That’s what’s up Congrats man Purdue is a great school, I am planning to go to either Purdue or UMD for my masters (preferably UMD) that’s why I was asking
What city do you live and work in ?
At its core we’re basically saying the same thing just from different starting premises
I don’t think the international system is as multipolar as many of us would like to believe. The Western order is facing minor headwinds but is overall poised to deliver a devastating blow to its ascendant rival unless we all work together (where I fundamentally believe we aren’t going to)
To that end I also think A more coherent African bloc is essential and Nigeria is the lynchpin of that, easily the most important country in presenting that front. However unlike you I don’t see Nigeria as strong. But incredibly weak and fragile which is why I advocate for Dengs strategy of biding your time and aligning with the great power of the international system. To profit from that system, and build strength all while we build a common bloc (I see ECOWAS as making more sense than the EU)
But that will not happen by “playing both sides” western manufacturing and western capital is wise to the Strat the PRC pulled. It’s why it’s more attuned to the geopolitical alignment of its new destination markets.
And at the end of It, we need that power that comes from industrialization more than anything else. Which is why for me, I don’t care who gives it, we take who ever gives it. However core disagreement if I can boil it down simply is that:
1) Nigeria and Africa more broadly is weak (where as you believe we are strong or atleast stronger than I do)
2) To build that strength we must industrialize (on this we both agree)
3) Industrialization will come from the investment of already industrialized nations. However I think these nations will not be willing to invest unless they can trust us, and as global trust breaks as the geopolitical camps become more radicalized, playing both sides will be an unsuccessful strategy (whereas you think it will)
4) Geopolitcal security will become ever more paramount as the conflict heats up and countries look to “lock in” neutral actors, especially those of high significance and thus I advocate that we analyze our interests and align with the bloc we most agree with and take ourselves off the chess board. Precisely because we are weak.
Whereas because you see us as stronger than I do, you think we can stand up to the machinations of both blocs. I do not. Especially given precedent.
Your big brain solution for struggling students with like it’s money and time is to…
Go eat out ?
Please help me tell him 🤦🏾♂️
Bro. Please just stop
And also you’re the arrogant fool telling people that they should eat ramen rather than what they wish to eat
Imagine the arrogance and stupidity to tell people what kind of meals they should be able to eat. Look if you wanna eat 10 minute meals, that’s on you bro. I don’t give a fuck if you wanna subsist on a diet of ramen and get your macros and micros from it good luck
But please have more humility and stop being a disgrace to your people. You were just an incredible asshole, a still despite better judgement still keep standing on the grounds of ignorance play acting as someone with a semblance sense.
It is clear for anyone who spent more than 5 seconds before they commented to see.
Oh so just eat like Americans… got it
Some of us come from cultures with very robust culinary foundations
(And I hate doing this cause I feel Americans get way too much unfair flack but your statement is just batshit stupid to people from other cultures)
What does this even mean ?
Saying the world people like me are trying to build is ridiculous. This is why I don’t take this argument seriously because it does wish to actually confront the realities of the international system.
You can keep saying the world needs to decentralize from now to kingdom come but that’s not practically what’s happening especially as the systemic conflict heats up. And I argue we be smarter about this than the first time around we went at this.
Lumumba refused alignment with either side trying to balance things, not “opened his mouth against the west” he got fucked. Mobutu while starting out as a western plant basically drifted into non alignment by the late 80s, again to similarly predictable outcomes.
My preference would be an ECOWAS Bloc but there is no infrastructure on the ground for that least of all not when West Africa is already a site of deep conflict between great powers. However the geopolitics on the ground offer us a way out of it though a firm alliance and subsequent coalition building.
Thinking as a weak country one can accomplish anything within the system by yourself is a recipe to disaster. If we can’t build a coalition, we better freaking join one before we become the play things of the great powers yet again. As a Nigerian avoiding that is my number one priority rather than the pretense independence that only delivers strife and conflict from opposing great powers.
You quite literally brought up a Bloc. And one that doesn’t even make your argument sef upon closer inspection to begin with.
Why do you think countries form Blocs ? For fun ? The reason ASEAN countries can chart the path they are attempting is because it can act collectively through the mechanism of ASEAN. And even at that the closer and of greater interest to the Hegemons, the more independence becomes a white elephant.
