So THAT's why we are suddenly focused on Africa.

[dixiegrrrrl]

large map of Africe ( from Zero Hedge) showing
"Chinese INvestment offers in Africa since 2012.
Link here:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-01-28/here-come-drones-or-true-reason-mali-incursion

[IMG][/IMG]

[Electric Monk]

1. Yep, it's about exploiting natural resources, of course.

Same as it ever was...

[stuntcat]

9. of course

+1

[Flashmann]

11. Yep, it's about exploiting natural resources

Was there ever any real doubt??....

[RandiFan1290]

2. They had to get that pesky Gaddafi out of the way first

The propaganda posted at DU during his purge was obvious.

[fishiefish]

3. A continent for the taking

[Democracyinkind]

5. A continent taken?

I see an empire in decline, freshly kicked out of Eurasia arriving last on the one continent not yet fully garbled up by the great game... No wonder they're looking at their counterparts in Eurasia for answers against this madness.

My 2 cents, inspired by but not directly in reply of your post.

[Arctic Dave]

4. Africom was set up for the sole purpose of strong arming

China from getting too much influence in the region.

I posted from the day Africom was formed we would be engaged militarily within a year.

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. We were in agreement back then, indeed.

Now the US is "helping" Mali, and is the IMF.
By co-incidence, Mali has a lot of gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium, gypsum, granite, hydropower
note: bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited
http://www.indexmundi.com/mali/natural_resources.html

[Silentnomore]

6. How much humanitarian aid ...

has China sent ?

[Chathamization]

7. I doubt

that the competition we will have there with China will come anywhere near the competition we had with the Soviets there.

[a kennedy]

8. I'm telling you, the Chinese WILL take over the world.....

and it's sooner then later.