Sounds like Mr. Obama plans to send 4,000 American soldiers to Africa to build Ebola infrastructure--insolation and contamination units and other structures needed to fight the epidemic. Before doing so, I think he should have a look at a History book and see which countries benefitted from that continent and, therefore, are more obliged to put back.
Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are all English speaking countries because Britain had colonies there and sucked plenty of wealth out of them. Likewise, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Guinea, Gabon, Mali, Rwanda, Tunisia, Senegal, and the Seychelles speak French for roughly the same reason. Ever hear of the Belgian Congo? Ditto. Portugal and Holland were likewise involved. Currently, China is having a field day in Africa, extracting resources that no longer has in its own country.
Nobody would be so naïve as to suggest that the U.S. never got anything out of the African continent: American oil companies have certainly sucked their share out of the Nigerian soil. American slaves were largely from West Africa, so we must count that. It is not the Euros have never put anything back either--Medicines sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) is famous world wide, and has even worked here.
It is only to suggest that, as I pointed out yesterday, the European democracies have far healthier middle classes and can afford this better than we can. In addition, they have an historical obligation.
Critical Eye believes they should honor it.
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