by Oui
Mon Jun 6th, 2022 at 01:02:28 PM EST
Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta
h/t post @MofA
In the face of the onslaught of pro-Ukraine propaganda which has captured the public opinion almost 100% there is very little room for the government to maneuver. Sánchez is no doubt under extreme pressure from both the US and EU to toe the line. He needs to continue to make nice with the neo-liberal EU to keep the money coming in and economic activity going (Spain is doing better than most of the EU), and he needs to make nice with the US. His new foreign minister, the Jesuit José Manuel Albares, whose wheeling and dealing with Morocco has resulted in several very unpopular changes in policy, sems to be carrying water for the US interests in Africa. On top of all that, as has been mentioned, Pedro Sánchez was educated as an economist in the US. One of the principal tenants of that type of education is that foreign (mostly US of course) investment is essential for economic growth. He really is a neo-liberal at heart. Finally, as to whether the country, or the government, is Fascist, I insist that labels such as that are useless and only confuse the issue. In my mind, that label fits nicely on the US. Maybe on Russia too. Depends on how you define it. Spain seems to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the US, as the rest of occupied Europe.
Defeat and Withdrawal of French Forces Mali
NATO must not neglect southern flank: Spanish FM | Arab News - Jan 31, 2022 |
Spain's foreign minister has urged NATO not to neglect the threat posed by its southern flank amid an escalating crisis with Russia.
Speaking ahead of a Madrid summit intended to modernize the alliance's strategy, José Manuel Albares said NATO should look south as well as east at potential security threats.
Spain depends heavily on gas-rich Algeria for energy, and on Morocco to control immigration into Spain and Europe.
Violence has also been escalating further south in the Sahel region of West Africa, displacing thousands.
"The Mediterranean, the Maghreb, the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa are vital for NATO and for Europe," Albares told the Financial Times.
"We talk about a NATO 360-degree approach (to respond to threats) but, without content, this will be just a slogan ... NATO needs to think about what its role is going to be."
NATO's fundamental tasks and security challenges have not been updated since 2010, but June's summit in Spain will see member states address modern challenges.
Get rid of some more authoritarian rulers and you will see violence and chaos explode in the far outskirts of the battle zone. Spain just worried about self-interest and solidarity with military partners. More of the same.
Prelude ... setting the stage by assassination:
Polisario leader's lawyer to ask Spanish court to drop war crimes case | France24 - June 1, 2021 |
The Polisario Front leader has been treated in a hospital in Logrono, in northern Spain, after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
The move, which the Spanish government says was a humanitarian gesture, has angered Morocco and led Rabat to relax border controls which allowed thousands of migrants to enter Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta.
Ghali's Algeria-backed Polisario Front is fighting for the independence of Western Sahara, which was a Spanish colony until the mid-1970s and is since considered by Morocco as part of its own territory.
Polisario terrorist and leader of ISGS. Walid al-Sahrawi killed by French Forces | Africa Post - Sept 16, 2018 |
Is it a fact he can be considered a member of Polisario?
The Death of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara's Leader: An Opportunity for Dialogue? | International Crisis Group |
The End of Operation Barkhane and the Future of Counterterrorism in Mali | International Crisis Group - March 2, 2022 |
On February 17, France--alongside several EU states and Canada--announced its withdrawal of troops and military resources from Mali. This development will primarily affect Operation Barkhane, a French-led counterinsurgency operation (and the largest external counterterrorism force) in the Sahel, as well as the complementary Takuba Task Force, a grouping of European special forces units that support local counterterrorism efforts.
Currently, approximately 2,400 of France's 4,300 troops deployed in the Sahel are stationed in Mali. French president Emmanuel Macron has said its withdrawal will take anywhere from four to six months, with Mali's military junta demanding that France leave immediately. Questions remain around the impact on other international missions in which France has played a key role, including the United Nations' Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
From the diaries ...
UNSC: Resolution 2602 Adopted by the Security Council at its 8890th meeting, on 29 October 2021
Paying tribute to Horst Köhler, former Personal Envoy of the Secretary -General for Western Sahara, and commending his efforts in holding the round -table process, which created momentum in the political process,
Welcoming the appointment of Staffan de Mistura as the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara and urging the constructive resumption of the political process, building on the progress of the former Personal Envoy,
Welcoming the momentum created by the first round-table meeting on 5−6 December 2018 and the second round-table meeting on 21-22 March 2019, and the engagement by Morocco, the Frente POLISARIO, Algeria, and Mauritania in the
UN political process on Western Sahara in a serious and respectful manner in order to identify elements of convergence,
Encouraging the resumption of consultations between the Personal Envoy and Morocco, the Frente POLISARIO, Algeria and Mauritania in this regard to build on the progress achieved,
Reaffirming its commitment to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara in the context of arrangements consistent with the principles and purposes of the Charter of the United Nations, and noting the role and responsibilities of the parties in this respect.
The Struggle of Indigenous People from Colonization to Independence
Mali Crisis: A Historical Perspective of the Azawad Movement | Geopolitical Monitor - Feb. 2018 |
The current crisis in Mali is quite a complicated affair, comprising of a mixture of persistent and fundamental grievances from diverse ethnic groups. Additionally, it now involves the vital interest of global superpowers. France is deploying special military forces in the country under the pretext of protecting civilians from various extremist groups - risking the `Afghanistization' of Mali.
Over the years, the Sahara has seen several ethnic movements against colonization, and industrialization, which have been mercilessly suppressed and uprooted by the superpowers. The Azawad movement by the indigenous Tuareg communities in Mali is one such example.
The Tuareg people have been living in the harsh conditions of the Sahara for millennia. There are about two million Tuareg living in Mali, Niger, Libya, Algeria, and Chad. But the largest population of Tuareg is found in Mali, with an estimated 950,000 people.
Tuareg men wear indigo veils, which gave rise to the popular characterization "Blue Men of the Sahara." But it is not their beautiful attire which is attracting attention from the world's superpowers. The Tuareg homeland has the largest energy deposits in Africa. Their dream of an independent state, separation from Mali, and the right to govern their own land, which they called "Azawad," threatens five neighboring states and has the potential to trigger the biggest war that Sahara has seen in a century.
From the diaries ...
Tuareg Declare Independent State in Mali (Gaddafi Mercenaries) | April 6, 2012 |
Independence Day: Congratulations Islamic State Azawad | May 27, 2012 |
As I wrote recently about the dangers of Al Qaeda groups getting a foothold on the African continent, behold the first independent state has been created based on Sharia law with an Al Qaeda militant group.
Al-Qaeda Jihadists In Northern Mali | June 7, 2012 |
In reference to BooMan's front page story - Declare the War on Terror Over, I wrote my reply in a diary - Dream On Guys. It wasn't shocking to me as I've been reading about the African situation throughout the last decade.
North Africa, Sahel and Maghreb - Chaos after Western (Military) Intervention | June 27, 2015 |
Timeline From Gaddafi to Wagner Coup In Mali
When regime change leads to unexpected consequences: invoking the R2P principle in Libya and Syria.
