FAO Quotables

"But being right, even morally right, isn't everything. It is also important to be competent, to be consistent, and to be knowledgeable. It's important for your soldiers and diplomats to speak the language of the people you want to influence. It's important to understand the ethnic and tribal divisions of the place you hope to assist."
-Anne Applebaum

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Poet of the Week from the Cote D'Ivoire: Joseph Miezan Bognini

An old school poet from the Cote D'Ivoire this week.   Here's to the hope (l'espoir) for happy days in the IC's future (A l'espoir pour les jours joyeux a l'avenir de Cote D'Ivoire).


Joseph Miezan Bognini

My Days Overgrown (from Ce dur appel de l’espoir 1960)

My days overgrown with coffee blossoms,
My childhood has lost its meaning.

The hated one has eaten
Can never be destroyed

Misfortune, I am misfortune.
And my shadow has betrayed me;
Suffering, I am suffering,
Inexperienced at the breast of mankind.

I wish you were music
Rocking the thirsty hearts from afar.

You will carry me away one day
Wrapped in white 12  Questions

1.  What’s your favorite TV show back home?

2. What’s your favorite movie?

3. What’s your favorite food?

4.  Who’s your favorite author in your country?

5.  Who’s your favorite poet?

6.  What’s a classic dessert in your country?

7.  Cultural faux-pas in your home country you most often see committed?

8.  False/true stereotypes about your countrymen?

9.  How many languages do you speak?

10.  Anything that has shocked you about the culture here in the United States?

11.  Favorite food here in the United States?

12.  What’s your favorite holiday?
robes
Into another world.

I have become a grain of sand
Drifting along trembling beaches.

You will bring me asylum
That knows the pain of this night.

You changed your face,
I took you by the hand

And we spent happy days. 



FUUO Past Poets of the Week:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2012/05/african-poets-of-week-compilation.html

Monday, December 27, 2010

Stavridis remarks at Naval Institute Honors Night: "Whispers on the Wall"

Wow, a great speech by ADM Stavridis on the importance of officers (particularly junior officers) publishing!  This is a quick read, but an important one for Foreign Area Officers especially. 

At the Navy FAO conference this past April in Monterey, RADM Lemmons (Navy FAO Flag sponsor)  specifically mentioned publishing as an essential tenet in becoming an effective FAO. 

FUUO self-criticism: blogging is great, but I need to get my act in gear and publish!

 

 

U.S. Naval Institute Honors Night: Commemorating the Naval Institute's 137th Anniversary

Keynote Address by Admiral James Stavridis, U.S. Navy

 

