French sends troops to Mali?

GalwayGuy2

Really surprised there wasn't a thread on this:S

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2013/0112/breaking3.html

Super-Rush

Is that all you got?

No opinion at all?

keith16

Sir Alex Ferguson wrote: »

Is that all you got?

No opinion at all?

Far too many threads like this. Either a link or a youtube video and nothing else.

Difference Engine

France has a lot of defence agreements with former colonies, like Chad, Djibouti and the Ivory Coast. Generally to defend against external aggression, which is why they didn't intervene against rebels in Chad. I don't see anything unusual here.

GalwayGuy2

Far too many threads like this. Either a link or a youtube video and nothing else.

Fair enough. I honestly think it's what it says on the tin, but I did like the dig that hollande had for American Foreign Policy (while being a little hypocritical), and I think an old colonial power shouldn't come within a mile of a past colony ( propaganda well) for "humanitarian reasons".
Just interested in seeing how it develops.

coolhull

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

Really surprised there wasn't a thread on this:S

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2013/0112/breaking3.html

If something like this is important to you, don't you at least have a comment on the issue? Anyone could post stuff about maybe the price of soya beans in Peru, or the workings of the Icelandic Civil Service. If you don't find it relevant enough to your life to comment on the subject, then why would anyone else?

GalwayGuy2

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

Fair enough. I honestly think it's what it says on the tin, but I did like the dig that hollande had for American Foreign Policy (while being a little hypocritical), and I think an old colonial power shouldn't come within a mile of a past colony ( propaganda well) for "humanitarian reasons".
Just interested in seeing how it develops.

They were probably asked to come in by the government.

starlings

Sir Alex Ferguson wrote: »

No opinion at all?

my tuppence - oversimplified, probably only half a farthing:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/23/mali-militants-declare-war-music

Jumped-up islamist boyos, many of them fresh from conflicts elsewhere, want to destroy any culture that is not their own - music that is the source of much of what we listen to today, libraries of poetry and science, people who have lived happily in the desert for centuries. So, vive la France.

Lovetochill

My brother was talking to me about this...well, this is not new.


French Battle Plan

Talk Tough
Eat some cheese and wine
Throw down weapons
Surrender position
Scurry home

Lovetochill

Lovetochill wrote: »

My brother was talking to me about this...well, this is not new.


French Battle Plan

Talk Tough
Eat some cheese and wine
Throw down weapons
Surrender position
Scurry home

Say that to the foreign legion, bravest soldiers of all. Deployed into suicide missions most of the time.

mahonykid

foreign legion are crazy lurks. Full of criminals and people running from something apparently

Fox_In_Socks

Janessa Fat Sympathy wrote: »

Say that to the foreign legion, bravest soldiers of all. Deployed into suicide missions most of the time.

Are they French?:pac:

Nodin

Fox_In_Socks wrote: »

Are they French?:pac:

A good few of them are, as are all the officers.

Fox_In_Socks

Nodin wrote: »

A good few of them are, as are all the officers.

Thanks for popping my widow's mite of a joke.:mad: It wasn't much, but it was the best I could do. And then you come along and stomp on it...

:pac:

Fratton Fred

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

Really surprised there wasn't a thread on this:S

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2013/0112/breaking3.html

Why would there be? It's not the UK or the US, so no one cares.

Nodin

Fox_In_Socks wrote: »

Thanks for popping my widow's mite of a joke.:mad: It wasn't much, but it was the best I could do. And then you come along and stomp on it...

:pac:

These boots cost good money, and need use to be broken in.

pablomakaveli

Been a busy day for France. Action in Mali and Somalia. One unfortunately not going as well as the other.

charlemont

mahonykid wrote: »

foreign legion are crazy lurks. Full of criminals and people running from something apparently

Show's what you know so..:rolleyes:

GalwayGuy2

Originally Posted by mahonykid
foreign legion are crazy lurks. Full of criminals and people running from something apparently

Don't forget the muscles from Brussels:D

Why would there be? It's not the UK or the US, so no one cares.