This is why the Philippines clearly chose a side, to remove itself from that equation, the next closest is Vietnam and whoa, would you look at who they started running naval drills with 👀 (certainly not the one that killed millions of them in the 1960s and 70s) Thailand is firmly pro American and has been since the 1940s, was even part of SEATO, Cambodia and Laos are basically PRC vassals (since the 70s), there is little to no practical US influence in them.
The only ASEAN country that can chart a full independence course is Indonesia (and even at that it is tentative)
So frankly bro that’s a bad example you gave.
The idea that Nigeria is going to play the great powers off each other is batshit insane. The sort of suicidal thinking that makes a Congo. That’s why Nigeria is firmly aligning itself with the Westerners, cause the natural synergy there allows subcontracting/ lieutenantship over the West African region while offering benefits from being part of the largest Bloc in the world.
And this idea that choosing a side means you can’t do trade is ridiculous. The US is Chinas largest trading partner for Christ sake so that isn’t why you chose a side. The sides aren’t chosen for the economics, it’s for the GEOPOLITCS. Confusing trade policy, which is open with geopolitical alignment is a rookie mistake.
And lastly concerns about “interests” and “independence” are frankly superfluous. Almost no countries in the international system are independent. The Freaking United Kingdom, easily one of the 10 most powerful countries in the international system has to answer to its Hegemon. And that’s how it is up and down the chain. You either have a good place in the order (A Japan, a Australia, a Turkey, a Israel, a Saudi Arabia) or you delusionally believe you can carve “true independence” when even Russias fortunes are subject to US and Chinese games of influence as Hundreads of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians die in the fields of Europe. (Again, Ukraine did not choose a side till it was too late, a mistake the other Eastern Europeans didn’t make)
Abeg make we shine our eye, the world is not for the foolish and it is CERTAINLY not for the weak to think they can catch one on the strong. Align yourself with a Hegemon and comport yourself sharply make you no become hashtag.
Again I fear it is because the players have a vested interest to keep it forgotten like I said
Look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for example. It is primarily a PR war at this point. One side has won in all but extermination and the only hope the other side has to survive is to keep the salience of the issue high enough (hence the dramatic events of Oct 7)
Congo is not like that, the organized entities are not at risk of wiping each other out and the only people who get fucked are the civilians and pfff who tf cares about African civilians amarite ?
This is why this is a disgrace to us as a continent. There is this tacit acceptance in all of our countries that “it doesn’t matter” and because of that, it doesn’t.
And to wrap it up, the only reason why we are comfortable with that stance is because the belligerents to the conflict have no interest in raising its salience.
Nah even the gulf countries are propaganda too.
But Yh. As to 6 the reason a lot of my changes are either Infrastructural: physical, geopolitical, political Is because it is very hard to change infrastructure once it has been set in place.
The true succes of a revolution is not in its tumult or violence or how much it can turn things on their heads, but in the order it is able to achieve afterwards. This is why I am so adamant that the right political system, has to be the guardrail for the right policy.
As to no 4 I frankly believe ECOWAS is the future of Nigeria and the broader West African region in general. Trying what the Europeans did a half century ago or what the British colonies of the new world did 250 years ago is the way we can gain the collective bargaining power to act in unison. And because we’d be doing it in the name of one of the empires (preferable the one with actual power in the region 🇺🇸) we would be mostly left alone similar to how they did when their loyal Alies did the same either in Europe, the Middle East, the Americas, East Asia etc.
Use that space we are given to create regulating institutions that can curb the worst excesses of domestic governments. Again… similar to the institutions the EU has to keep European Countries sailing in one boat.
I’m sorry but this is just false. And it is this precise misconception that has fucked our continent over for so long.
Look at the geopolitics of all middle powers in the system. All, without exception.
Regardless of continent.
Weather you’re talking Mexico to Turkey, Pakistan to South Korea, Morocco to Thailand
The only ones who play both sides are the countries that get fucked. Even going back to antiquity. From Yugoslavia, to Belgium, to Congo, to Melos from the days of the Peleponesian war.
Alignment with the Hegemon who most suits your vision within the international system is how you carve out a middle power space within the broader heirachy
The history of geopolitical neutrality (especially without the armed force to back it up) is a very clear one. It doesn’t turn out well for you. Especially as the geopolitical stakes get ratcheted up and either side thinks they can land you deciceivly in their camp. You become their play thing.
1) Just word for word what you did
Even though deep down I don’t know if it’s feasible
2) Partner with either Exon or Sinopec (I really don’t care tbh which superpower ) to develop oil extractive infrastructure and reinvest that into light to medium industry to try to steal manufacturers leaving China for cheaper places
Use the increased energy production to finally solve the energy infrastructure and generation problem once and for all. Oil, Nuclear, Natural gas, Geothermal, Mandela spinning in his grave idc.
