Congo

Some Reflections on the Congo

Some Reflections on the Congo

Some Reflections on the Congo

Some Reflections on the Congo

Some Reflections on the Congo

May 23, 1997
May 1997
Some Reflections on the Congo
In the "good old days" of the late 1960s, when Zaire was known as the Congo and its leader did not yet call himself Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu waza Banga (the all-conquering warrior who, because of his endurance and inflexible will to win, will go from conquest to conquest leaving fire in his wake), the United States proudly had the huge, unwieldy, volatile country wrapped around its little finger...

Congo - The Mercenaries Change Sides

Congo - The Mercenaries Change Sides

Congo - The Mercenaries Change Sides

Congo - The Mercenaries Change Sides

Congo - The Mercenaries Change Sides

December 25, 1967
December 1967
Congo - The Mercenaries Change Sides
The white mercenaries of the Congo, now in rebellion, have humiliated black men everywhere in Africa, and by doing so shattered some of the self-confidence that Africans need to run their affairs well. Moreover, some Africans have struck out at whites to assuage this humiliation, and the beatings and killings have torn relations between white men and black men over the continent. These are terrible consequences. Yet it is pointless to condemn these confused, aimless and distorted men. Their role in the Congo was created by others. The rebellion of the mercenaries was the legacy of an attempt by the United States Government to stage-manage the unmanageable Congo. Using them worked for a while; then they flew out of hand. Why blame them?...

Lessons from Katanga

Lessons from Katanga

Lessons from Katanga

Lessons from Katanga

Lessons from Katanga

January 23, 1963
January 1963
The Daily Register (Red Bank, NJ)
Lessons from Katanga
The Katanga crisis is over. What are the lessons? Several American experts on Africa agree the world has learned that an effective United Nations can do a better job at ending trouble than a big power rushing in by itself. "One of the chief lessons", Prof. Carl. G. Rosberg, Jr. of the University of California said today, "is that the UN Secretary-General can act as an independent and effective agent in solving major disputes if he has a reliable body of supporters". Rosberg, a political scientist specializing in African affairs, was one of several experts in American universities, the State Department, and Congress, contacted by the Associated Press and asked: "What are the lessons of Katanga?"...