COVID-19 Aid to Africa Helps Counter Terrorist, Chinese Threats

Besides the threat to the economy and civil liberties domestically, the COVID-19 pandemic’s worldwide implications should also have the United States on alert and working right now on the looming threat of resurgent terrorism.

Christopher Arps

In a RedState-published commentary, Project 21 member Christopher Arps suggests that the U.S. should be helping the governments of Cameroon, Nigeria and other countries threatened by the brutal Boko Haram terrorist army.

Praising the Trump Administration’s plan to send surplus ventilators to Africa to help with COVID-19 relief efforts, Christopher advocates for an increased American role on the African continent:

It’s easy to shrink from this fight right now. We have an urgent fight in our own country, and countless other countries are waging their own battles.

But the challenge of these moments is that they can take a lurking problem like Boko Haram and turn it into a much worse issue once the crisis du jour is done.

Not only is this the right thing to do from a humanitarian perspective, but Christopher explains that this can also help stave off the growing geo-political threat of China in the region:

At a time when countries are rightly going to question China’s role in and response to COVID-19, it helps the U.S. presence in this region if we can credibly be seen helping people on the ground, providing supplies, and continuing to safeguard the oceans and borders that make it possible for those materials to reach people safely.

Saying that the pandemic should not be a “distraction” that terrorists can seize as an “opportunity,” he adds:

The time for closer partnerships and a renewed commitment is now—before the situation gets out of our control.

To read all of Christopher’s commentary – “COVID Will Pose a Fresh Threat That We Must Face – The Terrorist Threat” – at RedState, click here.

 



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