imam Khomeini put it, and in his own mind he was not exaggerating when he said, back then,

" America is worse than Britain, Britain is worse than America and the Soviet Union is worse than both of them. Each one is worse than the other, each one is more abominable than the other. But today we are concerned with this malicious entity which is America. Let the American President know that in the eyes of the Iranian nation, he is the most repulsive member of the human race today because of the injustice he has imposed on our Muslim nation. Today, the Qur'an has become his enemy, the Iranian nation has become his enemy. Let the American government know that its name has been ruined and disgraced in Iran."

Today, Sabella has more or less said it all.

Perchance, is there anything that His Excellency Professeur Kenneth Harrow, Ambassadeur Linguistique et Culturel Extraordinaire et Plénipotentiaire, Cher Meilleur Ami de la France, la France's Honorary Chargé d'Affaires and Chief Postcolonial Advocate here would like to add, or forever hold his peace?

The good news of the moment: Sweden to the quarter-finals ( beat USA in the penalties shootout @ women's world cup football - tomorrow the battle is between the Lionesses (England) and the Super Falcons (Nigeria), a real pöst-colonial showdown…

 

In the meantime, Glory be to Nigeria's Senate : 

The Nigerian Senate rejects the idea of military involvement in the neighbouring Republic of  Niger

Perhaps, it should also be glory be to Nigeria's democratically elected  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who following democratic due process, probably forwarded the idea of Nigerian troop deployment to the Senate for approval, knowing full well that it would be rejected. 

Re - Some of what else has been said here :

" But can the French be removed without the use of force? " ( That was Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju asking an innocent question. 

The answer to that one is the same answer that Palestinians have to reflect on, UN Resolution 242 notwithstanding, that when all diplomacy fails, territory conquered by force is usually not easily relinquished and can mostly only be regained by overwhelming force. 

Meanwhile, as the expiry of the ECOWAS deadline of midnight, Sunday, 6th of August ( Hiroshima Day and my 54th wedding anniversary) there are these unhelpful signals coming out of La France : 

France ready to help ECOWAS dislodge the coupists in Niger

If that goes ahead ( without Nigerian involvement) it's going to be a toxic mixture indeed (to Biden & Macron doing their aggressive best for the West, add Islamic State, Daesh, al-Qaeda and fearful Jihadists from all over, there to show their mettle. 

Working towards a  more peaceful outcome, within the next few hours, at an emergency meeting of Niger's Sovereign Military Council with ECOWAS,  African Union and United Nations representatives, they should release a joint communique to Macron, reminding him of what, once upon a time Robert Mugabe said toTony B-liar :" Blair you keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe", telling him in no uncertain terms that Niger is not a part of France or Sovereign French territory, and that France is not a part of Niger or Nigeria ( or any of the neighbouring nations in Africa for that matter ) and requesting that in the name of Liberté, égalité, fraternité he Monsieur Macron dismantles his military base and moves all the French soldiers, ammunition depots, drones and other equipment stationed in  Sovereign Niger territory, peacefully….or else: chaos and on top of that both Sleepy Joe Biden and he are going to lose the next presidential election….

Round Midnight

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