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

Friday, April 29, 2011

Nigerian Election Remarks by Ass. Secretary Carson




If you don't already subscribe to the State Department's Africa email feeds you should.  When there are events/speeches like this one, they are automatically delivered to your inbox. 

And when it's Ass. Secretary Carson speaking, it is ALWAYS worth your time to listen.   As I have said before: Ass. Sec Carson is one of those rare individuals with whom you feel more intelligent and informed through mere osmosis/proximity.

All bold and italized comments/underlined portions below are my own.  I have emboldened some of Ass. Sec. Carson's comments for emphasis.


April 28, 2011

MS. FULTON: Good afternoon and welcome to the Department of State. Very pleased today to have with us Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson to talk about the recent elections in Nigeria. He was on hand to observe personally, so he’ll be able to give you his on-the-ground accounts of the results. So without further ado, Assistant Secretary Carson.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: Thank you very, very much. Glad to be here with you this afternoon to talk a little bit about the recent elections in Nigeria. Nigeria has just completed its most successful elections since its return to multiparty democracy in 1999. Despite some technical imperfections, those elections represent a substantial improvement over the flawed 2007 electoral process. This reverses a downward democratic trajectory and provides the country a solid foundation for strengthening its electoral procedures and democratic institutions in the years to come. The Nigerian people have shown to the world their resilience and will to have their voices heard. These elections were a real opportunity to choose their leaders.

This week, Nigerian voters returned to the polls for the fourth time and final time to select their state assembly members and governors. On April 26th, all but two states held elections. Elections in Kaduna and Bauchi states occurred April 28th to give additional time for security to return to those two areas. International and domestic observers reported the April 26th elections to be generally well organized, albeit with a lower turnout in various locations compared with voter turnout earlier this month.

Following the deplorable post-election violence of the previous week, we are heartened that many Nigerian voters went to the polls to vote in an environmentally – environment largely free of violence. We remain concerned about allegations of fraud and ballot box snatching in various jurisdictions, and we strongly urge Nigerian authorities to investigate and take corrective actions on all of these allegations. We commend the Independent National Electoral Commission and especially its chairman, Professor Jega, and the security services for addressing challenges and improving their efforts with each progressive election.  From everything I hear Professor Jega represents all that is good and holy in Nigeria.

We are confident that INEC leaders will continue to take steps to further improve the electoral process to ensure that some political actors do not divert to their old – revert to their old ways of subverting the will of the Nigerian electorate. We are partners in the international community, and will not hesitate to take appropriate action against individuals of any political party who seek to undermine the integrity of the electoral process, whether at the state, national, or local elections.  Word on the street is that one of the biggest obstacles facing Jega are a few corrupt members on INEC that he doesn't have the power to fire.

Again, we congratulate the people of Nigeria on holding very successful elections. Thank you.

QUESTION: Secretary Carson, two questions. One, the CPC has said that it has evidence of irregularities and that it plans to go to court over those. The fact that Nigerians take their issues to the courts instead of resorting to violence is important and commendable.  So question one is: To what extent do you think that the existing irregularities cast a shadow on President Jonathan’s victory? Second, and in a way the more important question is: To what extent do you think that he is likely to be inclusive going forward so as to help lay to rest or to help unify the country? Would you expect or hope, for example, that when he names a cabinet he will reach out to opposition figures? Can you give us your sense of that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: I hope that INEC will take seriously all allegations of election irregularity. There is no doubt in my mind that there were some imperfections, some technical problems, and probably some justified cases of rigging. But it is up to the election commission to investigate those. I do not believe that any of the irregularities or technical imperfections undermine the overall outcome of this election and that the elections do reflect the will of a majority of the Nigerian people.

I cannot say what kind of cabinet or government President Jonathan will put in place. But I do note that his vice president is, in fact, a former northern governor and that the constitution does call for the president of the country to select from individual states various cabinet members. I hope that he will act in both a responsible and inclusive manner in the selection of those individuals for his cabinet and that in doing so, he will be reaching out to heal the political divisions that were uncovered during the election process.

MS. FULTON: In the back.

QUESTION: I have a question actually about Sudan. Before we came out here, the Treasury Department pulled the Bank of Khartoum off of the sanctions list, and I wonder if you can explain that move, and then more broadly how Sudan is doing on this roadmap toward normalization with the U.S.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: Let me say that I’m not aware of this recent decision to pull the Bank of Khartoum off the sanctions list, and so I will not comment on that.

