Nigerian National Anthem on played on a sax breathless

Guess who's turning 50? Nigerian Independence Anniversary

Adapted from a winning entry in 1959 by then student Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi

       So my lovely wife and I are headed to the Nigerian Embassy this Friday afternoon for their 50th Independence Anniversary celebration.  In honor of that I have included their national anthem as well as their national pledge.  Supposedly it's recited immediately after the anthem.  Hopefully we will find out if this is true or not. 

        You will notice that the newer anthem changes from serving the fatherland, whereas before it sang of service to the motherland.  1978 was when the control of the Nigerian government shifted from one of military rule to that of a democracy (albeit a markedly corrupt one through 1984).   So I would guess there is something in the diction change surrounding a shift from 'motherland' colonial-esque military rule to that of ancestral communal 'fatherland' rule.  But then again, supposedly the lyrics of their anthem were formed by taking the best of 5 entries from a national contest so I wouldn't read to much into it. 

Here's a link to a youtube video if you want to listen to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kkD81X57Ug&feature=player_embedded

"Arise, O Compatriots" (1978-present)

Arise, O compatriots,
Nigeria's call obey
To serve our Fatherland
With love and strength and faith.
The labour of our heroes past
Shall never be in vain,
To serve with heart and might
One nation bound in freedom, peace and unity.
O God of creation,
Direct our noble cause;
Guide our Leaders right:
Help our Youth the truth to know,
In love and honesty to grow,
And living just and true,
Great lofty heights attain,
To build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.

Nigeria We Hail Thee" (1960-1978)

Nigeria we hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribes and tongues may differ,
In brotherhood we stand,
Nigerians all are proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.
Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign,
In peace or battle honour'd,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.
O God of all creation,
Grant this our one request,
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed,
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed.

Nigeria's National Pledge

(The National Pledge of Nigeria is recited immediately after the Anthem)

I pledge to Nigeria my country,
To be faithful, loyal and honest,
To serve Nigeria with all my strength,
To defend her unity,
And uphold her honor and glory,

So help me God.

Soyinka forms new political party in Nigeria

Wole Soyinka, the first African to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature (and former FUUO Poet of the Week) has created and launched a new political party in Nigeria!


The Democratic Front for a People's Federation (http://www.dfpf.org/) is the name of the party and their goal is to improve health and education in Nigeria while battling corruption (good luck with that, pun intended?). 


Now only time and research will tell how strong this party will be (or if Soyinka plans to run) but for now I just think its cool that such a literary figure such as Soyinka is officially (really his whole life has been part of the Nigeria's political landscape)entering into the political scene. 


To put this into perspective for those not familiar with the 76 year old poet, it would be as if Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Walt Whitman, Maya Angelou or Emily Dickinson created a political party in the United States.

I wonder if he will use a speechwriter, or if he will continue to craft his own words...lines like:

This music's plaint forgives, redeems
The deafness of the world.  Night turns
Homewards, sheathed in notes of solace, pleats
The broken silence of the heart.

http://wolesoyinka.blogspot.com/

FUUO loves "Lighting Up Africa"

So, FUUO was a little late to this party, but I finally got around to reading my July issue of FORTUNE and came across this excellent  and short article by Brian Dumaine.

The article shows how empowerment of those in need (in this case through microloans) can be successful vice dumping billions of unaccounted for dollars into often corrupt governments.  Perhaps the best part about the entire article is the picture is shows of the young child using the lighting to do homework!  Imagine that!

Please visit their website to read more about the African Entrepreneurs!

http://nurulight.com/




Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/25/technology/brainstorm_green_lighting_africa.fortune/index.htm

Poet of the Week from the Congo: Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard

Poet of the Week from the Congo: Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard

This week's poet of the week: Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, hails from the DRC where he was born in 1938. Educated at the University of Bordeaux, he returned to his native country becoming a leader within the Congolese cultural movement.  He died in 2009.

Following is one selection from his Poems of the Sea or Les Poemes de la Mer.  I think his impuissance is powerful and I look forward to reading it in full:

Impuissance

Si j'etais faiseur de pluies comme feu mon grand-père
Je pousserais dans l'ombre ce scarabée de jour
Qui roule déjà sa grosse boule de soleil
Par tous monts et vaux de mon ame

And now my very loose and quick translation for my non-francophone readers:

Impotence (or powerlessness)

If I was a rainmaker like my late grandfather

I would push in the shadow of this sad day

that already rolls the sunshine

past all the valleys and mountains of my soul

"Tati-Loutard made his mark on Francophone poetry as a leader of the generation that followed Leopold Senghor and David Diop. Where Senghor and Diop sought to use their voice to break away from the confining rhyming verse of the earlier works of Birago Diop and Jean-Joseph Rabearivelo in favor of a free rhetorical verse, Tati-Loutard has worked to develop the stature of Francophone African poetry through a return to more classical styles of un-rhyming meter. As a student of Aimé César's "Negritude," Tati-Loutard seeks a black voice to answer the challenges of the human condition.
           He won the Prix des Lettres African Alioune Diop in 1982 for "New Congolese Chronicles" and the All Africa Okigbo Prize for Poetry in 1987 for "The Tradition of Dream" and in 1987 he also won the Black Africa Literary Grand Prix for "The Story of Death"."

