Gambia

[marktigger]

So there is a state of emergency, The foreign office is advising UK nationals to leave and travel companies are increasing flights........But Plucky UK tourists are wanting to stay put. I do hope 16 is on short NTM

[ArmChairCivvy]

A test for ECOWAS (they say something, but...)

An ECOWAS force has never gone anywhere without hitching a ride from USAF (the transport planes that local forces have take the Presidents and their kin to what ever recreational trips they fancy making).

[ArmChairCivvy]

The place only just qualifies as a country... and every one seems to be involved: https://gambia.smbcgo.com/2016/09/09/ga ... agreement/

[ArmChairCivvy]

The build up is on par with this one (an exercise)
"working alongside and mentoring local allies. SOCAFRICA’s showcase effort, for instance, is Flintlock, an annual training exercise in Northwest Africa involving elite American, European, and African forces, which provides the command with a plethora of publicity.

More than 1,700 military personnel from 30-plus nations took part in Flintlock 2016. "

It being now West Africa, half of the total comes from Nigeria, and all published participation is from countries in the region.

[abc123]

And how many British nationals could be there?

[ArmChairCivvy]

600 permanently resident - that is not counting the future President (Argos security guard in his distant past; a very likeable fellow, now under protection from assassins - who somehow, of late, have become a std feature of the political scene in various countries).

[ArmChairCivvy]

Simultaneous exit pose
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_vCr1vScRp0/ ... amas-1.jpg
... who would have known two years ago (when the picture was taken)

[Caribbean]

I wonder if the Gambia's defence deal with Russia will survive a new, internationally-recognised, President coming to power?

[ArmChairCivvy]

Nope.

But about 2 yrs ago the Russian DefSec announced in no uncertain terms that Russia will have two bases beyond the near-abroad. I would not think the airbase in Syria was on the cards then (the naval base was certainly to be maintained, so that makes 1). This very recent Putin announcement about increasing presence in the Atlantic makes me wonder where the second one was being planned to be?

[ArmChairCivvy]

The Sudan (when it was administered as part of Egypt) carried that name for a while, before "The" was dropped. For good reason , too, as fairer Egyptians used the name Blacklands for that area, to separate it from theirs. With independence the ruling elite became the Arabic part of the polulation, to whom such a description (and in plural; for one state!) was an insult.
- despite all that dressing up, there are now two Sudans

The Ukraine (Borderlands) also lost the article with independent statehood (a singular state; a concept since challenged).

The Congo? Oops, two of them - cannot be "The" just out of diplomatic politeness.

Contrary to Sudan and Ukraine, the Lebanon continued with the article long after independence. Its predecessor was the State of Greater Lebanon (1920), which became later the modern country of Lebanon. Yes, but in establishing it the French improved the population balance towards Christians ( in 1936:
- The treaty guaranteed incorporation of previously autonomous Druze and Alawite regions into Greater Syria, but not Lebanon, with which France signed a similar treaty in November)
- So Syria became "Greater" but Lebanon lost the same title, for factual reasons.
- of course, with some turbulance in international politics intervening, the independence - for both - only happened in 1945).
Blame this one on pure confusion?

The BBC expert forgot something very close to us: the United Kingdom(s) plus all those state names that are truly in plural, like the Netherlands (Holland is only part of it) and the US ( the number of which has multiplied since the enterprise was set up).

[Caribbean]

I believe that the "The" part of the name comes from the fact that it was named after "The River Gambia", which runs down the middle of the country and in the upper reaches defines it's borders (approximately 10 miles either side of the river).
Basically the name is as much a reference to the river as it is to the country

[ArmChairCivvy]

Yes, like The Congo (as it used to be).

But I was responding to this BBC line:
"The country is one of only two countries that officially have "The" attached to its name."

[Caribbean]

Ah - sorry - didn't follow the link. I was remembering something from school geography lessons <mumble, mumble, mumble> years ago