With respect to the roadmap, we continue to see progress in the implementation of the roadmap, and we continue to encourage the Government of Sudan to continue to fulfill its obligations that remain under the roadmap. One of the most important aspects of this was the successful referenda election in South Sudan that went from January 9 to 15. That went extraordinarily well. It was largely free of violence – large turnouts, well organized, and reflected the will of the people of the South to secure their independence. We continue to encourage very strongly that the Khartoum government, the NCP, and the Southern Sudanese Government, the SPLM, to work to resolve the remaining key issues that are a part of the conclusion of the CPA. This means resolving the Abyei crisis before July 9 and resolving the issues of oil and wealth-sharing, border demarcation, as well as issues related to citizenship.  Quick, let's all hold our breaths.

QUESTION: Can I follow up on that one? Just to stay with the question of Abyei, President Bashir is quoted today as having said, quote, “If there’s any attempt to secede Abyei within the borders of the new state, we will not recognize the new state,” close quote. What is your response to that, and does that not sort of ratchet up tensions ahead of July?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: Let me just say that those comments are not helpful at all, and they only serve to inflame and heighten tensions. It is important that both sides – those in Khartoum and those in Juba – focus intensely on trying to resolve the key issues that have not been completed under the CPA    (Collective Peace Agreement). Abyei is one of them. This must be done before July 9, and it is important that President Bashir and the President of South Sudan Salva Kiir continue to meet, negotiate to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

MS. FULTON: Back to Nigeria?

QUESTION: Yeah. Back to Nigeria. How much do you expect these elections in Nigeria to promote efforts towards democracy in the broader region? Can you –

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: I think the success of the Nigerian elections are primarily of importance to the Nigerian people, but they also send a very strong signal across Africa. Nigeria is one of the two most important countries in sub-Saharan Africa. It is also the most populous country in Africa with 150 million people. It’s also the second largest Muslim country in Africa after Egypt.

The people of Nigeria have clearly demonstrated a desire to have a democratic government, to participate in democratically-run elections, and I think this reflects a desire of many people across Africa. It also is an indication, too, that if Nigeria, with its large size and population, can, in effect, run and manage successful democratic elections, that it is possible for many of the other smaller states to do so as well. It also indicates that the democratic trajectory not only in Nigeria, but across West Africa has not stalled but continues to rise.

QUESTION: Might you be soft-pedaling the violence a little bit? I’m reading some wire material today about perhaps 500 people killed and Christian churches set afire. And also people from the elections say that they’re very discouraged by this and that they prefer to not have an election if this sort of thing happens. Might you be looking through rose-colored glasses at this sort of thing?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: Absolutely not. But let me first say we deplore the violence that occurred particularly after the conclusion of the presidential elections a week and a half ago. We saw widespread violence throughout much of northern Nigeria. Both the president and the main opposition candidates – both called on their supporters to not support violent activities and to work to restore peace as quickly as possible.

I think that there has been a history of violence associated with Nigerian elections in the past. But in this election, we have clearly seen a much more responsible security force and a security presence in and around the electoral sites. So it’s important that violence not be a part of the democratic process. We deplore it, and I think senior officials in Nigeria have also deplored it as well. We hope that these elections will be a baseline for greater improvement in both their technical procedures as well as in their security as well.

MS. FULTON: Do we have time for maybe one more question?

QUESTION: Can I ask about Uganda? There are reports this morning that a fourth opposition leader has been arrested, and my question is about the U.S. – the Administration’s response. Are we considering any kind of pressure on the Ugandan Government?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: We have seen the reports of the arrest of several former presidential candidates for attempting to carry out peaceful demonstrations in Kampala that were designed to highlight rising oil and food prices. We have also seen with great concern and regret the very serious and apparent mistreatment of one of those candidates, Dr. Besigye. We have expressed our concern about what appears to be harassment of President – of Dr. Besigye. I have, myself, spoken to the Ugandan foreign minister about this and have urged that the Ugandan Government act both in a responsible and civil fashion in dealing with the arrest of individuals attempting to carry out peaceful protests.

QUESTION: When did you speak to the foreign minister about that, and was that specifically about the case that you referenced?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: I spoke to the foreign minister today, and it was specifically concerning the apparent ill treatment of Dr. Besigye as well as the government’s reaction to peaceful protests by others.

QUESTION: And did the foreign minister give you any reason to believe that the government would seek to treat such people better and to show greater respect toward peaceful protesters?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: He did indeed. He said that he hoped that President Museveni would be meeting with the opposition political parties and leaders on Tuesday of next week. I urged political outreach and reconciliation to resolve the differences that the government has with opposition leaders. I also encouraged that there be a scope for civil peaceful protests and that government reaction to those protests should be tempered, responsible, and civil.

