The Duran Podcast - US follows France out of Africa

Episode Date: May 5, 2024

US follows France out of Africa

All right, Alexander, let's talk about the U.S. leaving many countries in Africa. I think we do have confirmation that in Niger, the U.S. is going to finally leave. I mean, we were going back and forth with this for a few months, and it wasn't certain that the U.S. would leave even though the government in Niger was telling them you have to go. But I think we have confirmation now that the U.S. is going to be leaving Nijer, France. of course we've talked about France leaving Niger and many of the countries in Africa. So this is this is big news. The collective West, the US, Europe, they're definitely retreating from Africa. Yes, I think they are retreating.

I mean, it's not yet a complete and total route. But Niger was important. It was, of course, it's a key state in central. Africa, Western Africa. It has large uranium resources, as we all know, but it also had, I believe, two American bases, as well, of course, as the French bases. Now, as we discussed at the time, when there was the coup in Niger that overthrew the government, the pro-Western government, and brought the present military leadership to power, the Niger military, at that time, the Niger military, at that time were quite straightforwardly hostile to France, but they were not necessarily hostile to the

United States. Many of them had been trained in the United States. And it was possible one could see a situation where the Niger military government gets rid of the French, but the Americans are allowed to stay, and of course the Russians can come in also. But they have relationships continuing with both powers at the same time. And I think that was an option. And then if you remember, the Americans back the French, tried to get the Niger military to change course. Victoria Newland, no less, turned up in Niger and badgered the military government there to change course on what it was doing. And I can remember that we were saying at the time that this was extremely unwise, that it would make the new government,

Niger feel that the Americans were hostile and it could in fact destroy the relationship between this government and the US and that appears to be what has happened. Now the Americans have dragged their feet. There's been complex negotiations. The government wants the Americans to leave. The State Department initially said that they would leave. The Pentagon has tried to negotiate extensions, there have been a few extensions, but the long and the short of it is, it does seem as if they're leaving. So the entire Western position in Niger, a key country, has collapsed, and Niger is now firmly aligning itself with Mali and Burkina Faso. It's two West African allies. those countries have close relations with both China and Russia.

They're looking increasingly to the Wagner organization to provide them with the military advice and technical assistance of the French and Americans used to provide. It's probably not been overlooked in West Africa that since the Wagner organization took over in Mali, the Mali military has won a string of successes. against the various Islamist insurgences in the north, which the French seemed unable to defeat. So we can see why Niger might be happy to make that kind of decision and get its hands freed from both the French and from the Americans.

So that's Niger. But of course, what's also happening is that this is now becoming infectious. We see Chad. They've been talking about wanting the American. to leave as well. The Americans also have bases in Chad. The Americans are trying hard to negotiate to keep those bases. The Chad government at the moment is still saying they want them to leave. This talk that some kind of a negotiation is going to take place in order to enable the American troops to stay. If they do stay, which at the moment is far from certain, the government of Chad

is going to exact a much higher price at the very least. they've obviously taken inspiration from what Niger has done and the Americans it looks like they're preparing for the collapse of their bases in this part of West Africa so they've now contacted the very reliable pro-Western ally that has always existed Côte d'Ivoire and they're apparently now talking about setting up a base there So they seem to be pulling out of the West African countries that are joined the Sahel, and they're moving towards Côte d'Ivoire, which is somewhat further away, away from the Sahel on the coast. It would be a different location and a different logistical operation completely, and the countries of the Sahel, by contrast. appear to be turning now increasingly to Russia and China. Yeah, I was just about to ask,

most of the region is going to reorient towards Russia and towards China. Russia for the military security component, China for just about everything else, the investment, the infrastructure. Exactly. Yeah. Where does that leave the U.S.? Because we've seen the effect on France.

I mean, Macron pretty much lost his. mind and everything that happened in Africa. And many, many analysts say that Macron's decisions that he made towards Russia and much of his erratic behavior over the last six months is due to France's lost position in Africa. So how does this affect the United States? Are they going to start acting like Macaron, like France, or are they just going to let Africa go? They're not going to be happy about this. And it's important to say also that, you know, we're talking about West Africa, but one senses that their position across the whole of Africa is weakening also. I mean, Ethiopia is now joining the BRIC states. There's been a Russian delegation

has just gone to Sudan. Sudan, of course, is still in the state of civil war, but the Russians formally have now come down on the side of the Sudanese military, the Sudanese military government, and the talk of Russia establishing a base on the Red Sea in Sudan is apparently now back on the agenda. Just saying, so the United States is not going to be happy about this. probably ultimately the less worried about the Russians than they are about the Chinese. They see Africa as this great chessboard between themselves and China with this struggle being fought over its resources. But in so many ways this is so wrong and exaggerated. I'm not convinced that most Africans,

particularly want to take sides in a great geopolitical battle. And the extent to which Africa anyway really is centrally important to US and geopolitical position. I mean, it's difficult to see why it would be important. What is driving this, again, is that it's the United States that is telling African states, States that they must take sides. We saw that with the Victorian Newland going to Niger and African states who now have the option of getting economic support from China. When they face that kind of demand, they're starting to push back and that's what we're starting to see. So the Americans are risking a position in Africa, which is not ultimately central to them, but which some of them do seem to

care about an awful lot, perhaps disproportionately, and losing friends in Africa or losing countries that might become friends in Africa, because once again, the neocons do what they always do. They see every region on planet Earth as part of a great geopolitical chessboard where, you know, you occupy one square and play your game against the other side. And, you know, if, the other side establishes a presence in another, in a country. Well, that's not that country making a decision. It's the other side occupying that square against you. It's this bizarre chess game, which is ultimately so counterproductive.

Now, that's the US. As I said, they could walk away from this, and it wouldn't make any huge difference to them. They're not going to, because the neocons who run things, aren't going to let that happen. And, you know, it could create problems with the US in Africa, which could be completely avoided. France, it's different because France did have strong economic

and strategic reasons to be positioned in West Africa. And I'm going to say something. They're not going to be happy about the Americans establishing a base in Cote d'Ivoire. because Cotte d'Ivoire is a country which is another one of those countries that has been very closely and heavily aligned with France. I can tell you for a fact that a lot of French chocolate producers, for example, get their cocoa beans from Cote d'Ivoire. You know, French chocolate, that's ultimately its provenance. Cot d'Ivoire has been, to some extent, a kind of jewel in. the French crown. And who comes along? The Americans with their big bases and their money and

their influence. And inevitably, the French are now going to say, well, we've been pushed out by the Russians from our other places in West Africa. They are blaming the Russians, which is bizarre, but that's what they're doing. And now we're going to be pushed out by the Americans from Cotte d'Ivoire. so they're not going to like it at all. I can tell you again, knowing the mood in France and knowing the mood of the kind of people who are interested in Africa, that that is going to be very much the sentiment there.

They're not going to like it, but they can't do anything about it. They can't do anything about it. That's what it means to be a vassal to the US. That's what it means to be a vassal. And again, again, it's the, product of French policy. French policy, by the way, towards the African states as well, which has been, to put it mildly, an unequal one. But, you know, on the one hand, they wanted to dominate the West Africans. And on the other hand, they wanted to be a vassal towards the

Americans. And we see that the one cuts against the other. All right, we will edit there, the durand.com. We are on Rumblerockfield. in Odyssey, pitch you to Twitter, and that's it. Locals. Did I say locals? Did I say locals?com. And go to the Terad shop, go to the Darad shop

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