Re: 2nd/3rd rate powers - and now Africans...

----- Original Message -----
From: "Adrian Johnson" <adrian.johnson@sympatico.ca>
> >
> >Um, don't look now, but that "technological advantage" thing happens
to
be
> >one of the most major factors that you have to consider when
assessing
> >whether a military force is 1st, 2nd, or whatever rate.

This thread keeps oscillating back and forth between 'Nation A's small
unit
skills are good/crap/whatever', 'Nation A's units are well/poorly
equipped
and supplied' and 'Nation A can win a war against Nation B/C/all comers'
.
The three questions are only vaguely related.

> Look, the original question was (to paraphrase Beth):
>
> "Why does everyone dump on the PAU and assume they're crap?"
>
> and John Atkinson's response was (again to paraphrase):
>
> "Because Africa has never produced good professional militaries,
except
the
> South Africans"
>
> MY point was that there are, as I and Karl have pointed out, a number
of
> relatively recent (within the past 200 years) examples of very
competent
> African fighting forces.

Another example is the original Zulu force under Shaka, which by all
accounts was an excellent professional force and kicked ass against all
the
tribes around, i.e.those at the same technological level but less well
organised.

> Karl and I are saying "not necessarily".  Maybe they have really good
units
> that are completely foreign led.  Heck, there is an "Afrikaner
officer,
> with shades and big bush hat, standing with rifle" as part of the PAU
SG
> line...

BTW. that's a hint that South Africa *is* part of the PAU. Together with
Namibia, Rhodesia (after Mugabe) and some of the less head-line grabbing
but
halfway-organised other states, there are enough seeds to PHB Africa
back to
a decent situation.

Greetings