MS. FULTON: Okay. And thank you for your time, Assistant Secretary Carson.

QUESTION: Thank you.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: Thank you.
 

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Took the DLPT today

So I took the DLPT for French this morning. It was a lot longer than I remembered.  I last took the DLPT about two years ago.  I didn't study at all and scored a 2+/2+.

This time around I applied myself and studied a bit and scored a 2/3 (listening/reading).  I feel disappointed but I also have a much better idea of the level at which I need to be studying to score a 3/3.  I will try again in November.

When I study for any language test, I do the following:

I listen to french news podcasts, as well as french weather broadcasts.  I listen to plenty of news stories that have interviews--this is a weakness of mine.

I read french news and magazine articles (more so the magazine articles).   I  keep a database of words that I don't know and reviewed them regularly.  I pay particular attention to words that had to do with: healthcare, gangs and immigration.



New Blogs Added!

Check out my FAO blogs page...it's under construction but I just added some good ones.  Choose your favorites and add them to your RSS feed...you have one of those set up to quickly process your news sources right?  Bueller, bueller...

if not check out my past post on how to set it up.  You can also follow alot of these ladies and gentlemen on twitter (you're on twitter right?: http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2011/04/chivers-offers-first-hand-account-of.html)












http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-set-up-your-news-feed-on-google.html

ALSO, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT BLOGS I AM MISSING!


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Blog of the Week! Mo'dernity Mo'problems

As readers of this blog will note, I am a big fan of Biggie Smalls aka Notorious BIG.  So any Africa blog that references the King of Hip Hop (in it's title no less!) is alright with me!  If you aren't familiar with the track, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twkh0YiInPM



















And it turns out the Mo'dernity Mo'problems is a great blog on top of it all.   It's well worth a read for its content and wit, as well as its blogroll.  You can also follow the author on twitter: @grantmgordon.

http://moproblems.wordpress.com/
"I am a humanitarian policy specialist who wears an evaluation and monitoring cape while roaming around field sites in conflict and post-conflict zones.  I’ve worked in Rwanda, Burundi, the Eastern DRC, and Liberia, land of never-ending bushmeat and baking soda. I speak French and Swahili and can whip out a survey from my belt much like a gun. This is a blog about culture, conflict, and causality in Central Africa and beyond."





















Monday, April 18, 2011

Poet of the Week from Libya: Fatima Mahmoud


Poet of the Week from Libya: Fatima Mahmoud

This week’s poet of the week once again hails from Libya.  I came across this poem in the excellent collection:

Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia and Beyond edited by Tina Chang, Nathalie Handal and Ravi Shankar. 

I also wrote a paper on the recent Libyan revolution:  A Coalition to What End



Excerpt from “What Was Not Conceivable”
Carnations
         flee
Carnations
        spill their crimson autobiographies
I said:
            the ember is the master of fire
            the ember
            is its dust . . .
            Then I become confounded . . .
            what
            to offer . . .
            the master’s repulsive . . .
                           and delicious mouth
I am singed with happiness
endowed
with the stamps of hollowness
lips
dipped in counterfeit songs
a scented
morning and our faces . . .
            are spat out
            in handsome
                        editions . . .
            What
                      To offer
                                     The master’s repulsive
                                     Delicious mouth.

By Fatima Mahmoud
Translated from the Arabic by Khaled Mattawa

Fatima Mahmoud is a Libyan poet, writer, and journalist (there is a another Fatima Mahmoud who lives in England that shows up more frequently when you google-search her name).  She worked as a journalist in Libya from 1976 to 1987, and then moved to Cyprus and started a magazine (Modern Sheharazade)  focusing on Arab women’s issues, for which she served as the chief editor.  In 1995, Mahmoud sought political asylum in Germany.  Good luck find anything on her life since then.  I couldn’t find anything online, except that maybe she is the woman referenced in this article as a member of the rebel Libyan Interim Transitional National Council:

Some of my favorite poetry books:

NEW! Pentagon Protester of the week!

