Two men, Similar and Different (Soccer War pg.95-115)

Do Ben Bella and Meursault have something in common or are they completely different? As I began reading The Soccer War by Ryzard Kapuscinski I started thinkis what this book had in common with The Stranger. I then decided to compare the main character of the The Stranger (Meursault) with one of the characters of The Soccer War. As discussed on the precious blogs, Meursault is a very different person from the rest of us. He does not show feelings at all, he is very straigh forward and honest. However, Ben Bella is said to be brave and original. "Ben Bella tried to create the conditions in which youth could develop, to free slaves, to fight for the rights of women: Algerian women despaired when they heard that ben Bella had been removed; they dressed in mourning." This quotation is very interesting because it says Ben Bella fought for women's rights while Meursault did not care when Raymond hit his mistress. This quotation clearly demonstrates a difference in their believes and ways of living their lifes. Another difference is, that Meursault did not care about anyone, he could not care less about his girlfriend, his neighbor, his boss etc... Meanwhile, Ben Bella cares for the people, and wants to handle Algeria for this reason.

An example of a similarity in their personalities is their personal strenght and confidence towards themselves. "He was so sure of himself that he felt the moment had come to deal with his main opponent, the very force that had carried him into power, that for three years had stood not so much behind him as beside him-the army." This quotation is an example of Ben Bellas strength and confidence. Another example is, He believed in his own strength, in his own star, in his own popularity." Some people believe in themselves, others live their whole life regreting their every move, I believe Meursault and Ben Bella are both very brave and in some way proud of who they are. This is the last connection related to the novel The Stranger.
Taking into consideration that the auther of The Soccer War was actually present in all the wars he describes, I am ancious to see what will happen next!