Whispers on a Wall 

Thank you very much, Tom, for that extremely generous and mercifully short introduction!  And let me say right up front: What a terrific group we have here tonight!  Active duty, retired, soon-to-be-Commissioned; military and civilian; public and private sectors…this is simply wonderful to see!
Great to see so many mentors from across the years here, from Fox Fallon to Tom Marfiak to Jim Barber to Fred Rainbow.  Fred gave me my start in the pages of Proceedings and I will never forget it.  And the Commandant of the Coast Guard, my good friend Bob Papp—WOW.
Distinguished guests, friends and colleagues, members of and supporters of the Sea Services…SHIPMATES, all of you—good evening! WELCOME and thank you so much for joining us.  It truly is an honor for me to be here tonight.
Thank you, Tom, for inviting me to speak at this wonderful event.  I thought I’d limit my remarks to about 2 hours?  Is that good for everyone?  Get a drink now if you need one …
I am reminded at these “honors nights” at how old I am becoming.  These are sort of the “five stages of a career,” which go like this:
ADM James Stavridis, USN  To view a slideshow of the 2010 Honors Night, click here.
“Who is Stavridis?”
“I hear good things about Stavridis”
“Get me Stavridis to work on this”
“You know, we need someone like Stavridis used to be”
And finally:
“Who is Stavridis?”
I am approaching if not passing through Stage five.
In all seriousness, before I go any further, I would like to underscore how I feel about the U.S. Naval Institute—a truly historic organization—and I would say, a “national treasure”—because of its…YOUR…OUR…tireless efforts to preserve, support and strengthen our maritime heritage and contributions to national security.
History is change.  Generally chaotic change.  And to recognize the waves that wash over us, to know the sea in which we swim, we need organizations like the Institute, with the Press and the Proceedings—highlighted by perhaps its most recognizable product Proceedings first published in 1874.  I think I submitted an article for that first volume, actually…
You continue to allow members and supporters of the Sea Services to express their thoughts, share their ideas and at times challenge the “conventional wisdom”, sailing against the current, with or without the prevailing winds, as it were.   And for that, we are stronger as a nation and I personally thank you!
Along these lines, tonight, I’d like to share just a couple thoughts I have regarding a subject that is very near and dear to my heart—and has been since I served as SALTY SAM for the class of 1976—and that is the topic of WRITING.
Over the years, I’ve often been asked three questions:
  1. Why on earth do you write all those articles and books?
  2. Where do you find the time to write given your responsibilities?
  3. Were you ever concerned that writing/publishing would put your career at risk?
During the course of these short remarks, I hope to answer all three of those questions.
The question of why I, or any potential author, would write in the first place.
First I would say, we all begin as readers.  I lived in Greece as a child and there was no television in those days, in the early 1960s.  So I became an endless reader of books, a habit that continues to this day with nearly 5,000 books in my house—what my wife Laura calls my “gentle madness.”
Voltaire, Shakespeare, Joseph Conrad, Herman Melville, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Scott Fitzgerald, Cormac McCarthy, Elmore Leonard, Ha Jin, John Updike, Ian McEwan, Peter Carey, Chris Buckley, Patrick O’Brian … I could go on and on.
ADM James Stavridis, USN  To view a slideshow of the 2010 Honors Night, click here.
But the key is that we all begin as readers.
Then something happens and you start to think … you want to be part of the conversation.  You step from reading to thinking to talking about books and ideas.
And you realize that all that reading and thinking and talking is—in the end—like trying “to nail whispers to a wall” as a writer said once.   “Writing freezes thought and offers it up for inspection.”
When you are lucky enough to be a sailor, there is an endless source of experience that connects somehow with what you have read and thought about and talked with others about.
And in my case at least, that leads to the desire to “freeze your thoughts” … to take responsibility for them, I suppose.
So I’ve written at every level—my High School paper the McClintock HS Guidon—the Log Magazine, where I was editor and then Salty Sam—Proceedings and other journals—and now blogs and posts and tweets—it is all for me the logical outgrowth of reading and thinking and learning—and hopefully freezing thought and being accountable for it.
You become part of the “great conversation” and hopefully contribute to it.
So the second question is where do I find the time to do all this writing?  First I would say going to sea, for all its busy time, has provided a space for reading, looking at the rolling ocean, and doing a little writing.  There were many times after a mid-watch when I wanted to sleep but thought—ah, just a minute or two to jot a line that came to me on a long, quiet steam across the Pacific.
And secondly, for me personally, I’ve always tried hard to manage my time carefully…to use small bits of time to chip away at important things.  If you wait until you have six hours to sit down and write an article, the odds are that you’ll never find the time.  But if you write a page or a paragraph here and there—while on an airplane or in a car ride—eventually you’ll have a good piece.  Do that in an organized way over a year, and you’ll have a book.  What seems like a big commitment in time is so often just a series of small steps.
This really isn’t that complicated.  Without oversimplifying, it has never been easier to get started. One Greek philosopher said, “If you wish to be a writer, write.” All you need are some ideas you care about and pen and paper . . . or more likely, these days, just a keyboard and a hook up to the Internet.   Today everyone has a microphone and everyone has a publisher.  We are all simultaneously experiencing our 15 minutes of fame.  So get in the mix …
My favorite pure writer, Ernest Hemingway, takes it one step further in typically descriptive language: “There is no rule on how to write.  Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly; sometimes it’s like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges.”
Now…what about the third question, the one regarding career risk?  Quite the dilemma…at first blush.  I’ve had two “career ending” moments in my 34 years in the Navy, both of which included the essential thought from a 3-star Admiral to a far junior me, “Stavridis, your career is over” based on an idea I had articulated in print.
On the other hand, maybe somewhere along the way someone noticed something I wrote and thought, “hmmm, maybe that junior officer is worth taking the time to meet with and talk to.”  Some of the best career moments I’ve had came in that way—and there were many more of them than the other type.  So it is a balance, like life generally is—a rheostat, not an on-and-off switch.
But the bottom line is that your ideas will not go anywhere unless you have the courage to “hang them out there” for others to see…
The enormous irony of the military profession is that we are huge risk takers in what we do operationally—flying airplanes on-and-off a carrier, driving a ship through a sea state five typhoon, walking point with your platoon in southern Afghanistan—but publishing can scare us badly.  We are happy to take personal risk or operational risk, but too many of us won’t take career risk.  And to compound this, sometimes mentors even advise people against publishing, because it is perceived as a “career risk.”
I don’t agree, if you are sensible, professional, and honest.
A few rules apply:
Be careful of classification.  Show a draft to your immediate boss, who shouldn’t be surprised when an article comes out.  Write about what you actually know something about.  Find the appropriate venue and write as best you can with complete honesty for that audience.  Don’t attack people personally.  All basic common sense, frankly.
You don’t have to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the CNO or a Combatant Commander to get them published, although one day you might find yourself in those shoes. After all, just look at three young officers who published in Proceedings over the years, names you might recognize: Lieutenant William F. Halsey, Lieutenant Commander Chester Nimitz, and Lieutenant Ernest J. King, Lieutenant Commander John Morgan, Lieutenant Commander Joe Sestak, Commander Frank Pandolfe. What ever happened to those guys?
In fact, Proceedings, or any professional journal, would become irrelevant without the youth of the force publishing ideas and taking interest in the greater professional conversation.    If you look at the more exciting, thought-provoking, or innovative articles “penned” today, you more than likely will find young minds behind them—Lieutenants, Lieutenant Commanders, and Commanders.  We, as senior leaders and mentors, have a solemn duty to foster and encourage this conversation, particularly the dissenting opinions, for that is where we truly learn.
Naval Institute Press Authors of the Year: ADM James Stavridis, USN and Laura Hall Stavridis  To view a slideshow of the 2010 Honors Night, click here.
You know, the vision statement of Wikipedia is very instructive in all of this.  You all know Wikipedia and use it probably most days.  It is free, full of facts inputted by thousands of writers, and a source from which millions of people draw ideas, inspiration, facts, and knowledge.  The vision statement is very simple, like all good vision statements—“A World In Which Every Human Being Freely Shares in the Sum of all Knowledge.”
I would argue that for the Sea Services this is a challenging and important time—and we need all of us—especially our young officers, to read, think, write, and PUBLISH.
In doing so, in being part of this “great conversation,” by “nailing your whispers to a wall” and “freezing thought for inspection” we all contribute to “the sum of all security.”
In the end, no one of us—no one person, no one nation, no one alliance, no one blogger—is as smart as all of us thinking together.
Thank you for your time tonight, thank you for your unending support to our maritime heritage and future strength, and God bless you all.