Well...I'll just leave then.

*Get's Coat*

gallag

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Why would there be? It's not the UK or the US, so no one cares.

The uk will be involved, guaranteed.

gallag

gallag wrote: »

The uk will be involved, guaranteed.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/mali/9798100/Britain-to-send-military-transport-planes-to-assist-Mali-operation.html

Boom.

MisterEpicurus

Lovetochill wrote: »

My brother was talking to me about this...well, this is not new.


French Battle Plan

Talk Tough
Eat some cheese and wine
Throw down weapons
Surrender position
Scurry home

Chinese Battle Plan

Talk Tough
Eat some fried rice
Throw down weapons
Surrender f*** all
Curry home

Looks like the UK is joining in:

http://news.sky.com/story/1037037/britain-sends-planes-to-help-french-fight-in-mali

AlekSmart

gallag wrote: »

The UK will be involved,guaranteed.

Followed by the Germans,Italians,Dutch and perhaps the remainder of the cast of Libya 2011,but for the purest of motives,it has to be said....:o

http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/01/12/283145/france-displays-hypocrisy-on-mali/

TheUsual

coolhull wrote: »

stuff about maybe the price of soya beans in Peru, or the workings of the Icelandic Civil Service.

^^^^^^^^^
He knows too much about the inner working of boards.ie.

He is a liability.

TheUsual

Breaking News :
- Mali has just discovered vast regions rich in oil and diamonds.
- U.S.A. has declared war on Mali. To bring democracy and freedom.

ejmaztec

MisterEpicurus wrote: »

Chinese Battle Plan

Get piles of cash
Buy country of the week.

fyp

Chuck Stone

Is it cynical of me to wonder if the French have some 'security' or business interests in Mali?

Cui bono.

gallag

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Is it cynical of me to wonder if the French have some 'security' or business interests in Mali?

Cui bono.

Completely cynical, as if a country would engage in military action in a foreign land for any other reason than benevolence, you sir are warped! !

In all serious though, I believe this time it could be purely humanitarian, they dont have any natural resources, do they? Cant be about the petrodollar if there is no petroleum.

Nodin

gallag wrote: »

Completely cynical, as if a country would engage in military action in a foreign land for any other reason than benevolence, you sir are warped! !

In all serious though, I believe this time it could be purely humanitarian, they dont have any natural resources, do they? Cant be about the petrodollar if there is no petroleum.

....as its a former French colony theres a few thousand French citizens resident there. Plus having Islamists set up in there would be undesirable.

IvyTheTerrible

Well what they are saying on the news over here is that the French forces went in to protect French citizens in Mali. (There are a fair few).

Also, this trouble has been brewing particularly since the Ghaddafi crowd were ousted. A lot of his cronies fled to northern Mali. There is a lot of Libyan money in Bamako too.

GalwayGuy2

In all serious though, I believe this time it could be purely humanitarian, they dont have any natural resources, do they? Cant be about the petrodollar if there is no petroleum.

I think there's gold, could be wrong, but in all honesty I think this is one of those moments where humanitarian and personal interest go hand in hand. Having a stable democracy in an unstable part of the world is beneficial to everybody and having an Islamist militant state with large amounts of desert to launch attacks on Europe or west Africa is beneficial to nobody.

MaxSteele

Jesus, Islam just doesn't do The Sahel region any favors.

Capt'n Midnight

Mali has uranium

GalwayGuy2

Mali has uranium

Are you sure? I checked on Wikipedia (yes, I know) and I didn't see Mali on the list.

mahonykid

charlemont wrote: »

Show's what you know so..:rolleyes:

"In the past, the Foreign Legion had a reputation for attracting criminals on the run and would-be mercenaries, but the admissions process is now severely restricted and background checks are performed on all applicants. Generally speaking, convicted felons are prohibited from joining the service"

Taken from the foreign legions wiki page.

pablomakaveli

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

Are you sure? I checked on Wikipedia (yes, I know) and I didn't see Mali on the list.

