Quote Originally Posted by davidbfpo View Post
JMA posed an important strategic question, albeit with application beyond Afghanistan:

This issue appeared once briefly at an Oxford conference on international terrorism, in the Africa session; remarks were made about the Tan-Zam railway and the social consequences with dual heritage / mixed race children.

We may have a test case in Zambia, where in a democratic election the new President has indicated a different stance on foreign investors:

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15039094 For more on the new President: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15034694
Zambia is a worthy case study to watch in this regard.

This article Thanks China, now go home: buy-up of Zambia revives old colonial fears has some interesting comments:

First the 'Oops' moment (when they realise they jumped from the frying pan into the fire):

"Our textile factories can't compete with cheap Chinese imports subsidised by a foreign government. People are saying: 'We've had bad people before. The whites were bad, the Indians were worse but the Chinese are worst of all.'"
...well as they say in the classics... you make your bed now you must sleep in it.

Then a more cerebral argument:

"The government needs to be very clear about what kind of investment it wants. If it's just shipping out resources and shipping in cheap goods and people that's not to our benefit. We in Zambia need to be very careful of this new scramble for Africa. What's happening is that the Chinese are very aggressive. They have a strategic plan."
For those with a greater interest in this aspect:

China-Africa Economic Relations: The Case of Zambia