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Tati-Loutard
http://web.uflib.ufl.edu/cm/africana/tati.htm
http://books.google.com/books?id=gt07FgJovZEC&pg=PA584&lpg=PA584&dq=tati+loutard+poemes+de+la+mer&source=bl&ots=Z_9I05sPRL&sig=Jy1x0MuLdXFksM8D2Awu-HJ6o-4&hl=en&ei=euuhTIiDHML7lweSvoDhBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=tati%20loutard%20poemes%20de%20la%20mer&f=false


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

Some of my favorite poetry books:

Naval Forces Europe, Africa Says Successful Africa Partnership Station Evolving

Naval Forces Europe, Africa Says Successful Africa Partnership Station Evolving

Comments on this to come.

Questions that need to be answered:

APS, what's the point?
What are the long term strategic goals for APS?
Does the United States seek to lead APS for the foreseeable future?
What European partners would it like to see increased their participation in both assets and personnel?
Which Africa country is poised as the ideal leader of APS in a long term plan?
How constructive is the APS planning from the African POV?
What could be done better?
What are the greatest hurdles to APS?

Can I get "FAO" for $500 Alex?

           This is an interesting article by a former Marine Corps Intel officer who has a serious man-crush on is certainly enamored with General Petraeus.  His captivation is really beside the point but I feel Mcpherson still should get a noogie for the blind adulation he doles out on the good general. 

         Generally speaking, Mcpherson is correct in his analysis.  However, this article is the equivalent to producing a Cliff's note version to the material that is taught at HBS (where the author is enrolled) and expecting the subjects to be adequately addressed.  The complexities and inequities surrounding promotion/selection boards merits a thesis not the cursory analysis given in the article.
       
        Again, all that is beside the point.  The question that one should ask themselves after reading this article is:

Why is there not one mention of the Foreign Area Officer program? 

My initial guess would be that because this article was written by a Marine and since the Marine Corps has a dual-track FAO program, many of his points remain valid.   However, I fault his 'research' because his article isn't addressing only the Marine Corps career advancement problems, he aspires to address DOD-wide issues. 

And fails. 

A robust DOD-wide FAO program answers the call for visionary, well-rounded leaders.  But it isn't mentioned even once.  Now this is not to say that the FAO program in the Navy (or the other branches) is "there" yet, but it is going in the right direction.  It is taking proven, superior-performing warfare-qualified officers who have done tours in the fleet and combat and given them the educational and non-traditional exposure for which the author cries.  And as a stand-alone community in the Navy, it is giving them the opportunity for promotion (again, let me emphasize this system isn't anywhere near perfect). 

Perhaps a more appropriate (and future) article would be one addressing the need for more FAO leadership billets DOD-wide so that the promotion opportunities are truly there.  

See my comments in italics throughout the article.




http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/09/26/the_next_petraeus/?page=1

The next Petraeus

What makes a visionary commander, and why the military isn’t producing more of them

By Renny McPherson
September 26, 2010

President Obama recently demoted General David Petraeus, the man who led the turnaround in Iraq and is widely acknowledged to be the most effective military officer of his generation.

In June, the president needed a new commander to lead the war effort in Afghanistan, after General Stanley McChrystal spoke too openly with a Rolling Stone reporter and was forced to resign. And, while few may realize this, when Petraeus was appointed to take over in Afghanistan, he was replacing a subordinate. Petraeus may yet be hailed for saving the day. But he also got a new boss and moved one step down the chain of command.

How does this happen to the best our military has to offer? Why was there no other general to take the job?

The short answer is that the US military has failed to produce enough leaders like Petraeus--the kind of broad-minded, flexible strategic thinkers needed to lead today’s most difficult missions. And a large contributor to this failure is the military’s inflexible system of promotion, which can actively discourage young officers from getting the mind-expanding, challenging experiences that could turn them into potent generals.

Two years ago, I joined three colleagues in a project to understand this problem more deeply. We interviewed 37 top military leaders, all of them having commanded abroad at high levels since 9/11. A third of the interviewees were three- or four-star generals and over half had served in special operations units. The interviewees included combatant commanders, theater special operations commanders, and corps- and division-level commanders. They were some of our nation’s finest and most experienced senior officers.

Given a guarantee of anonymity, they talked openly about the experiences that had helped them become better strategic thinkers. They reported that most beneficial experiences--sustained international experience, civilian graduate education, and taking on special opportunities out of the military mainstream--were the very ones that they felt discouraged from pursuing. As one interviewee said, ”My career has been an aberration. I am surprised I’ve achieved up to this level.”

Listening to them, it was clear that some officers with a broad-minded, strategic worldview do make it through the ranks--but they succeed despite the military’s training priorities, not because of them. Every year, faced with such a system, potential Petraeuses of the future choose instead to leave.  This is a VERY idealistic opinion, much more likely reasons are the deployment cycles, current Individual Augmentation (IA) system, and pay inequities.

Over the course of the 20th century, the United States became the dominant world power by advancing the technology of warfare. Now the information revolution, recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and global counter-terrorism have shown that an expanded set of skills is required of our top officers. Today we need military leaders who can process the ever-larger amounts of information coming at them and who can communicate more dexterously up, down, and across; they also must be adept at dealing with nonmilitary institutions and quick to learn foreign cultures.  So...FAO's.

Giving our next generation of military leaders the right experiences on their way up the military ladder will help determine whether our nation will win or lose on the complex, amorphous battlefields of tomorrow. For now, as one of our interviewees starkly put it: ”We don’t educate to be generals.”

