On this day in 1884, the "Berlin Conference" began when delegations from nearly every Western European country and the U.S. met in Germany to develop a set of protocols for the seizure and control of African resources.
The conference, which had no African representatives, was the first international conference ever on the subject of Africa, and dealt almost soley with the matter of its exploitation.
At the time, approximately 80% of African land and resources were under domestic control; the influence of Europeans was most strongly exerted on the coast. Following it, colonial powers began seizing resources further inland.
As a result of the conference, which continued into 1885, a "General Act" was signed and ratified by all but one of the 14 nations at the table, the U.S. being the sole exception. The Act's main features were the establishment of a regime of free trade stretching across the middle of Africa, the development of which became the rationale for the recognition of the short-lived "Congo Free State", the abolition of the overland slave trade, and the principle of "effective occupation".
The Conference's rapacious intentions for Africa were noted by outsiders: socialist journalist Daniel De Leon described the conference as "an event unique in the history of political science...Diplomatic in form, it was economic in fact."
Before the Conference ended, the Lagos Observer declared that "the world had, perhaps, never witnessed a robbery on so large a scale." Theodore Holly, the first black Protestant Episcopal Bishop in the U.S., condemned the delegates as having "come together to enact into law, national rapine, robbery and murder".
Berlin 1884: Remembering the conference that divided Africa
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The tik tok trend of reading Bin Laden's letter to America is interesting, like, on one hand, what these people are getting from it is "9/11 was revenge for the US's treatment of Iraq and Palestine" which probably resonates harder rn.
But I am a little worried about people getting to the parts about AIDS and "the jews" and being like βοΈπ§
I'm hoping people understand Bin Laden was not at all a good dude.
People shouldn't sympathize with Bin Laden, but it is absolutely a massive problem that Americans see him as a complete monster who wanted violence and destruction toward anyone who enjoys freedom/western Civilization/Christianity. His specific grievances and rhetoric make so much of the American justification for the gwot fall apart.
"And in that regard, I say to you that security is an important pillar of human life, and that free people do not compromise their security.
Contrary to what [President George W.] Bush says and claims -- that we hate freedom --let him tell us then, "Why did we not attack Sweden?"( ...)
We fought with you because we are free, and we don't put up with transgressions. We want to reclaim our nation. As you spoil our security, we will do so to you."
Is the kind of framing that was absolutely unavailable to Americans in the 2000s
I agree that the tapes should be out there and available cause it puts the war on terror into a perspective that should be remembered. Inlived through it, I remember the tapes coming out in the first place and that's the Era I got mad and never stopped being mad. I'm saying I think we can give enough credit to most people that their default is bin laden was not a good guy and the fact he had some points doesn't make him cool. Those who wanna tske notes on the antisemitism stuff also hate Muslims unless they're also antisemitic Muslims, in which case, they're probably already well aware of what Bin Laden thinks.
he came from an extremely rich family too lol