Coup in Niger
- Thread starter VorZakone
- Start date
The sight of the crowd praising Wagner and Russia after the coup is nauseating. Wait until murders, rape and disappearances become common practice as in Central African Republic.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
In isolation, nothing. Coups have recently happened across the Sahel, with no response from ECOWAS/AU/The West.
The US has a drone base in Agadez so this changes everything. Think there's international pressure on ECOWAS to resolve this. Not sure if they collectively have the military means to do so.
Also, Russia flags are more an anti-West/anti-France reaction than any love for Putin/Russia.
The West only care about the ideology and appearance of democracy than it actually working for the people.
If you’ve ever lived in an endemically corrupt democratic state, you would understand what I mean.
There is a reason why Nigeriens are on the streets, not protesting but looking for politicians to beat up.
If you’ve ever lived in an endemically corrupt democratic state, you would understand what I mean.
There is a reason why Nigeriens are on the streets, not protesting but looking for politicians to beat up.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Agreed. Here's a good article on the inconsistencies in pushing democracy. Some will call it whataboutism, but we move.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/us/politics/biden-democracy-autocracy.html
Good dictators (on our side) and bad dictators (not on our side).
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Foreign involvement in these affairs rarely have a good outcome. France and any other western nation should definitely stay out.
The other West African governments should stay out as well.
The Nigerian president/ECOWAS head, Tinubu got into power a few months ago after rigged elections. Where is his legitimacy?
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
On the surface yes, but the danger is big that China and Russia will move in. Their goal is to take over the whole continent and control all natural resources. If that happens sometime in the future, it would be devestating to western economy.
What I don't understand is, where are the blue helmets? Isn't the UN keeping their army for that exact purpose? To keep the peace and stability against warlords and military coups?
Last time I heard of the blue helmets, they sucked balls in South Sudan (with PLA soldiers in that contingent). They are plain useless and have been ever since the 1990s.
Last edited:
NIger has one of the worlds largest deposits of uranium ( a big chunk of which ends up in France), and yet the vast majority of its people live in dire poverty. So much for western support.
Africa already belongs to China.
Change the material and the name of the country and that probably applies to most african countries.
Indeed. As painful as it sounds, total ineptitude and corruption is rife across African governments.
All that Niger did was throwing an overlord out to start whoring to a new overlord.
Their “one of the world largest deposits” is large but nothing special - Niger produces less than 5% of the total uranium ore output, 10 times less than Kazakhstan and significantly less than few other countries that will happily jump in and deal with France. I’m not sure how the “western support” is related to majority of people living in dire poverty, but I’m happy for the locals that they now have a government that will improve their quality of life, long may them enjoy junta at the helm. I also hope the locals will now chose to try to migrate to Russia and China rather than Europe that disappointed them.
vile and insensitive but not surprising coming from you
Well, lets not forget total complicity from western democracies, who support and happily deal with most of these guys.
The anti-west sentiment goes that the West is diplomatically/politically inept and unable to collaborate with African governments, hence many claiming Africa is fully controlled by China/Russia, while at the same time the same West is “totally complicit” and happily supporting most of the warlords. A bit contradictory, but funny
I don't see any contradiction, both sides are there to steal resources and they both do it successfully. Both are complicit, but I'm western so I'm a little bit more concerned about what my side does.
What’s contradictory is the absurd position often taken by self-loathing westerners clutching at straws to show their “independent thinking” that claims the West is too present and too absent at the same time, yet always the source of all the problems.
I read a report that I can no longer find that stated that $40 Billion of Uranium leaves Niger every year.
Yet Niger has a GDP of just $9 Billion.
That is why the people there hate france, and any solution that brings them back will be a disaster.
The only question is whether anyone will ever be in control who will do something about it, and that is unlikely.
Yet Niger has a GDP of just $9 Billion.
That is why the people there hate france, and any solution that brings them back will be a disaster.
The only question is whether anyone will ever be in control who will do something about it, and that is unlikely.
Self-loathing... independent thinking... I'm beginning to think you're the one trying to use straw to build something...
Anyway, the west is too present when it comes to drain the natural resources of african nations with little to no benefit for the local populations and also too absent when it comes to promote democracy and education by using their diplomatic power to deal with dictators. A little less resource stealing and little more presence in promoting democracy and education would be nice.
