Pentagon Report Says Prisoners Return to Fight

Image via Wikipedia

     According to a classified Pentagon report, one out of every five prisoners who is released from Guantanamo Bay returns to fight for Al Qaida. First off, if this is a classified report, why do we know about it? Second, when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense logically.
     Imagine for one minute that you've been locked up for almost a decade & possibly tortured. Even if you were completely innocent when you went there, you now have hatred for for captors. When you leave, aren't you going to want revenge? I know I would. I'd join the fight in a minute. Why this report surprises people amazes me. In fact, I'm surprised the number isn't actually higher than one in five. It's just basic human nature.

Article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34735908/ns/us_news-security/

Africa & the United States

     There's a really good article about the problems that the US State Dept has with its Africa Bureau. http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-08-10-africa_N.htm Among some of the problems the article points out are:

• Diplomats feel overwhelmed by new demands without additional staff.
• The group in charge of boosting the U.S. image is a "failed office" with no strategic plan and little integration with other diplomats.
• While the United States "helps feed Africa," it should focus more on helping Africans feed themselves — and on preventing HIV/AIDS as well as treating the condition.
• There isn't enough travel money to properly oversee a $2 billion Africa peacekeeping program.
• A new military command in Africa is "stepping into a void created by a lack of resources for traditional development."
• Corruption "receives insufficient attention as an impediment to trade, development and investment."
     There's one other main problem that should be addressed & that is Al Queda. The United States & its western allies have ignored & taken advantage of the African continent for centuries. As a result, extreme poverty & corruption have increased dramatically. That's given Al Queda furtile ground to sow. Their results have been staggering. Radical Islamic regimes have popped up in in the northeast countries & are making their way south. Pirating is dramatically up.
     The western countries have to stop shoveling money into Africa & get these countries into a survival mode where they can be prosperous on their own. Otherwise, other emerging super powers such as China will start to take over or Al Queda will complete its African domination. Then we'll all be wondering why we're sending troops to Africa to fight, only it'll be our own fault for ignoring a growing situation for far too long.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Clinton vows U.S. help in war on al Qaeda in Somalia (cnn.com)
• Somalian Rebels Loot U.N. Posts and Ban 3 Agencies (nytimes.com)
• Clinton in Kenya urges a cleanup of corruption (cnn.com)
• Kuwait Arrests 6 in Planned Attack on U.S. Base (nytimes.com)