Admiral James Stavridis is the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. Previously, he commanded U.S. Southern Command in Miami. He began his Navy publishing life as Salty Sam at the Naval Academy in 1976, and has since published more than one hundred articles and numerous books on leadership, shiphandling, and watch-standing, including Destroyer Captain and Command at Sea.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

CCA and Fletcher School White Paper on EAC

This should be an good read!


Integration on the Frontier - The East African Community as an Investment Destination

By The Fletcher Africa Business Group and The Corporate Council on Africa
December 2010
Sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been growing at a consistent rate for over a decade, and is expected to reach beyond 5% in the coming years. This sustained expansion, absent from most of Africa since the 1970s, has raised the continent’s profile as an investment destination. The struggle, however, has been for would-be investors to find the right markets beyond Nigeria and South Africa, which tend to top most lists by virtue of their size. With the exception of those with mineral endowments, most African nations simply cannot offer sufficiently large market size to be of interest to multinational corporations (MNCs).
Independently, the member nations of the East African Community (EAC) represent mid-sized and small economies, even by African standards. But this dynamic is changed when we consider a combined EAC population of 126 million and total GDP of $80 billion. These numbers make the EAC a fast growing mid-sized market by global standards, with a GDP roughly equivalent to Vietnam’s.
The question for investors is: can we consider the EAC to be one market? The trends are certainly moving in the right direction, and those who champion the EAC as an exciting market are justified in their enthusiasm. But investors should also be mindful of the challenges that remain...

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas in Africa!

A special Merry Christmas to my friends who are deployed!