This seems to be a better source and no mention of Mali either.

Wibbs

Lovetochill wrote: »

French Battle Plan

Talk Tough
Eat some cheese and wine
Throw down weapons
Surrender position
Scurry home

Funny then that over the last thousand odd years the French were the most successful land force in Europe. Don't buy into the American/Simpsons hype too easily

westcoast66

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

Well what they are saying on the news over here is that the French forces went in to protect French citizens in Mali. (There are a fair few).

Would love to see the Irish army going somewhere to protect Irish citizens...

It wasn't me!

westcoast66 wrote: »

Would love to see the Irish army going somewhere to protect Irish citizens...

Yes, the work they do elsewhere is of course meaningless.

TheUsual

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Mali has uranium

Hope they don't sell that stuff on ebay to some terrorists.
Or we are all dead !

TheUsual

westcoast66 wrote: »

Would love to see the Irish army going somewhere to protect Irish citizens...

Where like Melbourne, to save them from sunburn and shark attacks ?

Sunnyisland

west coast 66 wrote: »

Would love to see the Irish army going somewhere to protect Irish citizens...

This is the closest and most likely situation where it might ever happen



The Irish Army made plans in 1969 to invade Northern Ireland and blow up the BBC's Belfast headquarters and the city's main airport in what some critics said would have been a "Bay of Pigs" fiasco.
Codenamed Exercise Armageddon, the planned "unconventional operations" were in response to a statement by then Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Jack Lynch that his government could no longer stand by and watch innocent people get hurt.


Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/

pablomakaveli

realies wrote: »

This is the closest and most likely situation where it might ever happen



The Irish Army made plans in 1969 to invade Northern Ireland and blow up the BBC's Belfast headquarters and the city's main airport in what some critics said would have been a "Bay of Pigs" fiasco.
Codenamed Exercise Armageddon, the planned "unconventional operations" were in response to a statement by then Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Jack Lynch that his government could no longer stand by and watch innocent people get hurt.


Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/

In that RTE documentary from a few years ago they said they would have attacked Newry or one of the towns close to the border.

bluecode

Yes indeed, the French won more battles than they lost. Even if some of those battles were thanks to us Irish. Check it out if you don't believe me.

Meanwhile the French have been involved in various wars with no publicity in recent years. Which they always won.

So of course, they annoyed the Yanks because they wouldn't get involved in Iraq. Freedom fries anyone? It seems the Froggies had it worked out.

Now we have this little war. Which the French will win, with the help of the Americans and the Brits. Let's not forget the Lybian thing either.

I was most amused to see RTE showing sexy French Mirage jets sashaying around on video. Even their aeroplanes, sorry avions are sexy.

I admire the French, they simply get on with it. They look after their real allies and they are ruthless but they never apologise for it.

Difference Engine

bluecode wrote: »

Yes indeed, the French won more battles than they lost. Even if some of those battles were thanks to us Irish. Check it out if you don't believe me.

Meanwhile the French have been involved in various wars with no publicity in recent years. Which they always won.

So of course, they annoyed the Yanks because they wouldn't get involved in Iraq. Freedom fries anyone? It seems the Froggies had it worked out.

Now we have this little war. Which the French will win, with the help of the Americans and the Brits. Let's not forget the Lybian thing either.

I was most amused to see RTE showing sexy French Mirage jets sashaying around on video. Even their aeroplanes, sorry avions are sexy.

I admire the French, they simply get on with it. They look after their real allies and they are ruthless but they never apologise for it.

They have done a huge amount of operations (particularly the Foreign Legion) in their former colonies since the 1960s with very little reporting of it. They still maintain a lot of bases in Africa and have military cooperation agreements with their old colonies.