For an officer rising through the ranks, the right experiences are critical. A Marine friend of mine faced a situation a few years ago in which a phenomenal opportunity lay right in front of him, but he felt pressured not to accept it. He had an offer to work directly for General Petraeus--but he knew that his current commander would see the job as veering off the standard career track, and would deny the transfer. So he had to wait for the commander to rotate out of his unit before accepting the job.

To someone outside the military, a chance to work for General Petraeus in 2005 might not seem ”off track” at all--it would seem undeniably valuable to serve so close to the officer then in charge of training and equipping all Iraqi forces.  That's a strong supposition.  Maybe it would have, maybe it wouldn't of.  I am curious what the actual billet was and why the position wasn't named in the article.  Working directly for a "visionary"  isn't always everything its cracked up to be.  To military service members, however, this would need no explanation. Military personnel are accustomed to a system in which young officers are dependent on their commanders to recognize the value of alternative experiences, and they wouldn’t be surprised that a young Marine officer who wanted to cross service lines to work for an Army general would expect serious resistance. That friend, a much decorated and respected Marine, has since left the Corps and is now at graduate school with me.  Did he get out because he was passed over for promotion or for one of the other reasons I named earlier. 

In identifying what experiences made them better strategic thinkers, the leaders we surveyed talked about time spent serving as an aide or staffer to a senior military official, interacting with civilian parts of the US government, and making the most of serving abroad. They spoke highly of joint military schools--that is, schools with military members from other services--as well as civilian graduate school.

Leaving their comfort zone--literally--was also key for the interviewees. In particular, they emphasized the value of interaction with others who have different values. This does not simply mean fellow service members with dissimilar political views but repeated, regular contact with an array of leaders and everyday citizens from different cultures. These opportunities tend to exist outside the ladder of typical command and staff positions that officers are expected to climb--they’re found instead in foreign education, in positions with NATO partners, and in special assignments such as serving as a UN observer.  Positions that FAOs should be filling. 

The skill of communication--that often ignored barrier between getting a strategy right and executing it well--is more easily learned when one is faced with people who do not share your worldview. The interviewees spoke of taking such assignments with excitement but heavy hearts because they knew these jobs would potentially limit their ability to keep getting promoted. Today’s promotion system rightly rewards traditionally important jobs such as commanding a unit, but does not do a good enough job of rewarding these other valuable experiences.  Hence why you need a separate dedicated career track such as the one that Navy has. 

At the highest levels, the crucial promotion from colonel to general is very dependent on the officers making the decision, which means that candidates are often punished for exactly the kind of creative, unorthodox experiences that should be encouraged.  It's actually probably more heavily based on personal relationships and whether you have a sea-daddy Admiral/General looking out for you.  Famously, and commendably, the former Secretary of the Army, Pete Geren, forced Petraeus and McChrystal, then the two golden generals of the Army, to fly back from Iraq in late 2007 to serve on a promotion board--this at a time when both men were in essential jobs, one running the entire war and the other operating from the shadows to defeat the most irreconcilable of enemies.  This reinforces my point.  Promotions to the flag level are heavily based on relationships and personalities.

Geren did this because he knew that without these two men on the board, several stand-out officers would not get promoted. At least one of the officers hoping to be promoted was well known for speaking his mind about what the military does and doesn’t get right. Is such an attitude really so dangerous that the Secretary of the Army should need to fly in officers commanding a war to make sure an officer with a stellar record actually gets his promotion?

History offers many examples of strategic thinkers who were able to identify shifts in their reality and thus to re-conceive warfare in creative and effective ways. After Napoleon routed the Prussians, who were still relying on the strategic thinking of Frederick the Great, Carl von Clausewitz and other reformers shaped the Prussian Army into the strong and capable force that it was from the mid-19th century until the end of World War II. Generals Grant and Sherman, after seeing Union armies defeated by the South in classic maneuver warfare, adopted a strategy of attrition and pressure in 1864 and 1865 that helped them win the Civil War and preserve the union. In the 20th century, warfare was transformed by visionary strategists in America who realized the huge importance aviation would have on warfare.

Such creative military leaders will be the ones who prevail on the battlefields of the future--and of today. The demands now placed on the American military require leaders who have a broad worldview and are humble enough to know that seeking diverse experiences will make them better officers. It is time for the military establishment to adopt a system that does not penalize them for building such experiences along the way.  The military is establishing such a system: The Foreign Area Officer Community.

Every day, I witness firsthand the results of the exodus of talented and ambitious young officers. As a former Marine officer now at Harvard Business School, I have more than 30 veteran classmates. Of these, only one intends to return to active duty in the military upon graduation. I take pride in my own service as an intelligence officer both in East Asia and in Iraq, and when I see the caliber of these former officers, I am constantly reminded of what the military has lost. While it is a great value to our nation that these men served at all, I wish that a few of them had stayed to become career officers. I understand why they left--I have chosen to leave, too--but I dearly wish it could be different.

Petraeus, in an interview at Princeton University, where he obtained his doctorate, said of his graduate education: ”The courses in international relations, security studies, and economics all have proved to be of considerable value, especially in recent years.” What might sound obvious to an outsider is still a bold statement in the US military. Americans and Afghans alike are fortunate that Petraeus has now brought his experience to Afghanistan. Now we need to be open enough to grow more leaders like him.

