In what promises to be a funnier fight than Vladimir Putin v. Dalia Grybauskaitė or Gordon Ramsey v. Tracey Grimshaw or John “Fuck the Troops” Wight v. half a dozen members of the Golani Brigade, al-Qaeda has announced its intention to target the People’s Republic of China.
The causes are no laughing matter, though. Race-riots in the province of Xinjiang have followed prolonged low-level contempt for Uigher Islamic culture and now resulted in a typically-brutal crackdown by the PRC. The PRC has extensive mineral, oil and engineering interests in the Magreb, as well as Sudan and Yemen; and in June 2009, al Qaeda affiliates attacked a Chinese engineering site in Algeria where 24 local guards were killed.
Obviously, I do not wish for Chinese workers to be killed, and recognize the danger of the PRC being mistaken for Taiwan (which even the Royal Navy is wont to). That said, I cannot help but feel that if they pursue this threat, A-Q will soon find itself up against a state which is completely unencumbered by notions of restraint and/or craven appeasement.
In footballing terms, A-Q is like Manchester United… funded by Arab petro-dollars and accustomed only to a few consolation wins against their arch-rivals.
I love life.
Al-Qaeda loves death.
The People’s Republic of China loves killing people.
21/07/2009 at 18:47 |
Nice post Alec.