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. 
Protester of the week is back!
As I had said previously, there wouldn’t be any new POTW columns until they brought something new to the table.  And  today they did.  This beautiful spring morning I spied 7 protesters ‘manning the rails’ at the Metro entrance to the Pentagon. 
My primary motivation to write this column today was the presence of a new loon guy out there today.   He had a pair of binoculars (perhaps he’s an ornithologist) hanging from his neck and a powder blue construction helmet to which he had used his 3rd grade arts and crafts skills to affix the letters: U N.   He was in fact bird-like in his manner and he craned forward, squinting his eyes, peering at each PGON passerby.  Obviously, he is going to be a real asset to the Monday protesting team! Oh, and he held the sign: “Arms dealers make a killing”









There was also a new sign that contained an excerpt from Dr. King’s Sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church on April 30, 1967 (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article16183.htm)
“…It seems that I can hear God say to America, you are too arrogant. If you do not change your ways I will rise up and break the backbone of your power…”
DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

I know I have said this many times before, but I really think these protesters are missing their audience.  I make fun of applaud their efforts at the Pentagon each Monday, but that’s just for selfish reasons: I sincerely enjoy my Monday peeks into the realm of the ridiculous/insane.   Perhaps a more appropriate audience could be found by taking some of these signs to the White House or Congress…the LTs through CAPTs using the Metro entrance aren’t influencing anyone beyond how much cream or coffee a Flag officer should have in his/her coffee that morning.  Truly, I am just trying to help these hippies protesters play to the best audience. 
FUUO’s greatest hits:

Friday, April 8, 2011

USMC mandates FAOWeb for it's FAO/RAO community!

30 MAR 2016 UPDATE: FAOWeb is now defunct.  It's technically moved over to JKO but some of the best functionality is gone (i.e., the forums).



Thought this might be of interest.  For those of you who haven't seen it, I think that FAOWeb (hosted as part of NPS' website kind of) has potential to become a great website.  There are two keys to its success:  ease of use and participation.  Both of these feed into each other and I know that the folks at FAOWeb are hard at work to increase both. 

I am hoping to get more ICT after-action reports uploaded to the website personally (participation).  The US Army's been in Africa much longer than the Navy and it sure would be nice to get access to those documents from the past few decades. 

Perhaps one of the items new users will appreciate most are the free language resources available (I am currently using CL-150 Transparent Language Suite to brush up my french for the DLPT I am schedule to take at the end of the month...if the government doesn't shutdown). 