Renny McPherson, a Harvard graduate who served as a Marine officer in Anbar province, Iraq, in 2006, and as a civilian analyst for the Defense Department in Baghdad in 2008, is currently a student at Harvard Business School. This article draws on a report that appears in the Spring 2010 edition of Parameters, a journal published by the US Army War College.

© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Pentagon Protester of the Week-Practice Non-Violence!

NOTE:  For those who don't know,  every Monday morning the Pentagon allows only the biggest idiots best and brightest dissenters to post up on the grassy area by the Metro entrance escalators and display their signs. 

On this dreary drizzly Monday morning  I expected a sparse protesting crowd given the darkness of their flip-floppy wish-washy hippie scum souls.  But count me surprised. 

They were 8 strong out there this morning.  This brought a smile to my sleepy, boderline grumpy face.   My favorite guy out there today was an older grandpa with a bright yellow raincoat (and accompanying goofy yellow raincoat hat).  He was high waving happily to everyone walking by and holding up one end of a sheet poster that stated:

PRACTICE NON-VIOLENCE

in rainbow painted colors. 

My recommendation to him for future signs would be to modify the sign to read as follows:

PRACTICE NON-VIOLENCE man

I think adding the "man" on the end of it could really add some humor that would resonate with the younger junior officers passing by. 

OVERALL ANALYSIS

    While certainly a nice sentiment, urging our military members to practice peacefulness and gentleness is probably not the best advice unless we want to become France.  There are certainly segments within the military that this protester's plea could help...I can think of a few airbosses and one former Skipper whose speech and demeanor would be well served with even a smidgen of "non-violence."

My overall takeaway from today's protester is this:

You can pretty much be holding a sign saying anything and if you are wearing a bright yellow raincoat I will smile at you!



Practice Losing Wars!

FUUO's Book Wishlist: Ambassador French's United States Protocol: The Guide to Official Diplomatic Etiquette

Yes please.  There's not a better reference out there.  Review forthcoming this fall.  This one got a good plug in the POLITICO recently as well.  See my earlier post for more in depth comments. 

http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/09/good-article-on-politico-how-to-act.html

Good article on the Politico: How to Act Like a Diplomat

Below is a good article passed on to FUUO by the always apt  http://greatmarinereadingmaterial.blogspot.com/ 

(a great blog to pump into your RSS feeds...you have those set up...right?!)  Look for a book review on French's book in the near future by FUUO.  As always, my comments are in italics in the article below.

Here's a link to buy it on Amazon...not the cheapest but a good one for your bookshelf.
http://www.amazon.com/United-States-Protocol-Diplomatic-Etiquette/dp/1442203196/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1285165228&sr=8-1


HOW TO ACT LIKE A DIPLOMAT


http://www.politico.com/click/stories/1009/how_to_act_like_a_diplomat.html


By KARIN TANABE | 9/21/10 6:19 AM EDT

It's been more than 30 years since a book on U.S. diplomatic protocol was published, a fact we'll use as an excuse for any breaches of etiquette over the past few decades. But with the arrival of Mary Mel French's "United States Protocol: The Guide to Official Diplomatic Etiquette," it's time to refrain from drinking from the finger bowl and usher in an era of international courtesy and respect.

French served as chief of protocol during the Clinton administration and made sure every "i" was dotted and every "t" crossed. The attention to detail was a necessity. As former President Bill Clinton puts it in the book's foreword, "When we omit courtesies and context from our messages, we compromise the clarity of our objectives, leaving them vulnerable to misinterpretation." Or as French tells POLITICO, "Protocol is the same all over the world - it comes down to good manners."

"A lot of people coming into government don't know basic rules that help you maneuver diplomatic protocol," French says. Her advice is simple and is applicable to new ambassadors and regular folks alike: "If you have the opportunity to visit the White House, dress traditionally. Be thoughtful about your appearance. Don't chew gum. And introduce yourself if you need to - say your name." It's certainly not rocket science.

Since we happen to have a president who gets around town in search of local eats, what should we do if the Secret Service allows us a word with POTUS in a casual setting? "You should introduce yourself and wish them well. This is the president. They don't need to hear your complaints if you have any," advised French.

With her eagle-eyed attention to detail, did French have any cringe-worthy moments during her tenure? Of course.

"In the beginning of President Clinton's administration, I made introductions to the president for leaders from South America. We were all in the East Room with the leaders and the five or six ministers who accompanied them. All of a sudden, President Clinton turns to me and says, 'I want to talk to President Menem from Argentina.' Well, I had no idea in that room of people who President Menem was. Fortunately, I found someone from the NSC who knew him and took me to him," she said. "I was able to bring him back to the president and no one gave me away. Lesson learned."

"Years later it was funny," she said. Weird sense of humor...if that passes for funny, I can't imagine what else the book contains.  Funny would be if she brought back Al Gore or somebody.

French also has some advice for those in the public eye-Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, when she stumbled through her opening statement in a televised debate-who commit a public faux pas. "I think you re-explain what your meaning was," French told POLITICO. "It's very difficult to get everything right. In this age, I think we have to be a little more tolerant because communication is instant."

Indeed, to err is to be human. But a simple breach of etiquette can be avoided with a little education. French's book gives manners a modern twist and covers everything from how to address the president to writing a letter (people still write letters?  Wow.) to your sheriff and who outranks whom in government. (Surprise, the director of the Peace Corps outranks the deputy director of the CIA).  Try telling that to the deputy director of the CIA ...maybe Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams and Deputy Director Michael J. Morell will have to arm-wrestle...although if you have ever seen the two gents- my money is Mr. Williams.  Quick aside, to be 'legit' in DC do I need to have a middle initial?)

