Religion
Related: About this forumThe Kidnapping of Nigerian Girls, A Primer
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/gordonhaber/7859/the_kidnapping_of_nigerian_girls__a_primer/May 8, 2014 9:44am
Post by GORDON HABER AND PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON
Nigeria is arguably the most important country in Africa. With 175 million people, its certainly the most populous. And Nigeria has the biggest GDP on the continent, largely due to its oil reserves.
In terms of religion, the northern half of the country is mostly Muslim, the southern half mostly Christian (with many Nigerians following traditional beliefs).
Relations between Muslims and Christians have largely been cordial with occasional tensions arising from the sharing of political power. But that was before the rise of Boko Haram.
What Is Boko Haram?
Often known as Nigeria's Taliban, Boko Haram (roughly translated from the Hausa language as Western education is sinful) officially calls itself the Congregation of the People for Proselytism and Jihad. As you might infer, Boko Haram is against Westernizationto the point where its members argue that the world is flatand seeks to impose its radical version of sharia law throughout Nigeria.
more at link
Bluenorthwest
(45,319 posts)which has, for many months and years, been endlessly warned that human rights were in huge peril in Nigeria and in Uganda. The silent, tacit approval of the many murders and attacks that had preceded the kidnapping created the environment of impunity that the kidnappers now enjoy.
First, they came for the gay people and folks said 'well, it's just the gays who we don't really like anyway, and Bishops and Popes favor these pogroms, perhaps death and prison is not really all that bad for those homosexuals'.
Then they came to burn down dorms full of boys, and folks said 'well boys are the natural cogs in war, they always die in conflict, it's not our boys so lets go out to dinner after crafting some praise for the Pope, for saying nothing about the dead boys!'
Then they came and kidnapped some girls and that was seen as too much. But it was too late.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Were this to happen in a country not inhabited primarily by dark skinned people, I think the reaction of the world to this and the other atrocities you describe would be much different.
The levels of prejudice and bigotry that invade all these situations is heinous.
could not agree more!
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)Personally, I think restrained intervention is better path to take here; and the timing, as I understand it, is largely due to the Nigerian government dragging its feet on admitting what had happened.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)hostage negotiation. That's fine, but I think it's too little.
I don't think restrained intervention is necessarily the best path when you have a group of terrorists that have kidnapped and are likely torturing a group of children.
While the Nigerian government certainly bears some responsibility, I posted about this weeks ago and it got virtually no response. That has been pretty much the response of the international community and the US in particular.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)Chief of which is Boko Haram and its anti-western philosophy. Any military intervention on our part will doubtlessly be construed as an act of imperialism and may strengthen support for them in the region, or, at the very least, strengthen their resolve to fight the Nigerian government. More mainstream Nigerians would also be weary of American military intervention given our history in the region; wherever we have landed attempting to bring peace, we have become the center of hostilities that have always resulted in considerable civilian casualties (case in point: Somalia).
Then, there is the issue of geography. The girls are likely dispersed by now. We can't just load a handful of D-Boys or SEALs into a Volkswagen minibus and have them cruise the countryside picking up hostages one-by-one. That seems to me a good way to get soldiers killed and no girls rescued.
Lastly, there is the issue of civil war. Committing ourselves to one side could get us locked into yet another endless war with an invisible enemy. As self-serving as this argument may be, between Iraq and Afghanistan, I have had my fill of endless wars.
So, instead of troops on the ground, the Nigerian government will receive intelligence experts and hostage negotiators. That isn't a bad deal, all things considered. The intel officers will scour their network of contacts in the region and will put pressure on the youngest, least ideologically-invested Boko Haram foot soldiers, and may be able to negotiate for the girls' return.
As for the coverage and/or attention given to the story, I think there's two problems. The first, of course, is racism. No doubt some people care less about this story given the victims are black.
The second, however, is simple pessimism. I find it hard to fault people for that given how hopeless things seem at times.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)they are holding a group of children as hostages and most likely torturing them. We don't know if they are dispersed or not.
Committing ourselves to the side that is against the kidnapping of children is not necessarily committing ourselves to other aspects of the conflict.
What do you think the response would be if this had happened in the UK?
Would a team of 8 a full month after the initial incident been acceptable? I doubt it.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)First and foremost because I don't think the UK would tolerate US military operations within their borders. At the most, I could see them requesting anti-terrorist attaches, but even that is unlikely; between their own intelligence services and the SAS, the UK is equally capable, if not more so (no doubt our friends across the pond would think so ), of dealing with this kind of attack.
Also worth considering: this is a two-way street.
We're not barging into Nigeria demanding to assist them. They are asking for our help, and we are responding. While we don't know exactly how much aid Nigeria asked for, I think it is pretty safe to assume they aren't looking for a high profile American presence in their country. As noted, the general population is very skeptical of western intentions in their country, given its history as a colonial possession and its continued history of economic exploitation, so whatever our intentions, it is likely we would not be well-received. The Jonathan administration no doubt wants our help to make a difficult problem disappear, but they can't be seen as being in the pocket of the Americans.
There's also the possibility Goodluck Jonathan, not being one of the finer specimens of h. politicus, doesn't want outsiders looking too closely at the assorted horseshit his government is pulling, or knows full-well that once the Americans show up in country, his days of limitless authority will be numbered.
In any event, I'm still more or less with you on this: I don't know what we should do.
But I've been feeling this way about Africa for a long time. Virtually every country on the continent has been going completely to shit for at least the thirty years I've been alive, and no amount of foreign aid has seemed to make a dent. The tribal conflicts, corruption, poverty, and economic exploitation are just so goddamned entrenched it seems there's no overcoming them. I can't help but think that if there's going to be major change, it will have to come from within.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)I just find it shameful that we generally neglected this situation for so long.
I had the great fortune of visiting Kenya 2 years ago and it's so hard to know what or how the US should do to help. It is hard to be so rich around so much poverty.
And the tribal politics are something we can't really understand. Kenyans will often vote completely against their own interests just to vote down tribal lines.
Agree that the best solution is for things to come from within
.
But when I think of those girls, I just want to do something. If they get away from this, I would predict it will happen again and again.
It's very frustrating, isn't it.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)It's like a Cormac McCarthy novel come to life. The worst of possible human conditions.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)When I first read The Road, I felt like a I had stared at a particularly intense piece of art for hours. His ability to paint a picture with words is stunning.
Act_of_Reparation
(9,116 posts)cbayer
(146,218 posts)Very, very disturbing.
cbayer
(146,218 posts)Not surprisingly, DUer's are all over the place on this.
Because these are young girls who have been kidnapped by grossly misogynistic men, it is very hard to examine it objectively.
To be honest, I'm not sure where I stand, but I don't think we brushed it off for too long and are responding with too little.
That does not mean that I necessarily am advocating for an aggressive military intervention, though.
I just don't know.