Am I Shot Or Not?

January 16, 2001 5:03 PM

Am I Shot Or Not? (Yeah, I know, but Ashcroft stories are boring.) The Belgian embassy says that Kabila has been assassinated; the British embassy isn't so sure. Strangely, if he has been killed, it's likely to improve the prospect for peace, as the surrounding nations will try to use the power vacuum as an opportunity to negotiate themselves out of the civil war.
posted by holgate (7 comments total)

You're feeling pretty optimistic eh Nick? It sure seems like the opposite effect is a safer bet given the history: what's the incentive to give up now, just when the country is set to plunge into (further) disarray?
posted by sylloge at 6:22 PM on January 16, 2001

I suppose my optimism stems from a general feeling, led by South Africa, that the DRC's neighbour will seize upon the opportunity to get out of this mess, rather than use the instability to gain any short-lived advantage on either side. Congo/Zaire has always been a lost cause for those wanting to create a power bloc in centra Africa. Fingers crossed, yeah?
posted by holgate at 1:26 AM on January 17, 2001

That's the worst headline I've seen on Meta in months.

:-)
posted by baylink at 9:59 AM on January 17, 2001

Why, thank you.
posted by holgate at 10:51 AM on January 17, 2001

Well, my fingers are crossed too. Some of the analysis has shared your optimism, which is nice to hear. (Perhaps things'd be better if we got rid of the diamonds. I could take them, if that would help things out at all.) Kind of strange that the death is still being denied by state radio, etc. though. That makes me nervous, but it would be so nice to see a little more light from Africa. One day ...
posted by sylloge at 1:46 AM on January 18, 2001

holgate: thanks for posting on my 'mefi birthday'. i dedicate the rest of this thread to you, everyone's favorite missing mefite.
posted by mlang at 11:07 AM on March 4, 2002

martino = you are such a dork
posted by goneill at 11:57 AM on March 4, 2002