Scramble for Afrika II: Return of the Thieving Bastards

[scarletghoul]

(yeah i stole the title from my own post in another thread. anyway) This is extremely important imho; the imperialists have started to recolonise Afrika lately. Not only are there direct military interventions in Libya and Ivory Coast, but also US universities were revealed to be grabbing huge amounts of land across Africa, forcing people off the land. Chinese investment in the continent of course has gone up loads lately, as it establishes itself as an imperial power. With capitalism trying to recover from the crisis, it seems they are more eager than ever to get hold of africa's resources.

There needs to be a campaign to defend Africa from imperialism, and to make people aware of whats happening instead of seeing these as isolated incidents

[bcbm]

i wouldn't call it a re-colonization because africa was never really de-colonized in the first place, during the wave of "decolonization" in the 50s and 60s most countries relationships with their former colonial rulers simply shifted to a less direct, generally economic control. not to mention the numerous proxy wars and dictators supported during the cold war. the current land grab is just a new phase in the stripping of africa that has been ongoing for many many decades

[danyboy27]

Its not so much about taking back the ground, its about the energy ressources located in those regions.

China is having an energy crisis right now, The us in dire need of cheap oil to kickstart its failed economic model.

These ressources who where easy to extract in the past are now much more complicated to get, require a great deal of energy and money now.

[Reznov]

I'm interested in the examples that have led you to this conclusion. I know the examples about NATO with Libya and the Ivory Coast, but what other African countries are currently facing more direct threats of Imperialism again (Not that the economical exploitation of Africa ever really ended in the first place.)

[bailey_187]

how can something return which never left

[Ocean Seal]

(yeah i stole the title from my own post in another thread. anyway) This is extremely important imho; the imperialists have started to recolonise Afrika lately. Not only are there direct military interventions in Libya and Ivory Coast, but also US universities were revealed to be grabbing huge amounts of land across Africa, forcing people off the land. Chinese investment in the continent of course has gone up loads lately, as it establishes itself as an imperial power. With capitalism trying to recover from the crisis, it seems they are more eager than ever to get hold of africa's resources.

There needs to be a campaign to defend Africa from imperialism, and to make people aware of whats happening instead of seeing these as isolated incidents
I wouldn't say that its intensifying. In fact I would say that its probably winding down a bit. The fact that the imperialist powers are making their presence in Africa known means that they've been losing some ground. When things are quiet, that is when to fear them most, because they're in power without causing a ruckus. When they have to come in with their military's, it means that their investments are in trouble.

[Turinbaar]

I think the main factor is the method of imperialism. China is intervening in africa through its relationship with local regimes, like Mugabe, Gaddafi, and al-Bashir, (i.e. the cold war M.O. of the US) while western imperialism is doing so by increasing the tone of direct violence and political pressure against these regimes. These regimes are becoming increasingly violent within their own borders, which gives western imperialism an excuse to selectively use military force on the pretense of democracy and humanitarianism, while China cannot do the same. Their are factions in western imperialism's ruling class that have an interest in maintaining the status quo of dictatorship in the region, but it is likely that the issues I outlined above will tip the balance in the favor of the West in Africa.

[brigadista]

china putting a lot of money into Congo and Angola

[chegitz guevara]

How is this different from what's been happening the last fifty years, aside form the emergence of a new imperialist power, China?

[Tim Cornelis]

What if you put Profits over People by Chomsky, Confessions of an Economic Hitman by some bloke, The New Imperialism by David Harvey and Bad Samitarians by Ha-Jung Choo (??) into one documentary? You get "The End of Poverty?" (here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pktOXJr1vOQ&feature=watch-now-button&wide=1)

It described very well the neo-colonialism of today, and its conclusion is surprisingly socialist. A guy argues for the restoration of the commons.