They seem to fly under the radar a bit compared to the UK and especially the US. Whenever the US puts boots on the ground the media (and protestors) are all over it. France doesn't seem to draw that kind of attention. Saying that I think they are there for right reasons, the last thing the country needs is an Islamist foothold to start destabilising things.

bluecode

Actually you underestimate the French at your peril. They described the London at one stage as Londinistan because it was such a refuge for Islamists. That attitude remains.

France is always about France.

What's best for France. It's an admirable attitude. Almost no one know they fought Gadaffi's Lybia in Chad with American support.

It's pathetic really to see the stupid jokes about French surrender monkies and all that.

People who say that are stupid and ignorant. If more countries were like the French there would be less bloody terrroism.

asherbassad

GalwayGuy2 wrote: »

Really surprised there wasn't a thread on this:S

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2013/0112/breaking3.html

Are you surprised?

Gotta get back into Africa before those damned chinkies actually do business there the right way, i.e. buy products rather than steal them from these wretched brown savages. Now, Nigeria is up for grabs and our chums in Washington have their AFRICOM in place. One does cringe at their love of these infantile acronyms but...well...any port in a storm, eh?
These appalling scoundrels in Congo....or Zaire or whatever it's called now are doing a spiffing job. 5 million dead since 2004, and nobody knows.....better than that Rwanda malarkey, I might add. Best to keep that Mugabe fool out of the spotlight for a while, you know.
We frightened the world with him for years but now nobody remembers him, chuckle. (pause.....another cup of tea.................................back).
So ...yes....now.....where was I? Ah, yes......Mali or Malawi or some such dreadful place. Yes, well.....have our French chums bomb these despicable peasants and their useless children...or terrorist babies or whatever. Who'll remember them in 10 year...after all, those useless brown people who were gotten rid of in 2004 in Iraq are forgotten now (excuse me.......glass of port and some ripe Stilton....hiccup, burp........back)....so, yes kill them all I say. Who'll remember them anyhow? Certainly not I.

Must toddle off safely home now to die in bed.

Mod: Banned

MaxSteele

asherbassad wrote: »

Are you surprised?

Gotta get back into Africa before those damned chinkies actually do business there the right way, i.e. buy products rather than steal them from these wretched brown savages. Now, Nigeria is up for grabs and our chums in Washington have their AFRICOM in place. One does cringe at their love of these infantile acronyms but...well...any port in a storm, eh?
These appalling scoundrels in Congo....or Zaire or whatever it's called now are doing a spiffing job. 5 million dead since 2004, and nobody knows.....better than that Rwanda malarkey, I might add. Best to keep that Mugabe fool out of the spotlight for a while, you know.
We frightened the world with him for years but now nobody remembers him, chuckle. (pause.....another cup of tea.................................back).
So ...yes....now.....where was I? Ah, yes......Mali or Malawi or some such dreadful place. Yes, well.....have our French chums bomb these despicable peasants and their useless children...or terrorist babies or whatever. Who'll remember them in 10 year...after all, those useless brown people who were gotten rid of in 2004 in Iraq are forgotten now (excuse me.......glass of port and some ripe Stilton....hiccup, burp........back)....so, yes kill them all I say. Who'll remember them anyhow? Certainly not I.

Must toddle off safely home now to die in bed.

Mod: Banned

Yep absolutely dreadful places indeed. Got any more cognac ?

ejmaztec

asherbassad wrote: »

Are you surprised?

Gotta get back into Africa before those damned chinkies Chinese actually do business there the right way, i.e. buy products rather than steal them from these wretched brown savages.

The Chinese being in cahoots with the leaders of various African countries doesn't mean that business is being done "the right way", far from it. The only ones getting a good deal are the Chinese and the corrupt African leaders. The ordinary people are getting what they always did, which is feck all.

wyndham

Vive la France!

Cungi

Go on France!

Bout time somebody stopped these nutters destroying ancient tombs n stuff.

I just hope the garlic munchers can aim better than the yanks.