How to Say Merry Christmas


In Akan (Ghana) Afishapa

In Zimbabwe Merry Kisimusi

In Afrikaans (South Africa) Geseënde Kersfees

In Zulu (South Africa) Sinifisela Ukhisimusi Omuhle

In Swazi (Swaziland) Sinifisela Khisimusi Lomuhle

In Sotho (Lesthoto) Matswalo a Morena a Mabotse

In Swahili (Tanzania, Kenya) Kuwa na Krismasi njema

In Amharic (Ethiopia) Melkam Yelidet Beaal

In Egyptian (Egypt) Colo sana wintom tiebeen

In Yoruba (Nigeria) E ku odun, e hu iye' dun!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

FUUO Quotables


"Strategy is very difficult for many reasons, one of which is that it is neither a question of politics nor fighting power, but rather the conversion of military effort into political reward."


-Colin Gray,Professor of International Politics and Strategic Studies at the University of Reading, U.K.


"Now talk amongst yourselves question":


How does this apply to an endeavor such Africa Partnership Station?  


In other words I think it's difficult to convert that military effort into a measurable political reward.  Part of this difficulty no doubt stems from the fact that our 'political aims' (namely capacity-building)in Africa are unique when compared to traditional political aims in other regions.

Another great daily news source...this one from AFRICOM on Scribd

AFRICOM Related News Clips December 22, 2010

Why you should subscribe to the Corporate Council on Africa Daily Newsletter

Because it's a compendium of great information!  I pasted todays email below! 

                 

CCA MEMBER NEWS

Tenke-Fungurume (Freeport-McMoRan) November 2010 Newsletter
Freeport-McMoRan
Click here <http://www.africacncl.org/ps4d/E-News_11_EN_2010.pdf>  for the Tenke-Fungurume (Freeport-McMoRan) November 2010 Newsletter. 

INFRASTRUCTURE
African Development Bank Invests Over $1 Billion in African Energy Projects 
African Development Bank
In line with its strategy to boost energy infrastructure to accelerate Africa’s development, the African Development Bank Group approved over $1 billion in energy projects across the continent during the last few weeks of 2010. Read more>> <http://www.afdb.org/en/news-events/article/afdb-invests-over-usd-1-billion-in-african-energy-projects-7623/>


African Development Bank Invests $806 Million in African Transport Sector
African Development Bank
The African Development Bank board of directors approved $806.1 million loans and grants to finance a number of national and multinational transport infrastructure and related projects on the continent in the past two months. Read more>> <http://www.afdb.org/en/news-events/article/afdb-invests-usd-806-million-in-african-transport-sector-7630/>

African Development Bank Invests $100 Million African in Water Sector
African Development Bank
The African Development Bank Group has approved 3 projects in the water sector in the last few weeks amounting to $114.35 million. The Bank strongly believes supporting the sector is important to enhancing economic growth, improving living conditions as well as the health and education sectors of beneficiary countries.  Read more>> <http://www.afdb.org/en/news-events/article/afdb-invests-usd-100-million-african-in-water-sector-7626/>

Ethiopia Gets $224.3 Million Funding for Power Lines
Businessweek
Ethiopia secured $224.3 million from the African Development Bank to fund the construction of four electricity transmission lines to improve its own power supply and help development in neighboring countries, the lender said. Read more>> <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-21/ethiopia-gets-224-3-million-funding-for-power-lines.html>



Morocco Wins 300 Million Euro Loan for Rail Project
Reuters Africa
The African Development Bank has granted Morocco a 300 million euro loan to finance a rail project, the bank said on Tuesday. Read more>> <http://af.reuters.com/article/moroccoNews/idAFLDE6BK1WN20101221>

Vodacom to Explore Options for Congo Unit
Reuters Africa
South Africa's Vodacom said on Wednesday it has appointed investment bank Rothschild to explore options for its troubled unit in the Democratic Republic of Congo, signaling it may sell the business. Read more>> <http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE6BL08220101222>


EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES
India to Seek Coal Mines in Africa to Plug Shortfalls in Domestic Supplies
Bloomberg
India’s Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal said state-run companies will seek deals to buy mines in South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique when he visits the continent next month in a bid to plug a domestic shortfall. Read more>> <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-21/india-to-seek-coal-mines-in-africa-to-plug-shortfall-in-domestic-supplies.html>

Angola OKs 7 Gem Projects, Is Satisfied With Prices, Angop Says
Businessweek
Angola approved seven new diamond- mining projects this year and is satisfied with a rebound in the price of the stones, the chairman of the national gem company said, according to state news agency Angop. Read more>> <http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-12-21/angola-oks-7-gem-projects-is-satisfied-with-prices-angop-says.html>



Sasol Looks for Gas to Boost Synfuels, Chemicals Operations
Reuters Africa
South Africa's Sasol is looking for more gas across Africa and beyond to boost its production of chemicals and synthetic fuels, but may also feed it into power plants if the economics make sense. Read more>> <http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE6BL07W20101222>

Sasol's Gas and Oil Projects
Reuters Africa
South African petrochemicals group Sasol is looking for more gas across Africa and beyond to boost its chemical and synthetic fuel production, but may opt to use gas for power if the economics make sense. Below is a list of the main projects at Sasol Petroleum International, its upstream unit. Read more>> <http://af.reuters.com/article/mozambiqueNews/idAFLDE6B81H420101222>

 ECONOMY

Burkina Faso’s Compaore Plans Mining, Cotton Boost in New Term
Bloomberg
Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore wants to lure investment in gold mining and boost cotton production during his new five-year term as leader of one of the world’s poorest counties. Read more>> <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-20/burkina-faso-s-president-compaore-plans-mining-cotton-boost-in-new-term.html>

Egypt's Economy to Grow Steadily Over Next 2 Years
Reuters Africa
Egypt's economy will grow steadily over the next two years thanks to growing private investment but the expansion will be slower than that forecast by government officials, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday. Read more>> <http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE6BK0DV20101221>



Gulf Firms Wary of Investing in Southern Sudan
Reuters Africa
The semi-autonomous south -- due to vote on its future on Jan. 9 -- suffers from an almost total lack of infrastructure, but concerns over the region's stability will overshadow huge investment opportunities there, executives from major Gulf companies said. Read more>> <http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFLDE6BI04Y20101220>

AGRICULTURE


Mozambique Aims to Raise $645 Million to Fund Its National Irrigation Plan
Bloomberg
Mozambique’s government plans to raise $645 million by 2019 to finance a national irrigation project, according to a statement issued after a Cabinet meeting yesterday. Read more>> <http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-22/mozambique-aims-to-raise-645-million-to-fund-its-national-irrigation-plan.html>

African Farmers Displaced as Investors Move In
The New York Times
Across Africa and the developing world, a new global land rush is gobbling up large expanses of arable land. Despite their ageless traditions, stunned villagers are discovering that African governments typically own their land and have been leasing it, often at bargain prices, to private investors and foreign governments for decades to come. Read more>> <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/22/world/africa/22mali.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=africa>

EBCAM
Click here <http://www.africacncl.org/ps4d/EBCAM_MEMORANDUM_N_162-2010.pdf>  for English and French news articles on: strengthening food safety systems in African countries, the volume of EU development finance, an EU plan to lure African minerals, and more.


Wednesday, December 22, 2010

How to Set Up Your News Feed on Google

NOTE:  GOOGLE READER WAS DISCONTINUED IN 2013.            

I thought it would be worthwhile to explain how to set up your news feed reader on google.  For some of you this may be elementary, in which case I invite you to peruse some of my other postings (if you type "pentagonism" in the search bar it will bring up some funny past posts).
          Perhaps first I should let you know why you want to set up your google reader.  When I arrived at my current gig in the PGON I was immediately overwhelmed by both the sheer amount of information available and the huge number of countries in Africa...seriously 53 countries for two desk officers?!
         And I remember that it took me a little while to discover Google Reader and then it took me a while to figure out the best way to set it up, and the best way to use it.  Hopefully, this can save some of my readers some time.

Step 1
Get a google account...still rolling hotmail or yahoo?  You're out of luck.


Step 2

Now go to the "reader" tab.  The first time you go there you will probably see a pop up:

Getting started with Google Reader


Reader is like a magazine you design
Google Reader lets you subscribe to your favorite websites so new content comes to you when it's posted. Google Reader collects information from news sites, blogs, and other sources on the topics of your choice, and lets you read it all in one place.
 Scroll down to learn how it works





So then you can scroll down to get the basics on how it all works.  