R 051230Z APR 11
UNCLASSIFIED//
MARADMIN 215/11
MSGID/GENADMIN,USMTF,2007/CMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PL(UC)/F002//
SUBJ/FAO WEB ACCOUNT REQUIREMENT FOR USMC FOREIGN AREA OFFICERS (FAO) AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICERS (RAO)//
POC/BROWN, JONATHAN F/MAJ/UNIT:HQMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PLU /NAME:JONATHAN.F.BROWN@USMC.MIL/TEL:703-692-4366//
POC/CLARK, ROBERT/CIV/UNIT:HQMC WASHINGTON DC PPO PLU /NAME:ROBERT.L.CLARK1.CTR@USMC.MIL/TEL:703-692-4366//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  PURPOSE.  THIS MARADMIN ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICER PROGRAM (IAOP) REQUIREMENT FOR USMC FAO-RAO OFFICERS TO REGISTER FOR FAO WEB ACCOUNTS.
    A.  INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BRANCH PLU-PPO ANNOUNCES IAOP POLICY WHEREBY ALL USMC FAO-RAO OFFICERS SHALL ESTABLISH A FAO WEB ACCOUNT.
    B.  THIS POLICY IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
2.  FAO WEB
    A.  FAO WEB IS A DISTANCE-LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING PORTAL FOR FOREIGN AREA OFFICERS ACROSS THE JOINT SERVICES.
        (1) FAO WEB IS A PRODUCT OF THE JOINT FOREIGN AREA OFFICER SKILL SUSTAINMENT PROGRAM, AND BELONGS TO THE JOINT FAO WEB COMMUNITY.
        (2) FAO WEB IS DESIGNED TO EXPAND AS USERS EMPLOY FUNCTIONS AND CONTRIBUTE CONTENT VIA DISCUSSION BOARDS, UPLOADED DOCUMENTS, PRESENTATIONS, VIDEOS, PHOTOS, DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE MODULES, AND PERSONAL PROFILES.
        (3) FAO WEB PROVIDES LINKS TO INTERNATIONAL SECURITY REGIONAL SKILL SUSTAINMENT NEWS FEEDS, COMMUNITY PAGES FOR EACH SERVICE, EACH GEOGRAPHIC REGION, RESERVE AND RETIRED FAO COMMUNITIES, LANGUAGE AND RSS COURSES, AND MORE.
        (4) FAO WEB CAN BE ACCESSED AT HTTP:FAO.NPS.EDU
    B.  FAO WEB GOALS:
        (1) PROVIDE FAO(S) WITH ADVANCED PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES VIA DISTANCE LEARNING COURSES AND CONTENT.
        (2) PROVIDE FAO(S) WITH SKILL SUSTAINMENT RESOURCES, INCLUDING COMPREHENSIVE AND CONTINUOUSLY UPDATED LANGUAGE ACQUISITION AND MAINTENANCE MATERIALS.
        (3) PROVIDE FAO(S) WITH A JOINT VIRTUAL COMMUNITY TO COLLABORATE QUICKLY, BUILD KNOWLEDGE, SHARE BEST PRACTICES, AND FOSTER PROBLEM SOLVING VIA SOCIAL NETWORKING.  FAO WEB LIVE VIDEO CHAT ENABLES VIDEO CALLS FOR UP TO SIX PARTICIPANTS AT A TIME.
    C.  FAO WEB ACCESS:
        (1) RESTRICTED TO USERS WITH A REGISTERED ACCOUNT.
        (2) ACCESSIBLE VIA ANY INTERNET CONNECTION, INCLUDING HOME INTERNET, FOREIGN IPO, AND SMARTPHONES.
        (3) PROVIDES SECURE-ENCRYPTED LOGIN SIMILAR TO ONLINE BANKING THAT MEETS DOD STANDARDS FOR SECURITY.
    D.  FAO WEB ELIGIBILITY:
        (1) FOREIGN AREA OFFICERS WITH FMOS 8240-8249.
        (2) REGIONAL AFFAIRS OFFICERS WITH FMOS 8220-8229.
        (3) RESERVE-RETIRED FAO-RAO.
        (4) SELECT CIVILIANS, INCLUDING SPOUSES WHEN ACCOUNT REQUESTED-SPONSORED BY REGISTERED FAO-RAO.
        (5) OFFICERS FILLING JOINT-INTERNATIONAL BILLETS MAY BE SPONSORED BY REGISTERED FAO-RAO.
3.  FAO WEB ACCOUNT REGISTRATION:
    A.  CONTACT FAO WEB PROGRAM MANAGER, BRIAN BOULWARE VIA OFFICIAL MIL OR .GOV E-MAIL AT ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ADDRESSES:
        (1) FAOWEBHELP@NPS.EDU
        (2) BGBOULWA@NPS.EDU
    B.  IF .MIL OR .GOV E-MAIL UNAVAILABLE, COORDINATE WITH IAOP MANAGER (PLU-8) AND FAO WEB MANAGER VIA AVAILABLE PERSONAL E-MAIL ACCOUNT.
    C.  PROVIDE THE FOLLOWING DETAILS:
        (1) FIRST NAME.
        (2) LAST NAME.
        (3) MIDDLE INITIAL.
        (4) BRANCH OF SERVICE.
        (5) RANK.
        (6) GRADE.
        (7) REGIONAL EXPERTISE.
        (8) MILITARY E-MAIL ADDRESS.
        (9) OTHER E-MAIL ADDRESS.
        (10) STATUS (ACTIVE-RESERVE).
    D.    APPLICANTS NEEDING A SPONSOR:  ELIGIBLE SPONSOR MUST BE A REGISTERED FAO WEB ACCOUNT HOLDER. FAO-RAO IDENTITY WILL BE VERIFIED AGAINST MASTER FAO-RAO LIST PROVIDED BY IAOP COORDINATOR.
    E.  INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS WILL BE REGISTERED, AND ASSOCIATED LOG-IN AND PASSWORD INFORMATION WILL BE EMAILED TO ADDRESS PROVIDED IN LINES (8) AND (9) ABOVE.  ANTICIPATE 1-2 DAY TURNAROUND.
    F.  QUESTIONS REGARDING FAO WEB MAY BE ADDRESSED VIA EMAIL TO FAOWEBHELP@NPS.EDU OR TO BRIAN BOULWARE AT (831) 656-1080.
4.  RELEASE AUTHORIZED BY BGEN C.E. MUNDY,III, DIRECTOR, STRATEGY AND PLANS DIVISION.//

'A great post at China in Africa: The Real Story' or 'Aww snap, Gerson gets served'

Deb Brautigam's blog, China in Africa: The Real Story (Digging into the myths and realities of Chinese aid, investment and economic engagement) is consistently excellent.  There's never been a time that I've visited it and been disappointed.  Today was no different (note: she posted this at the end March) when I read her response to Michael Gerson's WAPO op-ed:  China’s African investments: Who benefits.  She makes the point that it is fine and well to criticize China's role in Africa, but that perhaps we should examine our own role on the continent from time to time.  She uses the example of the US relationship with the dictator/thug/murderer Obiang from Equatorial Guinea. 

