MA-L,

Neither point.

I think it is an issue that disappears from view and then pops up. Not just Westerners either, I recall a comment that China had hundreds of thousands of citizens in Africa now; in Grenada there is a sizeable contingent of construction workers who show no sign of leaving.

It is not just in a crisis that the issue applies. How will these expatriate communities influence decisions and even more so when the links are historical? Ivory Coast is one example, with a large French military presence.

Tom has written on the interventions in Congo forty plus years ago.

Bob's World has asked about strategic intelligence and warning in another thread; this is one issue we need to watch.

Incidentally evacuation of Western and other nationals from 'Chaos Country' is not always easy, especially if there is no coastline.

davidbfpo