This U.S. Senator’s gratuitous insult

When asked recently about the tragic abduction of Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram, he said: “If the U.S. knew where the kidnapped girls were, I certainly would send in U.S. troops to rescue them, in a New York minute I would, without permission of the host country. I wouldn’t be waiting for some kind of […]

When asked recently about the tragic abduction of Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram, he said: “If the U.S. knew where the kidnapped girls were, I certainly would send in U.S. troops to rescue them, in a New York minute I would, without permission of the host country. I wouldn’t be waiting for some kind of permission from some guy named Goodluck Jonathan.”  McCain is hardly the first person to find mirth in Jonathan’s first name. But the comment is dismissive, and smacks of a kind of contempt one wonders he would express for other world leaders. Probably not.
 There are many reasons to find fault with Jonathan’s style of government, despite promises that he would strive to meet people’s aspirations and lead a government that would be humble enough to know its place. All this makes for good sound byte, but where is the meat? McCain goes on in his interview to claim that Nigerians wouldn’t mind U.S. forces parachuting imperiously into their forest provided it led to the girls’ rescue. The Nigerian government requested International assistance, yes; but to assume there would be “nothing but gratitude” is simplistic, if not patronizing. No government, particularly one in a democracy, faced with a noisy opposition, wants to look helpless in the face of foreign powers. Jonathan’s government must do more, but McCain’s bluster hardly helps.

 Ahmed Abdulrahman, Kaduna <[email protected]>;