At the diplomatic level, it's always an era of formalities. But for us average Joes, French advises that we "remember how to be nice to people."

"We need to rethink how we help our country with everyday exchanges," she said. "American citizens make a big impression."  Big is the key word.  How do you say supersize in Japanese?

Thank you,
POLITICO
Politico.com

Link of the Week: An African renaissance in Senegal

Al Jazeera has five great videos on different Africa countries (each about 20 minutes long).  While they obviously have a freedom or anti-western certain slant they are factually based and very interesting!
Here's a link to the first one:


An African renaissance in Senegal?
After 50 years of independence, the West African country is finally severing ties with its former colonial master.
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/africa-states-independence/2010/09/201091911832707777.html

State Dept. reception for Foreign Naval Attachés or Thankful to be in the American Navy

I had the great pleasure of attending a reception for the foreign naval attachés residing here in DC last Friday evening.


Before I go further though I must address the issue of attire.  This reception forced me at long last to purchase a set of 'mess dress whites.'  This process costs me half a grand and was VERY painful; painful in that I had to ride over to the Navy annex to find the uniforms and of course it just happened to be when they are in the middle of doing CPO promotion uniform fittings.  And I'll get to repeat this process this winter when I have to purchase normal mess dress...however I won't put it off till the last minute next time so it's sure to go a little easier.


    Amidst my mad rush to ensure I was properly attired (the mini medals go 3 inches below the lapel notch  and you can wear up to 5 of them on a single row) the solitary bright spot was my beautiful wife who was stunning in her black knee length dress.   I say this because when you go to these events you will hear a million definitive answers as to what type of dress the women should wear. Well hopefully this will help some future LT that googles the event next year.  
     Probably about 75% of the women had floor length dresses/gowns.  70% of those were black.  But about 20% of the women had knee length-ish cocktail dresses.  And no one cared.  So don't sweat it.  The coolest dresses there were the Kimonos worn by two of the Japanese women attending.  If there was a similar civilian 'black tie' event in DC I would bet that the cocktail dressers would be nudged about closer to 40% (especially for a two hour event with no dancing or dinner...reference the Meridian yearly ball where about 1/3 of the women in the photos wore cocktail dresses), however the military is always apt to 'overkill' when it comes to dress codes.


   My other advice would be to bring your good camera.  The ballroom where the event is held is beautiful, and the view from the outdoor balcony overlooks the lincoln memorial.  


    For the desk officers this was a great opportunity to connect with counterparts in a relaxed atmosphere (free beer and wine!) and to meet their wives.  Being able to form these personal relationships makes doing business SO much easier!


     One conversation with a northern european (I will withhold the country's name) attaché ended up surprising me and is the reason behind this posting's title.  As we chatted with this gent, we shared with him that we had rented a limo to take in the city following the reception.  He laughed and said that if he tried that in his country he'd end going home with a bloodied uniform.  Further discussion yielded that their military members rarely wear their uniforms in public (and certainly NEVER at night) due to the certain public backlash.  
    On one hand this conversation saddened me because this gent was such a sharp, nice guy who had honorably dedicated his life to serving his country.  However, on the other hand this anecdote served to reinforce my appreciation for a country and a public that appreciates its service members (excluding the 1970's) and allows us to take pride in wearing the uniform.  
    And as we ventured into and through the city that night I think I must have been thanked for my service a half dozen times, and I replied 'you're welcome' with a renewed appreciation.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

This book has nothing to do with Africa.

This book has nothing to do with being a Foreign Area Officer.

This book has nothing to do with foreign affairs.

This is a book about journeys.
                                                And about getting lost,
 and being okay with it.

I could tell you that the book is about a precocious and gifted 9 year old whose father is killed in the twin towers on 9-11 and that boy's journey to find some meaning and respite in the midst of his grieving.

But perhaps most useful would be for me to describe the places I read this book.

Everywhere.

I read this while running on the treadmill in the bowels of the PGON at the gym there.  After my run was finished I stood on the dormant treadmill for ten minutes engrossed.

I read this stepping off the green line metro at the U Street stop.  I read it while walking up to the escalator and then while riding up it in the right lane.  And then I took three steps off the metro and leaned against the outside of the Quiznos and finished the book's final pages.

I walked home with heavy boots.


And I was okay with that.



http://www.amazon.com/Extremely-Incredibly-Close-Jonathan-Safran/dp/0618329706

Pentagon Protester of the Week: FYI: Drones are always tools of terrorism

NOTE:  For those who don't know,  every Monday morning the Pentagon allows only the biggest idiots best and brightest dissenters to post up on the grassy area by the Metro entrance escalators and display their signs.  


Skeleton crew out in the protest zone this morning.  Only three out there today. Two older white-haired men (one with a backwards purple hat-perhaps channeling his inner 1980's MTV self) and a tiny ancient woman that appeared to be shrinking and disappearing under her large and colorful scarf/bandanna.


The protest of the week today: 

FYI: Drones are always tools of terrorism

Initial Observations:
-I am glad he included the FYI.  It immediately let me know that he had something of value to share with me.  Thanks shipmate. 
-For some reason, I didn't picture unmanned aerial vehicles when I saw his sign.  Instead I thought of Star Wars. 