I'll give the example of my own country, who loves to promote investment in resource companies in angola, we loved for many years to treat the children of the dictator like royalty because they led big companies in the oil and diamond areas. At the same time when angolan journalists and activists complain of abuse by the angolan government our politicians don't say a word and are even happy to see angolan kleptocrats "invest" in portuguese media who then suddenly becomes much less critic and informative. So yeah, Portugal is too present on negative aspects of angola, and strangely silent on important issues.
See how two things can be true at the same time?
And of course I didn't claim the west is the source of all problems, but I guess that's the straw thing you were talking about. A strawman, lets call it.
Its Frances fault that people publish bullshit reports? Well, I suppose that is how propaganda works.
In 2022, Niger produced 2000 metric ton of uranium in total, that's about $250mil at today's prices.
So obvious.
Have you seen that the current president of Burkina Faso is a mere captain?
Between that and the little Austrian corporal, I can't tell which situation is more embarrassing for seasoned officers in charge of leading the military.Why's that?
Interesting.
Self loathing westerners who dont like the idea of countries being exploited / looted by countries who then push the democracy narrative whilst happily engaging / supporting dictatorships elsewhere on the same continent.
40 billion USD is such an inflated figure that I’m not surprised you struggle to find the report, but if people believe such stuff it explains the narrative.
Well, few things:
1. Fair enough that you didn’t say yourself it’s all wests fault, but even in this thread you can see the sentiment is visible and supported by dodgy and unreliable data.
2. “Promoting democracy” outside of your own borders comes across as rather paternalistic in my eyes and if you look at the last decades I am not sure if West was really successful in trying to shove their own values down the throats of other nations and cultures. I’ve worked in the international cooperation field with the EU and dealt a lot with education, promoting sustainability, women empowerment in non-EU countries and I firmly believe in importance of such projects, but you can only do as much as the local government allows you and the people want to. It’s a big mistake and something seen very badly by the locals be in Africa or Asia if you act as if you knew better than them and when you try to change their values. You are aware that many kleptocracies and dictatorships actually choose not to cooperate with Europe because it’s not accepting the rampant corruption/abuse? And you’ll have people saying that our high moral ground pushes those into hands of states that don’t give a single shit about human rights.
3. “Draining and stealing resources” doesn’t happen exclusively under West-supported regimes and in fact is much less prevalent in countries closely cooperating with the EU compared to those where resources are controlled by Wagner or Chinese. It’s not like the choice for Angolan people is a rotten deal with Europe or a completely fair one with Russians or so. But again, if they feel like they’ll make a better business with Moscow or Beijing, they should be allowed to do it and fully bear the consequences, just don’t ask West to bail you out in a couple of years.
As they wave the Russian flags and express their hate for France, EU and the West, I’d rather spare them future disappointments. If they wish to have nothing to do with Europe it’s completely fine and I hope this wish comes true and that searching for the new life and new opportunities they enjoy all that Omsk and Xi’an has to offer for them.
That's not even 3% of the GDP if those numbers stand.
That’s why I wish that certain countries that are now being exploited / looted (to a larger extent than before, but who would care about hard numbers) by countries who don’t push the democracy narrative, don’t invest a single penny in education and civil society whilst still happily engaging / supporting dictatorships elsewhere absolutely thrive and reap the benefits of their decisions.
1. People here are saying it's all the west's fault? All of it?
2. I don't think promoting democracy is paternalistic at all, especially when many of these countries hide behind fake democracies, and I don't know why you're using expressions such as shoving values down people's throats. I see nothing wrong with promoting freedom of speech, free media, democracy. etc. I believe these values are superior to their opposites (please notice I'm not talking about general values or traditions) so if we can we should promote them.
"You are aware that many kleptocracies and dictatorships actually choose not to cooperate with Europe because it’s not accepting the rampant corruption/abuse?"
What do you mean by this?
3. I didn't say it did, as I explained before I don't expect anything from dictatorships like Russia or China, I expect it from my country and my side and I will criticize them when they behave in a way I consider immoral. So you explaining to me that the bad guys do it too is poor justification.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Just one big strawman.
The 40% of the country that live below the poverty line. At least they can speak Esperanto. Ungrateful gits.
Military coup in Niger, more African Putin friends declare a united military front, ZA politics (also friends of Putin) gather in a big stadium and chant "kill the white farmer". And everything during or shortly after Putin's Africa summit.
This is surely a coincidence and not a Russian plan to destabilize Africa further and hurt Europe in economy and new refugee waves.
This is surely a coincidence and not a Russian plan to destabilize Africa further and hurt Europe in economy and new refugee waves.
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date