George, why the hell do you THINK nobody in Africa wants to host AFRICOM?

oh, golly, and we're SO-O-O-O-OOO surprised...

U.S. diplomats said they were disappointed by the depth of opposition, given that the Bush administration has bolstered ties with both countries [Algeria and Libya] on security matters in recent years.

didn't anybody tell Muammar al-Gaddafi that part of the price for reconciliation with the u.s. was allowing u.s. military to be stationed on his soil...? tsk, tsk, tsk...

Algeria and Libya separately ruled out hosting the Defense Department's planned Africa Command, known as AFRICOM, and said they were firmly against any of their neighbors doing so either.

[...]

Morocco, which has been mentioned as a possible site for the new command and is one of the strongest U.S. allies in the region, didn't roll out the welcome mat, either. After the U.S. delegation visited Rabat, the capital, on June 11, the Moroccan foreign ministry strongly denied a claim by an opposition political party that the kingdom had already offered to host AFRICOM.

goodness gracious...! now, WHY do you suppose they're being so cranky...?

Rachid Tlemcani, a professor of political science at the University of Algiers, said the stern response from North African governments was a reflection of public opposition to U.S. policies in the predominantly Muslim region.

"People on the street assume their governments have already had too many dealings with the U.S. in the war on terror at the expense of the rule of law," said Tlemcani, who is also a scholar with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "The regimes realize the whole idea is very unpopular."

and our poor u.s. officials just DON'T UNDERSTAND why all the opposition... after all, we'd just be there for HUMANITARIAN purposes...

As they search for a place to put a headquarters for the new command, U.S. officials have tried to allay concerns in Africa that the Pentagon has warlike designs in the region.

Ryan Henry, leader of the U.S. delegation and principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, said the main mission for the command would be to stabilize weak or poor countries by training local security forces and doling out humanitarian aid.

"It's mostly a headquarters and planning focus," he said after meeting with Moroccan officials. "AFRICOM doesn't mean that there would be additional U.S. forces put on the continent."

do you suppose that bit about TRAINING LOCAL SECURITY FORCES like we've done in latin america, you know, in places like el salvador, nicaragua, argentina, chile, etc, might have touched a nerve...?

but, WAIT...! HOLD THE PHONE...! 12 paragraphs in, we get THIS...!

Defense officials acknowledge that one reason they are paying more attention to Africa is because the continent provides an increasingly large share of the U.S. supply of imported oil and natural gas.

Bush administration officials have also touted the new command as a key part of their strategy for countering terrorism threats on the continent. Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups have experienced a resurgence in North and East Africa in recent years.

well, shit, if we're talking about AL QAEDA, that explains EVERYTHING...! or is it really about hydrocarbons...? hmmmm... lemme think on it...

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