“Here in Sudan, we are a liberation movement against this new colonization and we are ready for any battle,” he said, as an emotional audience shouted slogans of support. “We defeated them before and we will again,” a New York Times article quoted today.

The President of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir is not very happy with the International Criminal Court and the United Nations Security Council, who want to arrest him.

“Sudan is raising its voice. It rejects the hegemony, the colonialists,” he said.

New Colonialism is currently affecting many African countries, and Mr. al-Bashir has no idea what it is.

New Colonialism is the systematic investment in a host country with little or no fiscal return for that country.  It happens in many African countries because a) they need money, and, b) they have land.

In Senegal, where this is happening with the Saudis, the Iranians, and the Chinese, and of course, in part, by the French.   The three former all have money–oil in the Middle East, and industry in China.  The Iranians and the Saudis primarily buy land to farm.  Farming in the desert can be difficult, it turns out, so the willingness of the Vichyian Senegalese government to sell them land on the cheap to strengthen the country’s relationships is a welcome agricultural clearance isle.  The farmers, contractors, and managers, however, are not Senegalese.

China is building several buildings as Dakar continues to expand due to international interest in its location.  Only that China is doing the building, importing both the materials and the workforce.  There are Chinese ghettos in Dakar of workers presently working, or without work (when and if they will return to China, I am not sure, but if it’s cheaper just to leave them in Senegal…).

It’s reverse out-sourcing–domestic outsourcing?–in-sourcing?–granted international companies do business in America–but not like this.  Hyundai and Toyota and Sony have to employ a high majority of American citizens, though I’m not an expert on the laws.  Needless to say, forming ghettos for imported labor would violate labor laws and piss off a few dozen unions [we would burn down their factories].

But New Colonialism is a major threat to the sustainability to developing Africa.  “You’d think that the treaties signed by the African Union would protect them from situations like this,” said one international development consultant I talked to at the Dakar Airport, “but they’re overlooked, and the income is just not reaching African governments or it’s people.” At some point some one will say “Iranian unemployment in Senegal is at 3%.  Senegalese unemployment in Senegal is at 67%.  Hmmmmm….”

All this is part of the continuing process of post-colonial Africa trying to play ball on a Western field when they should be working on their breast stroke instead.

Mr. al-Bashir is obviously insane, and his hydian notion of New Colonialism is not helping anyone.  First and foremost, New Colonialism requires a country to have exploitable financial assets available to Western and Eastern development.

Africa will continue to be exploited by countries with money until they get their act together, à la trade and labor laws.  It’s simple economics.  If there’s money to be made, it will be, regardless.  Until moderate stability reaches his region, however, Omar Hassan al-Bashir need not worry about New Colonialism.

Oh, and nice suit, by the way.