3) Partner with either the US or PRC fully. None of that play both sides brain rot that keeps getting us Africans fucked thinking we can play Hegemon when in fact we are the board the deficate on if they don’t see us as valuable.
I’m looking for a role similar to what Turkey or Israel is to the US in West Africa. A proper regional alliance with a rising regional power. (Offers way more than believing yourself to be india no 2 and getting fucked, even india got fucked off the play both sides nonsese)
4) Capitalize of regional instability and tie weaker neighborhoods together in common economic and security pacts (loyal to which ever Hegemon I chose of course)
Use the increased capital from the preferential access to one of the two blocs to reinvest in developing robust government feedback systems
5) Restructuring… re write the Nigerian constitution in a far more decentralized manner giving states far more economic autonomy while being more strict in matters of internal security
6) Abolish first past the post voting systems and develop a proportional representation system that allows for the flourishing of different blocs of coalitional interests (I don’t care if they’re ethno religious in fact I’m counting on it)
Abolish the presidency, replace with a PM and council of technocrat’s elected by university faculty, Research institutes, major industries and all citizens with a bachelors degree, retain senate.
A lot of more constitutional changes but let me not go too much into that.
7) Agree with you 100% on getting diasporas inflows but this time from all black peoples (make Nigeria the black Mecca they dream of even if just by propaganda)
8) Use these increased funds to build more infrastructure to create more manufacturing to build more infrastructure and in and on. Create SEZs for foreign and domestic corpos with special laws to incentivize entrepreneurship (make sure to steal as much foreign tech and expertise as possible)
Massive electricity, internet, rail and transit rollouts especially in major cities like Lagos, Abuja, PH etc. also massively expand the ports to aid with our South Korea esque project.
9) Engage in massive propaganda that’ll make the Japanese and South Koreans blush and massively push our culture and stories around the world. Get people bought into the Nigeria story and create natural constituencies in foreign governments and civilian populations that’ll view us in a favorable light. Do not make Israel-esque mistakes.
10) Retire slowly (no more than a decade in power) gradually placing key supporters and promising individuals in positions of power so there’s no sudden power vacuum when I leave… my successor should be obvious to anyone and have gain enough support to stand on his/her own two feet
11) Retire knowing I’ve done my best and it is up to my people and the forces of history now.
I’m Open to critiques and recommendations on any of the points be as thorough as you need to be all I ask that you please be cordial 😌
Oh solid I get it sometimes the vibe of a place is just off
Why did those schools concern you particularly
I didn’t hear much about them
And which school did you eventually accept that was a more safe space
WW2 also lasted for only 6 years and was fought at the centers of the international system at the time
Right in the heart of the world of the powerful
The reason the Congo Wars are so… opaque Is because the nature of the conflict itself is opaque It’s belligerents do not see any need to be transparent about their interests or actions carried out to their ends.
Everyone who’s actually fighting the wars have vested interests in keeping it inaccessible to the lay man. So they can both give themselves cover and craft whatever narrative they need to help them in the international arena
Lol As if that’s something achievable on an international platform rather than just getting fucking strong
No, Nationalism is the great conqueror
There is no where that Nationalism has gone up against any other ideology where it hasn’t absolutely bodied
Liberalism, Socialism, Capitalism, Anarchism, Islamism, even Fascism. It doesn’t matter where or when, the ideology always looses to nationalism. The great killer of empires.
A dedicated project of national construction will pretty much fight to the death and adopt any ideology I needs to survive. Cough Vietnam 🇻🇳 . And in the process destroy even the most unassailable empires (lest we forget the USSR)
And it is precisely due to the intensity with which nationalism manifest itself that the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, (the real one not the make belief happening on campuses around the country), is so intractable. Two dueling nationalism.
Imagine being this much of an asshole That’s crazy bro
I feel this way out of school and delusional Lu believe a master/PHD will help
Ultimately it might just be the misfortune of timing and location the great enemies of love.
These things are random and we cannot predict when we’ll find someone The best we can do is push along and continue to hold our heads up high as we endeavor to be the best versions of ourselves we can.
Don’t fret over it bro, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
334 Was truly fortunate, Changed my life trajectory.
Congrats man
2024 Grads - what have you been up to since graduating?
csMajors