MorethanjihadismorIran,China'srole

inAfricaisObama'sobsession
WhereAmericabringsdrones,theChinesebuildroads.Al
Shabaabandcomarchinlockstepwiththisnewimperialism

JohnPilger
TheGuardian,Wednesday9October201320.15BST

HuJintao,whosteppeddownasChinesepresidentlastyear,inTanzaniaonatourintendedtocementChina'sties
withAfrica.Photograph:STRNew/Reuters/REUTERS

Countriesare"piecesonachessboarduponwhichisbeingplayedoutagreatgamefor
thedominationoftheworld",wroteLordCurzon,theviceroyofIndia,in1898.
Nothinghaschanged.TheshoppingmallmassacreinNairobiwasabloodyfacade
behindwhichafullscaleinvasionofAfricaandawarinAsiaarethegreatgame.

ThealShabaabshoppingmallkillerscamefromSomalia.Ifanycountryisanimperial
metaphor,itisSomalia.Sharingalanguageandreligion,Somalishavebeendivided
betweentheBritish,French,ItaliansandEthiopians.Tensofthousandsofpeoplehave
beenhandedfromonepowertoanother."Whentheyaremadetohateeachother,"
wroteaBritishcolonialofficial,"goodgovernanceisassured."

TodaySomaliaisathemeparkofbrutal,artificialdivisions,longimpoverishedby
WorldBankandIMF"structuraladjustment"programmes,andsaturatedwithmodern
weaponsnotablyPresidentObama'spersonalfavourite,thedrone.Theonestable
Somaligovernment,theIslamicCourts,was"wellreceivedbythepeopleintheareasit
controlled",reportedtheUSCongressionalResearchService,"[but]receivednegative
presscoverage,especiallyinthewest".ObamacrusheditandlastJanuaryHillary
Clinton,thensecretaryofstate,presentedhermantotheworld."Somaliawillremain
gratefultotheunwaveringsupportfromtheUnitedStatesgovernment,"effused
PresidentHassanMohamud."Thankyou,America."

TheshoppingmallatrocitywasaresponsetothisjustastheTwinTowersattackand
theLondonbombingswereexplicitreactionstoinvasionandinjustice.Onceoflittle
consequence,jihadismnowmarchesinlockstepwiththereturnofunfettered
imperialism.

SinceNatoreducedmodernLibyatoaHobbesianstatein2011,thelastobstaclesto
Africahavefallen."Scramblesforenergy,mineralsandfertilelandarelikelytooccur
withincreasinglyintensity,"reportMinistryofDefenceplanners.As"highnumbersof
civiliancasualties"arepredicted,"perceptionsofmorallegitimacywillbeimportant
forsuccess".SensitivetothePRproblemofinvadingacontinent,thearmsmammoth
BAESystems,togetherwithBarclaysCapitalandBP,warnsthat"thegovernment
shoulddefineitsinternationalmissionasmanagingrisksonbehalfofBritishcitizens".
Thecynicismislethal.Britishgovernmentsarerepeatedlywarned,notleastbythe
parliamentaryintelligenceandsecuritycommittee,thatforeignadventuresbeckon
retaliationathome.

Withminimalmediainterest,theUSAfricanCommand(Africom)hasdeployedtroops
to35Africancountries,establishingafamiliarnetworkofauthoritariansupplicants
eagerforbribesandarmaments.Inwargamesa"soldiertosoldier"doctrineembeds
USofficersateverylevelofcommandfromgeneraltowarrantofficer.TheBritishdid
thisinIndia.ItisasifAfrica'sproudhistoryofliberation,fromPatriceLumumbato
NelsonMandela,isconsignedtooblivionbyanewmaster'sblackcolonialelite
whose"historicmission",warnedFrantzFanonhalfacenturyago,isthesubjugationof
theirownpeopleinthecauseof"acapitalismrampantthoughcamouflaged".The
referencealsofitsthesonofAfricaintheWhiteHouse.

ForObama,thereisamorepressingcauseChina.AfricaisChina'ssuccessstory.
WheretheAmericansbringdrones,theChinesebuildroads,bridgesanddams.What
theChinesewantisresources,especiallyfossilfuels.Nato'sbombingofLibyadrove
out30,000Chineseoilindustryworkers.MorethanjihadismorIran,Chinais
Washington'sobsessioninAfricaandbeyond.Thisisa"policy"knownasthe"pivotto
Asia",whosethreatofworldwarmaybeasgreatasanyinthemodernera.

Thisweek'smeetinginTokyobetweenJohnKerry,theUSsecretaryofstate,Chuck
Hagel,thedefencesecretary,andtheirJapanesecounterpartsacceleratedtheprospect
ofwar.SixtypercentofUSnavalforcesaretobebasedinAsiaby2020,aimedat
China.JapanisrearmingrapidlyundertherightwinggovernmentofShinzoAbe,who
cametopowerinDecemberwithapledgetobuilda"new,strongmilitary"and
circumventthe"peaceconstitution".

AUSJapaneseantiballisticmissilesystemnearKyotoisdirectedatChina.Using
longrangeGlobalHawkdronestheUShassharplyincreaseditsprovocationsinthe
EastChinaandSouthChinaseas,whereJapanandChinadisputetheownershipofthe
Senkaku/Diaoyuislands.Bothcountriesnowdeployadvancedverticaltakeoffaircraft
inJapaninpreparationforablitzkrieg.

OnthePacificislandofGuam,fromwhereB52sattackedVietnam,thebiggest
militarybuildupsincetheIndochinawarsincludes9,000USmarines.InAustraliathis
weekanarmsfairandmilitaryjamboreethatdivertedmuchofSydneyisinkeeping
withagovernmentpropagandacampaigntojustifyanunprecedentedUSmilitary
buildupfromPerthtoDarwin,aimedatChina.ThevastUSbaseatPineGapnear
AliceSpringsis,asEdwardSnowdendisclosed,ahubofUSspyingintheregionand
beyonditisalsocriticaltoObama'sworldwideassassinationsbydrone.

'WehavetoinformtheBritishtokeepthemonside,"McGeorgeBundy,anassistant
USsecretaryofstate,oncesaid."YouinAustraliaarewithus,comewhatmay."
AustralianforceshavelongplayedamercenaryroleforWashington.However,Chinais
Australia'sbiggesttradingpartnerandlargelyresponsibleforitsevasionofthe2008
recession.WithoutChina,therewouldbenomineralsboom:noweeklyminingreturn
ofuptoabilliondollars.

ThedangersthispresentsarerarelydebatedpubliclyinAustralia,whereRupert
Murdoch,thepatronoftheprimeminister,TonyAbbott,controls70%ofthepress.
Occasionally,anxietyisexpressedoverthe"choice"thattheUSwantsAustraliato
make.AreportbytheAustralianStrategicPolicyInstitutewarnsthatanyUSplanto
strikeatChinawouldinvolve"blinding"Chinesesurveillance,intelligenceand
commandsystems.Thiswould"consequentlyincreasethechancesofChinesenuclear
preemptionandaseriesofmiscalculationsonbothsidesifBeijingperceives
conventionalattacksonitshomelandasanattempttodisarmitsnuclearcapability".In
hisaddresstothenationlastmonth,Obamasaid:"WhatmakesAmericadifferent,
whatmakesusexceptional,isthatwearededicatedtoact."

JohnPilger'snewfilm,Utopia,isreleasedon15November

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