Is North Africa A World Wide Problem?

[pdq1]

David Cameron seems to think so, However Obama is reluctant to get his hands burnt and is trying to extricate himself from Aghanistan rather quickly.

So what other person than Obama is fit to lead the conquest?

[emmie]

we shouldn't get involved, not ever. The more we interfere the more troops will be sent to these places, more British lives lost for no reason. If they have a problem, let them sort it out. Obama won't want more blood on his hands.

[emmie]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1208934-2.html#answer-7665688

[237SJ]

Anywhere that fosters islamic terrorism is a world wide problem.

[emmie]

and what would the solution to that world wide problem, get involved every time, how would that happen, send troops to Mali, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and right across the board, it may be a world wide problem but we nor the USA should be the worlds policeman, you have already seen the devastating results of our meddling, or being embroiled in conflicts which have absolutely nothing to do with us, and are certainly not winnable.

[anotheoldgit]

pgq1

/// However Obama is reluctant to get his hands burnt ///

That is not quite correct

/// President Barack Obama said Saturday that the US is willing to provide any assistance Algeria needs after the deadly terrorist attack that left 23 hostages dead. ///

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/13846075-obama-says-hes-willing-to-extend-help-to-algerian-officials-in-the-aftermath-of-the-attacks

[ichkeria]

Read Tim Montgomerie in today's Times, if you can, for a thought-provoking piece on Obama and (non-)intervention.
The problems in North Africa are not new of course.
Also, while one doesn't want to encourage the apparent gun-toting of the Bush era, the idea that we can close our eyes to conflicts further afield is dangerously short-sighted.

[emmie]

everytime we open our eyes in situations like this, someone deigns to put a bullet through them, let's not get involved, otherwise it's more British soldiers coming home in coffins, and who wants to see that. Or more home grown terrorists for that matter.

[pdq1]

Maybe proving proxy help is the way forward. We did it in Libya where we provided the air power and also the use of special forces on the ground to train the dissidents but no boots on the ground. A similar offer was made to Algeria but they declined to handle it themselves.

However many African states do not have the necessary defence capabilities to overcome Islamic militants and I'm sure Cameron was referring to these. They are very vulnerable and if the French hadn't gone to the aid of Mali it would have been overthrown. African forces cannot handle the situations.
Trying to keep North Africa free of militant Islamism and an almost impossible job.

[emmie]

is Libya a better, safer place for any assistance that may have been given, no is the answer.

[sandyRoe]

We really need local strongmen to keep the lid on things. Gaddafi in Libya, and Mubarak in Egypt, served The State Department well in the past.

[emmie]

Gaddafi was a murdering bstard, as to Mubarak probably not much better, though some might suggest better the devil you know. there is no answer for us, they supplant one dictator in the hope that their lives will be improved only to find they have supplanted one for another, and that in fact their lives have got infinitely worse. Egypt is a case in point.

[pdq1]

How many radical Muslims in the world? The answer may make your teeth drop out. According to this report:

/// 36.6 percent of 1.2 billion Muslims, or 439 million radical Muslims in the world///

[emmie]

doesn't surprise me one bit, look at the ones we appear to have fostered in Britain.

[pdq1]

I agree with you Em about Libya. We have replaced a strong dictator with a hotch potch of stooges.

[emmie]

sadly some politicians don't know when to shut up, they embroil Britain in tribal wars across the globe, that won't be good for anyone in the long run.
I can understand humanitarian aid, but why oh why do they say that they need our help, when all that happens when we do give it, they turn around and bite it off.

[ichkeria]

'We' didn't replace Gaddafi. We helped but he'd have gone eventually anyway to be replaced by heaven knows who/what

[emmie]

not before he killed a lot more people.. ^^

[ichkeria]

...which is why we helped added to the fact that it was possible. The point is that these changes - be they regime changes or general upheaval - are happening independently of us.

[emmie]

but the next dictator does the same, so you supplant one for same, we shouldn't interfere.