     She links to a couple of other good articles and documents:

The IMF's January 2011 report: New Growth Drivers for Low-Income Countries - The Role of the BRICs

SUMMARY:  The emergence of BRICs—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—is reshaping low-income countries’ (LICs) international economic relations. While industrial countries remain LICs’ dominant development partners, LIC-BRIC ties have increased so rapidly over the past decade that BRICs have become new growth drivers for LICs. Trade with BRICs is already close to half of the value of combined trade with the European Union and the United States, and larger than with other emerging market economies. BRIC FDI and development financing are making a significant impact in some key areas despite their relatively small volumes compared with those from advanced countries. Beyond the increased flows of goods and capital, BRICs have brought new dynamics in LICs’ economic relations with the rest of the world, complementing as well as competing with OECD partners. Nevertheless, while potential benefits from the LIC-BRIC ties are enormous, there are challenges and risks in realizing such benefits.

Who's Africa's Worst Dictator? Why don't we hear more about Equatorial Guinea? by Peter Maas

This Slate article is a great read (albeit from 2008).


Please don't take the picture below as a slam on our current admininstration (it's part of Brautigam's blog post)...there are plenty of similiar regrettable photos of President Reagan with brutal African dictators...

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Chivers offers first-hand account of Libyan Rebel "forces"

Please click on this post's title to go to CJ  Chivers' superb New York Times  article: Libyan Rebels Don’t Really Add Up to an Army

          In it, he offers an inside look at what actually constitutes the rebel forces whom we are aiding.  I have provided a teaser of his opening paragraphs below.   CJ Chivers ( @CJChivers ) is another argument for why you should be on TWITTER.  As I have said before, Twitter doesn't have to be a childish-let-me-tell-you-what-I-just-ate thing.  Instead, it is a way for you to get near-real time updates on crises and news stories across the globe.  In Chivers' case, he is on the ground in Libya and when you follow him on Twitter, you get a 'stream' of his updates BEFORE they hit the mainstream news.  This is the case with many other hotspots.  You build own stream of information as you see fit.  It's awesome. 
      Speaking of awesome, also check out Chivers blog:  http://cjchivers.com/  He's got some beautiful close-up pictures of the rebels' "Toyota Tanks."  While you are there you may as well go throw his Pulitizer Prize winning book on your Amazon wish-list: The Gun.
(DISCLOSURE:  I don't know Chivers personally so my adulation is sincere)

BENGHAZI, Libya — Late Monday afternoon, as Libyan rebels prepared another desperate attack on the eastern oil town of Brega, a young rebel raised his rocket-propelled grenade as if to fire. The town’s university, shimmering in the distance, was far beyond his weapon’s maximum range. An older rebel urged him to hold fire, telling him the weapon’s back-blast could do little more than reveal their position and draw a mortar attack.
 
 
The younger rebel almost spat with disgust. “I have been fighting for 37 days!” he shouted. “Nobody can tell me what to do!”

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Africa Weekly Update- Your Weekly Dose of Awesome

Are you interested in things that are awesome?  If so you will love this!  Check out this weekly news conglomeration that I receive each week.  If you'd like to get added to the list let me know and I will forward your information on.  This is one distro I will stay on long after I leave the PGON.

Africa Rising Conference by Patuxent Defense Forum (19-20 APR)

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Great resource for fortnightly news: Consultancy Africa Intelligence

Have you been sitting around lately feeling a certain emptiness inside, a void that you just can't fill, a persisting and pervasive hole?  If so it's probably because you don't have a good fortnightly news source! 

(Now go back and re-read my first two sentences with a British accent; I guarantee you won't be able to do it without smiling!  There's something about the word 'fortnightly' that makes me want to speak with a British accent.)

Nonetheless, CAI fills that void.  I enjoy perusing their articles every two weeks.  They usually include a good variety of subjects about which I wouldn't otherwise read.  I have cut and pasted their latest email below:


CAI Fortnightly Newsletter
5 April 2011

Africa Watch
By Anton M. Pillay
This paper examines the February 2011 Ugandan Presidential elections, where like the previous elections in 2006, vote rigging, bribing of electoral officials and intimidation of political opponents were rife. The paper assesses why the world community has remained silent on this issue, especially in a time where authoritarian regimes throughout North Africa and the Middle East are being toppled. 

