If you work for the government, military, defense community, academic community, etc, you may want to give this a close look:
“Some of the world’s lead experts on Africa are convening a symposium to discuss security issues on the continent at Maxwell Air Force Base on February 13th. Co-hosted by the Air Force research Institute, the AF’s brand new strategic think tank which advises the AF Chief of Staff, and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA), the day-long event promises to cover Somali piracy, militias in Congo, Hezbollah terrorists around the region and many other critical topics. It is open to the military and governmen, civilian academics, and interested others who request an invitation. For more, and to register, go to www.asmeascholars.org.“
Africa is the largest vacuum in the world and thus the most fertile ground for the breeding of dangerous non-state actors (the Somali piracy issue being proof enough of that fact). If you’re in the military and do anything with irregular warfare, this could be an easy, interesting TDY — though I’d recommend that anyone with interest in the regional or functional study of irregular warfare attend.
–John Noonan
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If you really want to work in and be effective in Africa you need to learn and practice the art of corruption. It is the only way they know how to do business. It is all about the bribe.