Analysis:
-Nothing is ever ALWAYS. 
-I doubt he was referring to the Star Wars drones.  But who knows, some of these guys appear to be real wackjobs.
-In which case, I would be hard-pressed to find a way in which unarmed observation 'drones' are tools of terrorism.  


Conclusion/Remarks:
-Again we loop back to differing definitions of 'terrorism.' 
-Without getting too serious here though, a valid discussion could be centered around the relative value that the United States places on the life of one of its own citizens and that of someone from say, Afghanistan for instance.   This is a discussion (for a different blog post altogether) that is addressed early on in Shannon Beebe's excellent The Ultimate Weapon is No Weapon. 


THERE ARE MORE PROTESTERS OF THE WEEK HERE:
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2011/11/fuuos-pentagon-protesters-of-week.html

"Africa does not exist."

    Following is the foreword by the author of the book I am beginning.  The book is The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski.  He was Poland's first Africa correspondent and reported from Africa at the time of their emerging independence.   

  " I've lived in Africa for several years.  I first went there in 1957.  Then, over the next 40 years I returned whenever the opportunity arose.  I traveled extensively, avoiding official routes, palaces, important personages, and high-level politics.  Instead, I opted to hitch rides on passing trucks, wander with nomads through the desert, be the guest of peasants of the tropical savannah.  Their life is endless toil, a torment they endure with astonishing patience and good humor.
         This is therefore not a book about Africa, but rather about some people from there--about encounters with them, and time spent together.  The continent is too large to describe.  It is a veritable ocean, a separate planet, a varied, immensely rich cosmos.  Only, with the greatest simplification, for the sake of convenience, can we say "Africa."  In reality, except as a geographical appellation, Africa does not exist."
-R.K.

Poet of the Week:Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi from Sudan

The poet of the week hails from Sudan.  His biography is at the link below.  I've included several of his poems which are incredible (I also include the original of one in arabic).  The link has about 20 of his poems which are thoughtful and often require numerous readings to just begin to understand them (the best types of poems in my opinion). 

http://www.poetrytranslation.org/poets/Al-Saddiq_Al-Raddi



لهاثْ

by الصادق الرضي

كأنَّها تَقتربُ من البابِ
تسمعُ دقات قلبِكَ
أو
كأنك في انتظارِها
تَحْضُرُ طيورُ الضُّحى
وتَصْطَفُّ على النافذةْ
........
ساعةٌ من الصَّبرِ

غابةٌ من الهديلِ والشقشقةْ.

BREATHLESS

Your heart thumps —
as if she were already
at your door.

Or — as if expecting her —
all the birds in the midday sky
arrive to clamor at your window.

… … … … … … … … … … …

An age of patience.
A forest of fluttering.

SIESTA

A shared tomb
a burnt corpse
as you dream

I make tea for you
from what little we have
with your graceful preparations
We dread
being apart
We long
to become ashes


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

Some of my favorite poetry books:

FUUO's Shallow Thoughts edition #1: State vs DOD

Quick thought by FUUO:
I always wonder about the touted disconnect between State and DOD.  It strikes me as odd because there seems to be so many people that work at State that are prior military (at least in the regional bureaus).   And I personally haven't had much of a problem connecting. 
   The only real difference that I have noticed is that they sit anywhere they want at the table during a meeting...if a peon gets there first, he will go ahead and sit front and center.  No matter how many meetings I go to, it always surprises me...

ACOTA Corporate Council on Africa Meeting

I went to the monthly (ish) security working group breakfast hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) this morning.   The general topic was ACOTA (Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance).  Here are a couple of links if you aren't familiar.

http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=1886

http://www.state.gov/p/af/rt/acota/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Contingency_Operations_Training_and_Assistance

http://www.disam.dsca.mil/pubs/Indexes/Vol%2030_4/U.S.%20Africa%20Command%20Public%20Affairs.pdf

www.nps.edu/.../2007/Jan/piomboJan07.html

The guest speaker was Michael Bittrick, Deputy Director, Office of Regional and Security Affairs, Africa Bureau at the State Department.  He didn't really discuss ACOTA much, instead he spent most of the time speaking to State Department priorities in Africa and general goals which proved to be an interesting topic.

Here's my beef.  ACOTA is a relative success story for the State Department but it has gotten lackluster no media coverage.  Go ahead, open up another tab on your computer and bring up 'google news' and put in "ACOTA" or the full spelling of the acronym.  You won't find a single news article on it (You will find a ton of spanish articles having NOTHING to do with it).  I think it would behoove State (or AFRICOM) to get an embedded reporter out there for a month or two. 

 There is no success in Africa if no one writes about it. 

Africa book recommendation:The Zanzibar Chest

 I went to a POLAD (Political Advisor) reception last night at the State Department.  What a great event!
RADM Lemmons spoke to the POLADs just prior to the reception and then brought them over so that we could connect and speak to them. 
  I spoke with one gentlemen guy (can someone in their late 20's/early 30's be called a gentlemen without it sounding ostentatious or great gatsbyish?) who'd just come from a posting in Africa and he recommended The Zanzibar Chest by Aidan Hartley.  He said it was one of the best books he'd read on Africa.  And by 'on Africa' he didn't mean a book that systematically detailed or categorized the continent, but instead one that speaks to heart of Africans and their struggles, triumphs and dreams. 


