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Geopolitics

Car Bomb Targets French Embassy In Libya

20 MINUTES, LE MONDE, LE FIGARO (France), REUTERS

Worldcrunch

PARIS – French President François Hollande has condemned a car bomb attack that hit France's embassy in Libya’s capital Tripoli early Tuesday, injuring two French guards.

"France expects the Libyan authorities to shed light on this unacceptable act so that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice," Hollande said in an official statement quoted by 20 Minutes.

The explosion, caused by one or two booby-trapped cars according to Le Monde, left the French embassy badly damaged. A diplomatic source quoted by French daily Le Figaro says up to 60% of the building was destroyed.

A member of staff from #french #embassy arriving to asses damage and attend to wounded personnel #tripoli #libya twitter.com/Eh4b10/status/…

— Ehab ايهاب (@Eh4b10) April 23, 2013

This is the first attack on a French target since the end of the 2011 war that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, in which France took the lead role.

No one has yet claimed responsability for the bombing, but Reuters notes that al Qaeda's north African arm AQIM has warned of retaliation for France's intervention in Mali – while Le Monde mentions France’s involvment in the crackdown against militias in Tripoli as a potential reason for the attack.

Scene at st of #french #embassy before firefighters arrived to put out the flames, only 1 eye witness #libya twitter.com/Eh4b10/status/…

— Ehab ايهاب (@Eh4b10) April 23, 2013

In September, an attack against the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi in eastern Libya killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

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Ideas

The Colonial Spirit And "Soft Racism" Of White Savior Syndrome

Tracing back to Christian colonialism, which was supposed to somehow "civilize" and save the souls of native people, White Savior Syndrome lives on in modern times: from Mother Teresa to Princess Diana and the current First Lady of Colombia, Verónica Alcocer.

photo of a child patient holding hand of an adult

Good intentions are part of the formula

Ton Koene / Vwpics/ZUMA
Sher Herrera

-Analysis-

CARTAGENA — The White Savior Syndrome is a social practice that exploits or economically, politically, symbolically takes advantage of individuals or communities they've racialized, perceiving them as in need of being saved and thus forever indebted and grateful to the white savior.

Although this racist phenomenon has gained more visibility and sparked public debate with the rise of social media, it is actually as old as European colonization itself. It's important to remember that one of Europe's main justifications for subjugating, pillaging and enslaving African and American territories was to bring "civilization and save their souls" through "missions."

Even today, many white supremacists hold onto these ideas. In other words, they believe that we still owe them something.

This white savior phenomenon is a legacy of Christian colonialism, and among its notable figures, we can highlight Saint Peter Claver, known as "the slave of the slaves," Bartolomé de Las Casas, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Princess Diana herself, and even the First Lady of Colombia, Verónica Alcocer.

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