"US completes retreat from Niger, abandons modern airbase" Topic

the US has completed its retreat from Niger. This ends a decades-long relationship with Niger, and cedes a $110,000,000 USD modern airbase to Niger.

Niger has cemented ties with Russia and invited both Russian and Chinese presence to the former American airbase.

the US has also lost influence in Burkina Faso, Mali and other states in the region. Both of those states have also signed onto China's Belt & Road project.

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Why were we nosing around there in the first place? My reaction is "So, what?"
That's France's "former" colony. Let France deal with it. That's a problem of their creation.
Bailing France out of Indochina worked out so well for us, didn't it?

And I am NO fan of Biden. At all. But I'm not going to waste any sleep over the shenanigans of countries that only exist in my stamp album.
And if France doesn't want to deal with it, it is apparently now China's problem. I fail to see why I should worry about China in the middle of sub-Saharan Africa.

The feces piles higher. Why did we not "degrade" the base before leaving? Surely our combat engineers could use some practice in demolitions.

Probably did not degrade the base to ensure that they could leave safely!

African countries sick of the west trying to impose uman rights and gender equality as part of training programs, nothing more amusing than delivering a United Nations brief to a sea of uninterested faces!

Tally Ho!

Seems par for the course. The Forces of evil Russia, China, Iran, North Korea seem to be on the rise and making big moves to control large areas of the world. Dangerous times are coming.

Well *I* thought it was funny

I spent a few years as an exercise planner at USAFRICOM, traveled to a lot of places, and engaged with about three dozen different African militaries. Honestly, I don't think we're missing much. Playing whack-a-mole hasn't proven to be particularly effective. Niger is a sovereign nation and can choose with whom to ally with. The Nigeriens are going to be the ones with jihadis running amok in their backyard. Given Vagner's performance in Mali, I suspect the Nigeriens (and other African countries) are going to be very disappointed with their new Chinese and Russian friends.

pjm

Well, point taken mcrock, but to Shagnasty's point – why didn't we strip that airbase down to the last piece of wire before we left???

I expect the loss of Niger to coup by a pro-Russian, pro- autocrat military dictatorship is not a disaster. Wagner is welcome to lose blood and treasure nailing jello to the wall trying to control what is essentially a semi-religious semi-tribal civil war.

The jihadis are equal opportunity terrorists.
Not our circus, not our …. Oh, my goodness. I nearly said a slur! 😱. Not our problem.

And it won't be the last coup there either. We didn't try to introduce anything shocking, like educating girls, did we?

Maybe the US GENs think with new leadership at the top, they will be back. Regardless, the PRC/CCP and Russians are better at this game than the US is … One is playing GO, another is playing Chess, and the last is playing Checkers … 'nuff said…

As mckrok says, Niger is a sovereign nation. But I expect they will come to regret their decision.

What is Ahnald most famous for saying?

It reminded me of Syria. The Russians came and the massive civil war ended.

To quote Tacitus, "Ubi solitudinem faciunt pacem appellant"
Or, "They made a desert and called it Peace."

"It reminded me of Syria. The Russians came and the massive civil war ended."

I can't tell if that's sarcasm or what.

The honest truth. Active hostilities have ceased. ISIS no longer attacks cities and does not exist as a state.

You always amuse me.

"ISIS no longer attacks cities and does not exist as a state" Due massively to Western targeting of ISIS. The civil war still boils over, ISIS were not actually part of the civil war just a product of it.

The reason many African states like Wagner is that they have the same disregard of human life,

Tally Ho!

So many people think that Africa is being systematically exploited by foreign powers, vying with one another for influence and hegemony. In truth, it seems that the Africans themselves, vying factionally and ethnically, are exploiting the foreign powers for aide and support in their domestic rivalries.

We think they're playing our game, when, in truth, they've got us playing theirs.

Check out:

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and

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France hasn't wised up yet.

Russia is bleeding to death from a thousand self-inflicted cuts.

China is determined to make each and every mistake the Colonial powers made. They're about 5 years from total planetary irrelevance.

And America is simply replaying its Afghan errors in a new place. Like we even need to. We're about to embark on a high wide plateau of not really needing to bother with anyone we don't really want to.

Pity the Africans when everybody disengages. I'm sure there will be a "We are the world" anti famine concert. Maybe this time we won't send troops to be factional targets again.