I just ordered the book on Amazon and have provided a brief synopsis of the book below:

From Publishers Weekly
Toward the end of this mesmerizing chronicle, Hartley writes simply of Rwanda, "Like everything in Africa, the truth [is] somewhere in between." Hartley appreciates this complexity, mining the accounts that constitute his book not for the palliative but for the redemptive. Born in 1965 in Kenya into a long lineage of African colonialists, Hartley feels, like his father whose story he also traces, a magnetic, almost inexplicable pull to remain in Africa. Hartley's father imports modernity to the continent (promoting irrigation systems and sophisticated husbandry); later, Hartley himself "exports" Africa as a foreign correspondent for Reuters. Both men struggle to find moral imperatives as "foreigners" native to a continent still emerging from colonialism. Hartley's father concludes, "We should never have come here," and Hartley himself appears understandably beleaguered by the horrors he witnesses (and which he describes impressively) covering Ethiopia, Somalia and Rwanda. Emotionally shattered by the genocide in the latter ("Rwanda sits like a tumour leaking poison into the back of my head"), the journalist returns to his family home in Kenya, where he happens upon the diary of Peter Davey, his father's best friend, in the chest of the book's title. Hartley travels to the Arabian Peninsula to trace Davey's mysterious death in 1947, a story he weaves into the rest of his narrative. The account of Davey, while the least engaging portion of the book, provides Hartley with a perspective for grappling with the legacy that haunts him. This book is a sweeping, poetic homage to Africa, a continent made vivid by Hartley's capable, stunning prose.

NOTE:  Another book he recommended as a reference is Africa: A Biography of the Continent by John Reader.  He said he regularly would refer to this tome before traveling within the continent.

Pentagon Protester of the Week- Christians Dump the Jews

NOTE:  For those who don't know,  every Monday morning the Pentagon allows only the biggest idiots best and brightest dissenters to post up on the grassy area by the Metro entrance escalators and display their signs. 

Meant to post this on Monday...

  A beautiful Monday morning coming up the escalator.  There were only six protesters today:  two elderly woman, a young guy and girl, an older gentlemen with a mullet and one with glasses and a short man.
Not sure if their appearance is worth describing much beyond that, after all, they're communists crazy just normal people. 

The protester of the week this week was the older gentleman with a mullet.  I kid you not, here's what his sign said:

"Christians dump their Jewish victims
 on a poor desert country
 in the British desert empire Israel"

Initial observations:
-This guy wasn't an English major.
-And maybe not even a high school graduate.

Analysis:
-His obvious target here are Christians. 
-His assertion (from what I can tell) is the Christians have ensconced the Jews of the world from their homes and 'dumped' them in Israel

Conclusion/Remarks:
-How is it possible to draw a conclusion from this gobbleygoo?
-Why is the Pentagon crowd his target audience?
-What does he hope to accomplish?

   The protester this week succinctly illustrates the sheer entertainment craziness that greets me each Monday morning. 

Word of the Day- Démarche

From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9marche

The U.S. government issues démarches to foreign governments through "front-channel cable" instructions from the United States Department of State. Although the content of a given démarche may originate in another U.S. government agency, only the Department of State may also instruct a post to deliver the démarche. Unless specifically authorized by the Department of State, posts should not act on instructions transmitted directly from another post, or from another agency, whether by cable or other means (e.g. e-mail, fax, or phone).

Any Department of State officer or other official under the authority of the chief of mission can make a démarche. Unless the Department provides specific instructions as to rank (for example: "the Ambassador should call on the Foreign Minister"), the post has discretion to determine who should make the presentation and which official(s) in the host government should receive it.

Preparation of the démarche
Démarche instruction cables from the Department should include the following elements:

Objective: The objective is a clear statement of the purpose of the démarche, and of what the U.S. Government hopes to achieve.
Arguments: This section outlines how the Department proposes to make an effective case for its views. It should include a rationale for the U.S. Government’s position, supporting arguments, likely counter-arguments, and suggested rebuttals.
Background: The background should spell out pitfalls; particular sensitivities of other bureaus, departments, or agencies; and any other special considerations.
Suggested talking points: Suggested talking points should be clear, conversational, and logically organized. Unless there are compelling reasons to require verbatim delivery, the démarche instruction cable should make it clear that post may use its discretion and local knowledge to structure and deliver the message in the most effective way. ("Embassy may draw from the following points in making this presentation to appropriate host government officials.")
Written material: This section is used to provide instructions on any written material to be left with the host government official(s). Such material could take the form of an aide-mémoire, a letter, or a "non-paper" that provides a written version of the verbal presentation (i.e., the talking points as delivered). Unless otherwise instructed, post should normally provide an aide-memoire or non-paper at the conclusion of a démarche. Any classified aide-memoire or non-paper must be appropriately marked and caveated as to the countries authorized for receipt, e.g. "Rel. UK" indicates "Releasable to the United Kingdom")

Delivery and follow-up action
Upon receipt of démarche instructions from the Department, posts should make every effort to deliver the démarche to the appropriate foreign government official(s) as soon as possible.

After delivering the démarche, the post should report to the Department via front-channel cable. The reporting cable should include the instruction cable as a reference, but it need not repeat the talking points transmitted in that cable. It should provide the name and title of the person(s) to whom the démarche was made, and record that official’s response to the presentation. As appropriate, the reporting cable should also describe any specific follow-up action needed by post, Department, or the foreign government.