By David Rosenblum
This paper briefly examines the concept of conflict as an industry throughout Africa, using the present example of Libya and exploring the reports of/use of mercenaries. It begins by examining Gadaffi’s historical ties and involvement with mercenaries, and then explores how Gadaffi is able to fund and arm mercenaries. Finally, it seeks to explain why regional societal and economic conditions make it easy for Gadaffi to attract foreign fighters to Libya.

Asia Dimension
Sarah M. Brooks
This paper explores how the Chinese Government has reacted to the fall of authoritarian Governments in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, and questions whether there is any possibility for a “Jasmine Revolution” to take root in China. Optimists may see intellectuals’ calls for protests as the expression of popular demand for political reforms, encouraged by Premier Wen Jiabao’s comments during his August 2010 “southern tour.”

By Edoardo Collevecchio
This paper analyses whether the arms embargo and targeted sanctions imposed on Eritrea by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in December 2009 succeeded in inducing the cooperation of a notoriously intransigent regime. While it is too early to draw definitive conclusions, recent events suggest that targeted sanctions have shifted the incentives of Eritrea’s leadership, and have created an unexpected opportunity for constructive dialogue.
           
Election Reflection
By Madie Schutte
This paper discusses the Beninese 2011 presidential election which took place on 13 March, and where incumbent President Yayi Boni received a 53.13% of the votes. Benin is often considered one of the more political stable states in West Africa, yet the delay to the election and the problems with voter registration have lead opposition leaders to contest the results. There are also fears that the situation and associated complaints may lead to violence.

By Louise de Bruin
This paper aims to highlight two key areas of concern in Somalia; namely conflict and drought. It aims to show what the prolonged implications of these problems has had, and will continue to have on the country. Continuous conflict and persistent droughts in Somalia have led to the degradation of living standards for its people, forcing many to flee their country. With the increased migration of Somalis across their borders, Kenya is suffering as well.
           
Gender Issues
By Hanlie Myburgh
This paper examines the effect that the growing phenomenon of medical tourism has on women, and illustrates the evolving conceptions and positions of women in the global economy. Wealthy developed countries ‘shop around’ in poorer developing countries for organs, oocytes, and wombs for rent. Although these transactions (between buyer and seller) often seem to be a win-win situation, women who sell or rent out parts of their bodies have little if any freedom of choice in the matter. 

By Katherine Austin-Evelyn
This paper provides a brief overview of key changes in the PEPFAR programme that have occurred under the Obama administration. The paper also explores some of the alleged effects the programme is having on HIV & AIDS programming in Africa; specifically, the shift from US-driven to bilateral country relationships as well as the move to multilateral cooperation. In addition, the implications of these reallocations are discussed.

Optimistic Africa
By Casper Hendrik Claassen
This paper highlights the positive role public broadcasters might play in spreading social awareness and raising public interest insub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by exploring the contributions of two South Korean public broadcasters. It argues that there are alternative ways of supporting SSA, beyond the orthodox ‘Western’ way or the direct Chinese way. Specifically, the philosophy of the Moonhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and the work of Arirang TV are discussed.

By Carrie Byrne
This paper explores the democratic potential and constraints of social media. The role of social media as a facilitator of protest, with a specific focus on recent events in North Africa and the Middle East, are discussed. Social media may have become the most powerful tool for the realisation of democracy and it has been suggested that the social networking site Twitter be nominated for the next Nobel Peace Prize.

You are receiving this email as you have subscribed to the Consultancy Africa Intelligence Newsletter when registering on www.consultancyafrica.com

Monday, April 4, 2011

Senator Isakson's Speech at SAIS from 31 MAR 11



Following are my notes (my comments are in italic maroon) on SEN ISAKSON’s speech last week at SAIS.  
My overall take would be to caution his staffers to ‘tone’ the Senator’s ‘quotable’ lines.  I could see them rubbing some people the wrong way needlessly.  It also grated me a little that he didn’t mention Africa Partnership Station, ACOTA, AMLEP or any of the other Navy/State success stories on the continent.  However, if he's not informed on these issues I can't really blame him. 
            In the end, SEN Isakson appeared sincere in his concern for issues in Africa; he may not be an ‘African-ist’ or seasoned State Department Official, but does hold a position in which he can command a large audience.  Most importantly, he has spent time on the continent, a fact which places him far ahead of many other congressmen and government officials.  I look forward to his continued use of this ‘pulpit’ for Africa and hope he expands his interest into the maritime security arena of Africa--aside from clean water the most pressing issue for Africa over the next 50 years.   