Step 3
Now click the "add subscriptions" and paste in any websites that you read or check on a regular basis.  If you aren't sure of the address you can type in the keywords and it will give you a bunch of options of which to select.   You can also click my "FAO blog lists" if you need some ideas or starting points.
NOTE:  Please send me any of your favorites or suggestions at jackfaokruse@gmail.com

Step 4
This step isn't necessarily evident but I have found it to be the most useful.  Say you don't have a particular website you need to read but you want to know whenever a certain phrase, word, or country pops up online.  This is what Google "Alerts" are for.  


So click the "more" tab and then at the bottom there click the "even more".  This will bring up a whole list, the first of which is "Alerts".  Once you click on this, you will be able to type in the word, country or phrase.  You can also choose how often you want it updated and what sources you want searched.   NOW THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART: the last dropdown defaults to delivering to your inbox...you DON'T want this--it defeats the whole purpose of using the reader.  So change that option to "feed"  


Step 5
ENJOY using your reader every day.  It also works great on your iphone directly on the Safari browser.  


FUUO Tip:  When you read something even remotely interesting make sure you click the "star" button.  This makes it easier to find later, otherwise the articles can be hard to find once they are read.  




How do YOU get your news?  


What's your system?

Website of the Week for .mil and .gov users

If you go to intelink.gov (you can only access from a .gov or .mil computer) and pull up the "Futures Branch Strategic Research Program" off of the Africa page you will see a plethora of GREAT projects and research papers!

FUUO Truthism

If you are a Pentagon Monday Protester, it is VERY hard for me (or any of the passers-by at whom you are 'raving', literally raving at) to take you seriously when you are wearing Mickey Mouse Ears.

Period.

That is all.

This is not one of the Pentagon protesters but you get the idea.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Pentagon-ism of the Week: Bandwidth

Pentagonism of the Week

Bandwidth

Ugh.  This word litters the corridors and cubicles of the PGON.  How did people find out how busy other people were before the advent of this word? 

Like any good PGONISM this one is perfectly nebulous and is seldom used properly. 

It might serve us well to first examine a definition of bandwidth in the literal sense. 

Bandwidth: a data transmission rate, the maximum amount of information that can be transmitted along a channel. 

Bandwidth: the carry capacity of a data internconnect.  High bandwidth connections are also called high speed connection because they can transmit large quantities of data very quickly.  

Common usage:
From senior to junior officer: "Hey boss, how's your bandwidth looking next week, mine is already pretty low?"

Translation:  "Hey officer-junior-to-me-whom-I-will-patronize-by-calling-'boss', I am looking to unload a project on someone, are you unintelligent enough to tell me you're not that busy next week?"

    Perhaps, my largest issue with this typical usage stems from the english major in me.  For the most part, one's bandwidth is fixed.  If you are a sharp and intelligent officer who manages his/her time well, then you will always have a 'high' bandwidth (i.e. the ability to process a large or high amount of information or tasks).  When you are task-saturated your bandwidth might already be taken.  In this case, a more accurate and precise response might be that one's bandwidth is already full (vs. the incorrrect high or low) the next week.  


    So I implore you to buck the trend and when someone asks you how your bandwidth is, reply that your bandwidth is a fixed high-speed data connection that is 'full as always.'..... 

FUUO's Pentagonisms:





Lost Boys of Sudan Documentary

I am putting this one on my list of movies to watch.

Friday, December 17, 2010

New Africa FAO

So it's been a long journey and numerous lateral transfer applications but I finally made it and was selected to the FAO community this week!  I also found out today that I will be an AFRICOM FAO.  The upside of this is that I will only have to make minimal changes to this blog.  Perhaps most importantly, I can now add gravitas to my comments, opinions and prognostications by prefacing everything I say and write with : "As an AFRICOM FAO" (joking).

I would also like to congratulate the other 14 officers selected to the community.  

For those out there seeking to transfer to the FAO community please don't hesitate to contact me at jackfaokruse@gmail.com (I created this address a bit tongue in check a long time ago, as part of a 'if you build it, they will come' self actualization drill) as I can walk you through the process and ensure you have all the information you need.   

Monday, November 29, 2010

MUST WATCH TV TONIGHT: RESTREPO: One platoon. One valley. One year.

I missed this one when it was in the theatres this past summer, so I am excited to watch (DVR) this one tonight!  May I point you to my friend Tommy Buck's excellent review of the film for a summary.  Please take a moment and click over to it.

http://teebuck.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/film-review-restrepo/



FROM NAT GEO Website:
RESTREPO is a feature-length documentary that chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, "Restrepo," named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: the cameras never leave the soldiers; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 90-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you.

Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/restrepo-afghan-outpost-4808#ixzz16gDobImr

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Canary Islands: Gateway to Africa?

Interesting article on the possibilities that lie within the Canary Islands...I need to research this a little more.


U.S. Firms Should Invest in Canary Islands to Reach Africa, President Says

Washington, DC — In Europe, the Canary Islands may be best known as a nearby vacation spot with idyllic climate. Americans may have heard in history class that the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus provisioned and repaired his three ships in the Canaries before setting off on the journey that led him to Cuba. In Africa, the islands have been a popular transition point for those trying to enter Europe clandestinely to better their economic standing. The strategic location and its classification as an autonomous region of Spain, as well as an 'outermost region' of the European Union, are advantages. These attributes can be leveraged to boost engagement with Africa and with the United States, according to Paulino Rivero Baute, who has been president of the Canary Islands since 2007. During an interview at the offices of the Corporate Council on Africa following an address to CCA members, President Rivero outlined how U.S. companies that might be reluctant to tackle Africa's infrastructural and legal framework challenges can instead invest through his homeland.

Most of our readers probably know little about your home territory. Give us a snapshot.
The Canary Islands are situated 100 kilometers from the [west] African coast and 1,500 kilometers from Europe. I would also point out that it is the last territory between Europe and Africa to have access to the United States - and that's why the Canary Islands was so very important to Columbus's discovery of America.
President Paulino Rivero of the Canary Islands with Ambassador Robert Perry, vice president of the Corporate Council on Africa.
Because we are part of Spain, we have special status in Europe, along with other islands such as La Reunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Madeira and others. We have made great strides with regard to the wellbeing of our people, a population of two million. In the last 15 years the standard of living has made great strides. We have reached approximately the average income per capita of Spain, and we are getting close to the average income in Europe. We have wonderful infrastructure with regard to ports and airports, and we offer the services that are needed in the 21st century.
You are here speaking to U.S. companies. What are the opportunities for doing business in the Canary Islands?
The Canary Islands during the last 25 years have developed a very solid tourism sector. We welcome 12 million tourists a year. We are one of the most important tourism destinations in the world. There are other business opportunities in the local market. However, the real potential lies in Africa; in other words, using the Canary Islands as a safe platform to invest and do business in Africa.
How does that work?
The archipelago is geographically located in Africa even though its population may have European roots and has always oriented towards Europe. The Canary Islands enjoy a preferential relationship, a privileged relationship, with western Africa. Currently we have 200 companies doing business on the western coast of Africa, and also those of us from the Canary Islands are very well looked upon by Africans.
The U.S. government invests its own resources on the African continent and invests in co-operation and development because it is a way to generate security. Why is it that U.S. companies have not aligned their objectives with this co-operation and development policy? If we ask U.S. business people why they are not investing in Africa currently, they will tell you, first of all, there is legal uncertainty on the African continent and that the African continent does not offer the necessary airport and port infrastructures for easy transportation. They will also mention that human capital is severely limited and that health services, for example, are either non-existent or deficient. These obstacles are hindering U.S business people from investing in Africa. That's where the Canary Islands come in: we have an advantageous geographic position and we are looked kindly upon in Africa.
So you would like to see more partnerships between U.S companies and Canary Islands companies engaging in Africa?
Yes, we see this in two ways actually. First of all, we believe that U.S companies will take advantage of the tax benefits and incentives that the Canary Islands offer, so that they can actually establish a base there, for example preparing their products or preparing technology in order to invest in Africa.
It's also possible that U.S. businesses could establish partnerships with businesses from the Canary Islands that are already operating in Africa, although it may be too presumptuous to think that a large multinational company would want to have a partnership with a small business from the Canary Islands. They probably would be most interested in using the Canary Islands for the tax incentives and the legal certainties of our system.
You said 200 Canary Islands companies are operating in Africa. Can you give some examples?
Currently the Canary Island businesses that are most involved in Africa are those that have to do with tourism, construction and services, specifically. Other sectors also offer great opportunities, such as the water sector – anything to do with desalination, purification, the use of water – and the clean energy and technology sectors.
Tourism dominates your economy?
Heretofore, the most important economic sectors have been construction and tourism. However, we understand that we need to diversify. We have very limited physical territory on the islands, and so the construction sector cannot really continue as it did in the past. We are betting on the water sector, the clean energy sector and also trying to develop the Canary Islands as this logistical platform towards Africa.
We are considered a benchmark in these sectors in all of Europe because of the need we have had for desalination plants on the island since the 1970s and the need for clean energy. Interestingly enough, water and clean energy are two of the most important policies that need to be developed in Africa.
With your proximity to Africa, do you get involved in political issues affecting nearby states – ongoing tension between Morocco and Western Sahara, for example?
We try to manage with tact, prudence and responsibility. We have positive relationships with both parties, the Moroccans and the Polisario Front. We believe that managing with responsibility means compliance with UN resolutions.
How are you affected by problems in your region such as piracy and drug trafficking?
What has really impacted us in recent years is human trafficking, which, of course, is a tragic problem, clandestine human trafficking conducted by mafias. The problem of illegal immigration reached its peak some three or four years ago, with all these people dying at sea. It was, in my opinion, these deaths which finally coalesced European attention and brought it towards Africa.
First of all, the European Union deployed controls throughout the mid-Atlantic – that was very helpful – and then furthermore the EU (European Union) attempted to seek commitments from the African countries of origin of the majority of these illegal immigrants, and they got a commitment that these countries would put into place stricter border controls. I frankly believe that the policy with regard to illegal immigration is development, co-operation and well-being. We can't just use law enforcement to staunch this human flow, so we need to develop Africa and also offer a standard of living to Africans whereby they will want to stay in their own countries.
With regard to piracy, our region is actually calm in that regard. There is a problem in drug trafficking. We are at a crossroads because of our geographical position and, of course, we pay a great deal of attention towards this.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Poet of the Week from Botswana: Baralong Seboni