Example of Use:
"Beijing sent Canberra a formal diplomatic protest in May -- not about the Dalai Lama but over a perception that Australia, the US, Japan and India are cobbling together a security alliance to contain China. The Chinese demarche is an acute example of the type of problem Australian policymakers will continue to face." Great and Powerful -- But is China Our Friend? The Age (Melbourne, Australia); Jun 18, 2007.

Great Events Calendar on FAO Association Website!

Great calendar of local events in the DC area at the link below.

http://www.faoa.org/Default.aspx?pageId=498955

Article of the Week- Straight from local Nigerian Paper!

Anytime you can get an article from a newspaper in country is a good day!  This probably isn't as big a deal as it seems.  Per their constitution the President has the right to appoint his own security chiefs.  He just did it very suddenly before upcoming elections.

Col. Brice Houdet, French Military Attaché on The French Foreign Legion (9 Sep 2010)

Col. Brice Houdet, French Military Attaché on The French Foreign Legion (9 Sep 2010): "

The Returned Services League of Australia, Washington Chapter

Thursday, 9 September, Noon - 2 pm

(Arrive early as the briefing will start at around 12:15).

Col. Brice Houdet, French Military attaché, will speak on The French Foreign Legion A graduate of St. Cyr, Colonel Houdet held various command assignments with the Foreign Legion, staff appointments at French Army Headquarters, and commanded the 2nd Foreign Legion Parachute Regiment, prior to his appointment as the French Military Attaché. Colonel Houdet's service has taken him to Djibouti, Sarajevo, Gabon, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo and the Cote d'Ivoirre. Colonel Houdet’s decorations include the Chevalier to the Legion of Honor and the Cross of Military Valor with two bronze stars.

Location: Amenities room, Embassy of Australia, 1601 Massachusetts, Ave., N.W.

Valid ID required

Charge: $15.00, including buffet lunch and sodas. Alcoholic beverages- $2.00 each.

R.S.V.P. to David Ward on 202-352-8550 or via e-mail at dmpward@wwdb.org

Attire : Business casual

Parking: There is no parking at the Embassy. There is paid public parking behind and under the Airline Pilots Association (17th and Mass) and at 1500 Mass. Ave N ..W.

"

Poet of the Week from Somalia: K'naan

So most of you know K'naan from the ubiquitous World Cup anthem 'Wavin' Flag' which is a great song on a phenomenal album (see video below).

K'naan was raised in Mogadishu, Somalia. He's the nephew of the well-known Somali singer Magool, the "Mother of Artistry."

FUUO is featuring the lyrics from his song entitled 'Somalia' as its Poem of the Week.  While much of the lyrics are chocked full of profanity K'naan deftly captures what it was to live in Somalia in the chorus:

"So what you know bout the pirates terrorize the ocean.
To never know a simple day without a big commotion.
It can’t be healthy just to live with a such steep emotion.
And when I try and sleep, I see coffins closin’. "

"To never know a simple day without a big commotion" is a powerful sentiment when the 'big commotions' are civil war and often indiscriminate killing and you're an 11 year old kid. 

 Somalia

Uh,
Yeah,
Somalia

Yeah,
I spit it for my block,
It’s an ode, I admit it.
Here the city code is lock and load
Any minute is rock and roll
And you rock and roll,
And feel your soul leavin’.
It’s just the wrong dance
That'll leave you not breathin’.
I’m not particularly proud
Of this predicament but,
I’m born and bred
In this tenement, I'm sentimental, What?!
Plus it’s only right to represent my hood
And what not.
So I’m about to do it in the music; in the movies.
Cut to the chase pan across to the face
I'm right there.
Freeze frame on the street name
Oops wait a minute,
This is where the streets have no name
And the drain of sewage.
You can see it in this boy how the hate is brewin’
Cause when his tummy tucks in
Fuck the pain is fluid.
So what difference does it make,
Entertaining threw it.
Some get high mixing coke and gun powder, sniffin’.
She got a gun but could have been a model or physician.

So what you know bout the pirates terrorize the ocean.
To never know a simple day without a big commotion.
It can’t be healthy just to live with a such steep emotion.
And when I try and sleep, I see coffins closin’. (Repeat)

Yeah,
Yeah,
We used to take barb wire
Mold them around discarded bike tires.
Roll em down the hill in foot blazin’.
Now that was our version of mountain bike racing
Daammn!
Do you see why it’s amazing,
When someone comes out of such a dire situation
And learns the English language,
Just to share his observation!
Probably get a Grammy without a grammar education.
So fuck you school and fuck you immigration!
And all of you who thought I wouldn’t amount to constipation.
And now I’m here without the slightest fear and preservation,
They love me in the slums and in the native reservations.
The world is a ghetto with ministerin’ deprivation.
My mommy didn’t raise no fool did she hooyo?
I promise I would get it and remain strictly loyal.
Cause when they get it then they let it all switch and spoil.
But I just illuminated it like kitchen foil.
A lot of main stream niggas is yappin’ about yappin’
A lot of underground niggas is rappin’ about rappin’.
I just wanna tell you what’s really crackalackan
Before the tears came down this is what happened.

So what you know bout the pirates terrorize the ocean.
To never know a simple day without a big commotion.
It can’t be healthy just to live with a such steep emotion.
And when I try and sleep, I see coffins closin’.

http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/music/rapping-with-knaan/
Some of my favorite poetry books: