Big place

Earlier, a colleague and I sat down with an official from the American military. I know nothing of how their army works, I just know that he's part of it somehow. He's going to be working in Africa for the next couple of years, and wanted our thoughts on development and South Africa's role in the sub-Saharan region. Fairly broad interests then. Polite man, very earnest. It reassures me to know that the world's most moneyed army is staffed by people like him, people who desperately want to understand the strange regions in which they march. What does not reassure me, is what they actually do.

I'm a pacifist. Me and Gandhi, hey, we're like: soo besties. So any army, any military, no matter the principles that guide them, is not going to fill my heart with butterflies. And when it comes to war and peace, intervention, particularly of the west in Africa, does not have the most stirlingest of stirling records. Understandably then, before our visitor launched into his questions, I had a few of my own. Starting with: "Soooo, what is it exactly that you do here in Africa?"
"A lot of training, capacity-building of locals. Particularly with regard to medical interventions..." Ok, ok, cool, military personnel train local doctors and nurses and dentists. I can deal.

But then, "...and we equip local militaries with surplus uniforms and munitions."

STOPPIE LORRIE!! I didn't actually say that, I chose the more articulate but equally pointed: "So you're selling weapons in Africa then?"

I was rewarded with a wry smile and a knowing, "not quite." Which was followed by a lengthy explanation of supporting legitimate armies in Africa. Again, I opted for the diplomatic track and said: "Well, I don't envy you, having to make decisions as to who is legitimate or, er, not. And how and under what conditions, and from what perspective..." and stop talking head shake, head shake, the British in Biafra and all of that. He went on to explain that you know, in Cameroon there is only one government and one army and so it's clear. The US military runs operations with the South African army too. I choked on my tea. Am I this clueless about the world of war? Sheesh.

I love America. I lived there for a couple of months back in '07 and had a jambreezing time. In fact, I was in the midwest, the Democrat midwest to be fair, but the midwest all the same and I still loved it. So it's not the country that makes me uncomfortable. It's the power. It's the reality that one country has so much presence in the world that really rattles my teaspoon.

I realize I'm tense, chomping my teeth. I snap out of my mind-wander, "So sub-Saharan African," I offer, "big place." We all nod, three synchronized heads. I drain my teacup and rest it on the table in front of me. "Ya." I pause, fiddle with my nose. "What exactly do you want to know?"