My initial reaction to this important and disturbing story is that the best course of action for America and its allies is to make sure that Russia is defeated in Ukraine. While I agree that the conflict is a global one, its center of gravity right now is in Eastern Europe.
Thank you Claire for drawing attention to one of the most underreported stories in the news world right now. Clarissa Ward did an excellent report from CAR on this topic just before Oct 7th - of course since then everything has become about Gaza and the US election so it remains languishing in the in the depths of the foreign news black hole, with the occasional peep in the News In Brief sections. I wonder if, after the death of Prigozhin, people assumed that it was the end of Wagner or that its remnants would be absorbed into the Russian leadership. It seems like it's a bit of both but regardless they are wreaking havoc on communities across West Africa and doing so with an air of arrogance that they should not have if the West was paying attention. And you're right - how much more Trump can they cover??? CNN talks of nothing else during their evening line up.
Thank you for bringing on journalists who are truly doing the hard yards and not just parroting talking points on a daily basis.
That was such an important conversation. The horror, the horror, the horror of what is occurring in Africa is compounded by the complacent indifference of democratic countries. As you point out, it is not a little local difficulty with the Russian government but a global struggle with it.
Excellent and timely interview on the activities of the nefarious Wagner Group in Africa. It is appalling how little is known about this and developments in the rest of Africa.
I think the things he suggests would be a very good start. Invest in Africa and counter Russia's propaganda vigorously--I would, if I were queen of the world, fund a pan-Africa news outlet like al Jazeera. They're getting away with this because it's happening in the darkness. Look how effective al Jazeera has been at mobilizing the Arab world (usually for evil). But I'd fund the same kind of organization, using now-unemployed Western journalists and. people like Philip to train native journalists to produce a really high-quality broadcast network in every major African language. The founding charter would guarantee the independence of the journalists to report on what they believe important. It could be the scourge of corrupt regimes everywhere in Africa.
And every African I have ever spoken to--and that's a lot, it's a big continent--answers your question the same way: "We need investment." Ideally, not financed by extortionate loans.
My initial reaction to this important and disturbing story is that the best course of action for America and its allies is to make sure that Russia is defeated in Ukraine. While I agree that the conflict is a global one, its center of gravity right now is in Eastern Europe.
Thank you Claire for drawing attention to one of the most underreported stories in the news world right now. Clarissa Ward did an excellent report from CAR on this topic just before Oct 7th - of course since then everything has become about Gaza and the US election so it remains languishing in the in the depths of the foreign news black hole, with the occasional peep in the News In Brief sections. I wonder if, after the death of Prigozhin, people assumed that it was the end of Wagner or that its remnants would be absorbed into the Russian leadership. It seems like it's a bit of both but regardless they are wreaking havoc on communities across West Africa and doing so with an air of arrogance that they should not have if the West was paying attention. And you're right - how much more Trump can they cover??? CNN talks of nothing else during their evening line up.
Thank you for bringing on journalists who are truly doing the hard yards and not just parroting talking points on a daily basis.
That was such an important conversation. The horror, the horror, the horror of what is occurring in Africa is compounded by the complacent indifference of democratic countries. As you point out, it is not a little local difficulty with the Russian government but a global struggle with it.
Excellent and timely interview on the activities of the nefarious Wagner Group in Africa. It is appalling how little is known about this and developments in the rest of Africa.
Horrifying column.
This is a litany of failure.
- The west's preoccupation with political correctness precludes an effective response.
- African leaders' corruption.
- Russian lack of humanity.
But is there a way to fix?
We remember two different strategies followed by the west in African crisis: Congo and Biafra.
Both dismal failures.
And the west has limited bandwidth (also known as the attention span of a gerbil).
Where should we focus?
Arguably Ukraine is far more important to the west.
So we are left with regrets for a continuing tragedy.
I think the things he suggests would be a very good start. Invest in Africa and counter Russia's propaganda vigorously--I would, if I were queen of the world, fund a pan-Africa news outlet like al Jazeera. They're getting away with this because it's happening in the darkness. Look how effective al Jazeera has been at mobilizing the Arab world (usually for evil). But I'd fund the same kind of organization, using now-unemployed Western journalists and. people like Philip to train native journalists to produce a really high-quality broadcast network in every major African language. The founding charter would guarantee the independence of the journalists to report on what they believe important. It could be the scourge of corrupt regimes everywhere in Africa.
And every African I have ever spoken to--and that's a lot, it's a big continent--answers your question the same way: "We need investment." Ideally, not financed by extortionate loans.
Oh, and hey--remember when we removed, shall we say, 200 Russian mercenaries from Syria? More of that would help, too.