I know what my readers are thinking:
Why are these pages wasting space on a, as Trump calls them, S-hole nation and the conflicts occurring internally in all of them?
It’s quite simple and to quote a famous movie, give me some rope here.
There has been a global war over natural resources since 1946. I know, I know, that sounds dramatic, but the old Soviet Union, United States, hell, even the declining British Empire fought, installed thugs, and engaged in overt and covert conflicts to seize power for natural resources.
Fast forward to the current era where the conflict is no longer between the USSR and proverbial “West” as discreet combatants. The new reality is that China has launched global economic initiatives to counter US and European influence and much to the West’s dissatisfaction, they have had a somewhat successful run on making gains in the proverbial developing world.
So why is Tanzania so important?
Besides being a crucial East African port location on the Indian Ocean (as demonstrated by the British and Germans in World War I), the minerals contained within this nation are critical for the new modern tech expansion.
However , there is more than just that as this story highlights:
Tanzania’s mineral output nears $1bn as gold, diamond production surge
From the article linked above via The Citizen:
That’s a somewhat dramatic increase concurrent with the rally in gold prices and extreme demand for graphite for alternate sources outside of Chinese influence.
The recent election did not, however, have an exactly to describe this, “American” ending. Thus resulting in weeks of violence since October where the US government said the following:
U.S. reconsiders Tanzania ties after deadly post-election crackdown
Of course, the Tanzanian government is not taking any of these threats lying down.
The reason for the deployments? This story from ABC News should answer that question:
Tanzania opposition calls for transitional government after disputed election
Obviously that is not setting well with the old government.
Thus why they have basically shut down the country for several days.
Essentially this is because of the scare put into the government by the protesters unhappy due to the election results:
If anyone thinks we will see continued stability in Africa, Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, etc., one is not a student of history nor the “Peace in our Time” approach the President has selected for a modern 1930’s version of foreign policy.
Buckle, up boys and girls, it’s far from over.