Poet of the Week from Botswana: Baralong Seboni 


Happy Thanksgiving!  This week's poet of the week is Baralong Seboni from Botswana!  Following is a link in which the poet explains the reason he writes.   I especially enjoyed his comment at the paper's closing in which he explains 'how' he writes: "I simply shut my mouth, open my mind and listen to my heart."  

I thought that his poem below was one to which I could relate.  I enjoyed that he didn't mask a straightforward message behind layers of metaphors.  Sometimes it's enough just to say it.

Love that

Inner sense
Of innocence
That craves eternally
The momentary
Experience in
The oneness
Of
twosome

Some of my favorite poetry books:

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Great article on THE investigative journalist of GHANA

Anas Aremeyaw is a Ghanaian investigative journalist who is unafraid and hungry in his unabashed pursuit of corruption and injustice.  He’s also probably the journalist on the most people’s hit list at the moment.  In short, I can’t wait for director Steven Soderbergh (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181865/) to get his hands on this story (perhaps the author of the Atlantic Monthly article, Nicholas Schmidle is working on a screenplay?!).  If Schmidle’s not working on one, then perhaps I can finagle my way over there and start on it.  

Take the ten minutes to read this article—it’s well-written and well-researched.  My only disappointment was that it wasn’t about 50 pages longer!

Photo by Steven Voss













I also wanted to give a plug for the author's book (To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan) which is available at the link below:
http://nicholasschmidle.com/toliveortoperishforever.html#buythebook2




Aww Snap! You've just got served! Is there a FAO danceoff in our future?

Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military Article
by Mark Silinsky (US Army civilian FAO- Eurasia, Russian language), was originally published in International Affairs Journal (http://www.faoa.org/) Oct 2010 edition.  Evidently, Dr. Denny Howley (FAO) published a scathing rebuttal to this article.  I have an email out to Mr. Silinksy to find this rebuttal which I have been unable to find online as of yet.  Once I receive a link to the rebuttal I will publish it here. 

The short of it all is that Silinsky is fired up and has challenged Dr. Howley to a danceoff  FAOoff public debate on the subject of his article.  He requests that the debate be held at a future FAO luncheon.  Regardless of which side of the fence you stand, this type of rigorous public debate is great!  It would certainly make the next luncheon a memorable one; and it pushes the FAO program further into the public arena. 

I have provided Mr. Silinsky's original article below for those of you who are curious.  FUUO will be monitoring the situation and keeping its readers updated.

Beyond Diversity and Tolerance: Reassessing Islam and Islamism in the United States Military