Nigeria is the eighth largest oil country in the world, and also one of the largest suppliers of liquefied gas. As always, the war is waged for money – for the opportunity to exploit the country's resources. The only question is who will receive profits from this process.

nickinsomerset, what is going on is a mouse fuss compared to what happened there before.
ISIS is a product of the Western coalition's invasion of Iraq. The basis of the state and military apparatus of ISIS was made up of former officials and officers of Saddam, who were simply left with no other choice. It was they who were able to give this creation of Al-Qaeda (also created by the West) the ability to exist as a pseudo-state.

"Wagner" is simply honestly fulfilling the contract it signed. This is enough for it to be loved)))

The US, Russia, and even China far exceed Nigeria in oil and gas production. It has value, but not so much relative to the cost of being there under the current conditions as various factions routinely fight each other for control in what amounts to brutal criminal gang warfare.

The airfield under discussion is in Niger. Not Nigeria.

"Africa always wins"

ISIS is a product of the Western coalition's invasion of Iraq. The basis of the state and military apparatus of ISIS was made up of former officials and officers of Saddam, who were simply left with no other choice. It was they who were able to give this creation of Al-Qaeda (also created by the West) the ability to exist as a pseudo-state.

Are these assertions or facts? If the latter, can we have references please?

DBDD

I would often remind my co-workers these African leaders have real political skills. Some of them can't read, but it takes a lot of skill and savvy to stay on top of a multi-ethnic, polyglot country for decades.

pjm

Nigeria is the eighth largest oil country in the world, and also one of the largest suppliers of liquefied gas.

That's nice but totally irrelevant to the discussion. Niger, not Nigeria, is the country in question.

Niger is about 10% of the population of Nigeria and has a poverty rate over 50% while sitting on the Sahel, the arid region just south of Libya and has a very robust insurgency both Islamic and Tribal. While is does contain uranium reserves of some substance, at $75 USD per pound +/-, it is not necessarily in the realm of rare earths.

Wagner is not the Russian Federation and unlike Syria, I doubt we will see significant air or naval assets (or even comedy assets like the Kuznetzov) given the attrition in Ukraine. I expect Wagner to try their standard brutality but unlike the DRC, the rebels are fairly well equipped and Wagner should do every bit as well as when they tried to take Moscow.

ISIS was pretty much a product of the disbandment of the Saddam lead Iraqi Army. All their senior leadership were former members of the Iraqi army.

Al-Qaeda however is essentially a product of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden got his start with the Mujahedeen fighting the Russians and while he certainly used US Stingers on Hinds and Hips, it was the Russian occupation that gave birth to Al-Qaeda

As I have said before, the GWoT continues. Until some radical militant followers of islam move into the 20th century, let alone the 21st…

Tortorella, the more resources you control, the more you can influence the markets.

Darrell B D Day, this is a well-known fact:
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McKinstry, in fact, Al-Qaeda was created practically after the USSR left Afghanistan. Flirting with jihadists always ends badly.

The Russians radicalized Osama Bin Laden who founded Al-Quaeda. It was constituted after the Russian withdrawal but by individuals radicalized by Russian action.

Flirting with autocracy whether cloaked in theocratic dogma or nationalist delusion always ends badly but rarely before many innocents suffer.

Cuprum, Nigeria is still not the same country as Niger

Caprum and everyone else. No one starts radical Islam. It started in the 600's and has NEVER ceased. They attack and kill in the name of Allah and Jihad, men, women, children….everywhere. 9/11, 10/7, the Music Hall in Russia, street attacks in France, Germany, UK, attacks in Africa, Israel, Ships in the Suez and on and on down to the foiled attack on the Taylor Swift concert in Austria yesterday.

They are the enemies of all of us! They are like rats in a sewer. They are the one group we should all work together to alleviate.

Subject: Islamic State group material found at suspect's home in foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift shows | AP News


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Well now they crossed a line ! Planning to attack Taylor Swift concerts !

Again, the GWoT will continue …

It's quite funny to hear that the Russians radicalized Bin Laden. I would say that he doesn't care which "infidels" to kill – Russians or Americans))) That time it was more convenient to kill Russians.

Dagwood, I was mistaken. Well, that means instead of oil and gas – uranium. No less valuable resource.

35thOVI, without a doubt.

US SOFT INTERVENTION IN ONE OF THE WORLD'S HARDEST CONFLICTS

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Armand