SEN Isakson Speech at SAIS

“Most important continent in the 21st century is Africa.” 
“Middle East happenings are potentially historic.”

#1 American Foreign Assistance in Africa
- President’s Emergency Initiative to eradicate AIDS, PEPFAR has had
tremendous paybacks, reducing death from AIDS drastically
- NGOs CARE USA and an Atlanta-based microloan NGO (didn’t catch the name).  Loans are only given to the women in the various African villages.  Stated that on the whole, the men aren’t as trustworthy as the women when it comes to money.  This may be a cultural ‘truth-ism’ but I still winced when he said it.  However, he didn’t skip a beat and went on to comment that “it’s probably a lot like here in the US. 
If I were the Senator, I would use Nelson Mandela’s quote instead as it comes off as much more credible:
"Money on the hands of a woman is spent better and goes further, leading to the development not only of the family unit, but society as a whole."
- NELSON MANDELA, Global Summit of Women 2000

- African Millennium Foundation “Africa is the most corrupt place on the face of the earth.”  This may or not be true, but it irks me, and I am sure a lot of others from various African nations to be lumped together like that.  This isn’t a statement I would want to repeat often were I “Ranking Member of Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on African Affairs. Some may view this as semantics, but I would instead say: “Africa has some of the most corrupt nations of any continent.” Or something to that effect.
He went on to talk about the 11 investments on the continent so far that seek to fight corruption and promote transparency. 

#2 US Private Investment
- Equatorial Guinea=> 20 years ago is one of the poorest nations on earth, and today it is one of the most quickly developing due to natural gas discoveries and the investment by Marathon Oil.
- Coca-cola’s #1 project right now is to become a water neutral company with a $30 million seed investment in Africa to do so.  To tell you the truth, it never occurred to me that Coca Cola is using local water sources to manufacture and make their products—now that I have read about it, this is obvious of course. 
As to how well Coke is doing, a quick google search show mixed results:

#3 China’s involvement
- they have flooded Africa with workers to extract resources, whereas the US employs Africans
            “If we extract, we must also develop human capital”

#4 DARFUR
            > 1 million live in most dire circumstances.  There are 11 wells for 55K people. 

#5 HOA
Important as intel and development outreach

Questions and Answers Session:

- On Rwanda, Senator is friends with their President Kagame.
*There they have forced the Tutsis and Hutu to work side by side (in pairs) at the National Basket Company
*Umuganda Sundays: he said these are certain Sundays where people can’t drive cards and from 8 to noon everyone does a community service project to help the community.  During these  Sundays, the genocide perpetrators’ sentence is to wear a blue shirt with a yellow stripe and to take care of the survivors. 
All of these things are a nice sentiment but I sense that it isn’t quite this ideal.  Those wishing to learn more should check out the following links. Personally, I learned a lot by reading them.  I didn’t know many details concerning the genocide or how the country has dealt with it since.  The Harvard article below  offers particularly astute insight into post-genocide Rwanda.  The author gives great details on the gacaca (meaning “small grass”)courts.

Of note, I couldn’t find a single article to support the “scarlet letter” yellow striped shirt anecdote.  However, I could just be typing the wrong thing into google.  Perhaps his staff could provide reference material for this? 


If I were one of Senator’s Isakson’s staffers I would read the following paper and provide him with an executive summary before he spoke on Rwanda’s handling of the genocide perpetrators in the future. 

Why is the US so slow to react in the Cote D’Ivoire? 
“Good question.  Rwanda’s another good example of past missed opportunities.  The government of the US must make decisions based on our vital and national security interests.”  He went on to defend our involvement as altruistic in Libya because we get less than 1% of our oil from there.  What he failed to mention was the large amount of oil OUR ALLIES get from Libya. 

*Secretary of State is going to be making an announcement soon on a special envoy to this west African region.  Senator intends to travel to Benin and Ghana soon. 

Regarding a question on China: “We can deal and trade with China or we can become enemies with them.”  He would like us to deal and trade. 

On Libya again, he does subscribe to the statement by McCain and Kerry from a few weeks ago, “I think we did the right thing 3 weeks too late”

Equatorial Guinea’s leader [Mbasogo] is not ready for primetime yet, but he’s the best we’ve got to deal with right now.” 

“Last thing Ahmedinajad wants is the democratization of the Middle East.”  He went on to tout the world coalition of support for intervention in Libya BUT he didn’t mention the AU’s failure to support.