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Geoff, Dave,
Both of you are absolutely right. The trick is to try and strike a balance to steer through these threats, mitigate where possible, but not be diverted.
I maintain that the choice to go ahead with the Dakar should have been down to the riders and drivers. They should have been fully briefed on the concerns and asked to make their own minds up. I bet that the majority would have gone ahead.
The problem that we have these days in our own comfortable world is that we've forgotten that freedom ain't free. Maintaining that freedom does mean taking risks, sometimes at an individual level. This is why the Rally participants should have been consulted, rather than leaving the decision to organisers which were at the receiving end of strong arm lobbying from fearful armchair strategists and politicians in Paris.
I'm sure that the Mauri gvmt and army would have moved heaven and hell to do what they could to ensure security, as would the authorities in Western Sahara. Indeed, an opportunity for improved cross border cooperation between two rival countries may have been lost.
One of the things that I've always liked about the travel and overlanding side of life is that even though risks are sometimes taken to complete a journey or country, people who would possibly not otherwise often see westerners get exposed to us and mostly in a positive way. We may not set out to influence hearts and minds, but we do leave an impression with the people we meet. I hesitate to use the term 'ambassadors', but in a small way we are. We show the quiet faces of ordinary people from our countries. Faces that are masked by the sometimes catastrophic foreign policy decisions of our Governments.
If we stay away, then sometimes all that's left is the propaganda of those who would wish to do us down. Fear and suspicion is fostered and in a few extreme cases radical views can gain a foothold.
Cancelling the rally gives those negative views a firmer foothold.
Therefore measured risks should sometimes be taken, if only to provide a more positive view of our society which can be generated by those of us who reach out to other societies by the nature of our travel. 'They ain't all bad' is a better view for citizens of developing countries to hold of us. Better that, than let anti western radicalism have a free hand to form opinions.
Freedom ain't free, but simple things, like travel and mixing with other cultures and peoples means that it doesn't have to be that expensive either.
I just hope that the Dakar cancellation hasn't made life for us 'independants' just that tiny bit more awkward. (though going by the Plymouth/Dakar Rally field reports, Mauri is still just fine for travel)
Well, that's enough of my armchair ranting. In 10 days I'll be in Mauritania with Barbara and the GS. It will be interesting to see if anything has changed since our last visit.
Regards
Craig
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