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

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Obiang speaks out against torture...unfortunately Torture is the name of his imaginary pet

U.S. Engages With an Iron Leader in Equatorial Guinea by Adam Nossiter

Obiang speaks out against torture...unfortunately Torture is the name of his imaginary pet.  Or maybe the word 'torture' means something else in Obiang's native language. 

Look, as FUUO has examined in a past post Obiang is NOT a good dude.  He's done really bad things and most likely continues to do them.  But I do think that the US is doing as much and in some cases, astronomically more business with dictators and regimes that are WAY worse (this obviously doesn't make it right of course).

I think the unfortunate thing is that there's not an established threshold or level of transparency in how we deal with these countries with murderers in charge repressive regimes. 

Ultimately I am somewhat torn.  Obviously it sends the wrong message for us to be chummy with a perpetual human-rights violator.  However, Obiang the dictator does not equal the people of Equatorial Guinea or even necessarily the military of Equatorial Guinea.  If we cut off Eq. Guinea completely the people will continue to suffer, but perhaps we can make inroads in small steps that will eventually help the population at large through mil-mil and other avenues.  This is a question with which to struggle. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/world/africa/31guinea.html
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2011/04/great-post-at-china-in-africa-real.html

'To kindle or not to kindle' or Things Fall Apart and sometimes that's just what we need

A few weeks ago I was reading the renowned Things Fall Apart on my metro trip home.  As I stepped off at L’Enfant Plaza to wait for the Green Line to U Street, a young African-American youth tapped my shoulder and asked how I liked the book.  He added that it was one of his favorite books, that he loved ‘the language of it.’
I always appreciate anyone with my shared love of language (and of literature in general) and as the youth trotted off, my thoughts meandered over to the eternal question:

Whether to sell out or not to sell out to kindle or not to kindle… 

To kindle or not to kindle; that is the question
Whether tis nobler with a heavy book to suffer
The weathered and ripped pages of outrageous fortune
Or to go digital against a sea of wasted trees

All superfluous melodramatics aside, books have always been a very personal thing for me.  Before I could read my parents spent hours on the sofa reading to me.  I still remember the trilling, speeding, beating of my heart when the concept of reading first ‘clicked’ for me.  It was one of those Dick and Jane books and suddenly I was READ-ING!  Dick was run-ning and I knew it because I READ IT MY-SELF!  I remember flip-ripping through those pages, run-ning to my mom to show her that I could READ! (I later went through a VERY short-lived phase where I would read EVERY billboard that we drove by, much to my parent’s chagrin)

Growing up I didn’t get to play video games and my brothers and I would get so foot-stomping-pee-our-pants-excited for Saturday trips to the Base library where we’d get to check out as many books as they would let us—I had a fondness for ones having to do with bears and dogs and the boys that befriended them, and oddly enough I can still recall a book about a muffin-baking dragon.



I tell you all this because here’s THE THING:

No one stops you on the metro, or on the bus or on the street to talk to you about how much they like the book that you are reading on your kindle.  Namely because the logistics for this to happen are just too difficult; someone would have to get all Michelle-Pfeiffer-UP-CLOSE-AND-PERSONAL on you to see what you were reading.  And nobody wants or needs that on the metro.  People like to keep their ‘bubble’ inflated while on the metro.

But books, books are a magical thing.  They are at once a most solitary, contemplative pursuit and at the same time a most common bonding, cohesive element.  They are both a just-me-myself-and-I-rainy-day companion and the excuse for book club wives everywhere to slam a case of Franzia on a Thursday night.

And they are courage-givers and door-openers.


 I can boldly and comfortably speak to someone with whom I have nothing in common with—except for the book in their hands.  And in the buttoned-up-eyes-diverted-locked-up-in-my-personal-metro-space-and-throw-away-the-key existence in which most of us live every day

(except of course for the ubiquitous “OMG-Beth-this-guy-was-so-rude-to-me-on-the-escalator-today–when-alls-I-was-doing-was-minding-my-own-bizwax-standing-on-the-left-side-Julie-from-Ohio”who never learned about ‘inside voices’ or little miss “hey-hey-I-don't-like-your-girlfriend-this-song-was-so-cool-5-years-ago-that-I-think-everyone-in-the-metro-car-should-also-listen-to-it-through-my-headphones-girl-power!”)

the common ground of a physical book is just the fresh air we need in our lives (either that or better a/c in the metro).


Monday, May 23, 2011

Zanzibar Chest Chronicles continue

My complete notes are here.


p. 235
Hartley mentions the divide in Somalia between the farmers and the nomads (who kept camels)…during the drought years the farmers would live off their stores…this would make their farmlands battlegrounds between the different militias

p.237  After 1984 famine Europe and US have come down with “donor fatigue”

p.238  1992 famine nicknamed (by Somalis) the Time of Swollen Feet because the peasants had to trek so far to get to the feeding centers.
The nurses in the feeding camps coined a term for many of the peasants—DBT: dead by tomorrow

p.239  Vitamin A deficiency in children brought on night blindness.  Then their eyeballs would turn red and rough…then melting and wasting set in, the eyes foamed with mucus, then sagged and formed ulcers that burst into welters of pus…if they survived, their sight was scarred with blemishes like opals or moonstones on the pupils.

marasmus gave starving children the martian-headed skeletal look

protein-deficiency produced swollen belly effect know as kwashiorkor

p.241
The only way to successfully  convey the tragedy of famine was to depict the death of an individual

p.242
What aiden respected about the workers in Baidoa was that they treated every famine victim as an individual…never toss them into mass graves.

p.244
The summer of 1992, Boutros-Ghali UN SEC GEN complains that the west doesn’t care about blacks in Africa …this brings dozens of charities to Baidoa overnight…”The militias could not believe their good fortune.” 
These charities were too late…most of the children under the age of 5 had already died.

p.245 UN Envoy Salhoun wrote “because of the delay, we now pay the price.”  The UN sacked him for this comment. 

p. 247 Somali joke: What is the part of a camel that looks like a man?
The bit that pisses backwards!
This is derived from a Somali joke that the camel was the last animal created by allah.  He was so tired that he stuck the animal with the head of a giraffe and skin of a lion.  As it walked away God realized he’d forgotten a penis, so he took the man’s penis and stuck it on the groin pointing the wrong way. 

In his travel, these Somalis welcome him because of the age-old rules of providing hospitality to strangers…something westerners have all but lost. 

p.248
July 1992 Gen Imtiaz Shaheen arrived to monitor Mogadishu cease-fire.  Aydiid was pissed because this undermined his ability to plunder the humanitarian aid.  So the Pakistanis couldn’t carry out t heir mission.  So instead they just played cricket on their end of the airfield with the brits, and other westerners.  

Friday, May 20, 2011

Poet of the week from Cameroon: Mbella Sonne Dipoko

In celebration of Cameroon's Independence Day (20 May 1972) my poet of the week is Mbella Sonne Dipoko.  I have provided a slew of links that can give you more background on his very interesting and colorful life.  I think that the poem that I have featured below aptly captures the spirit of the man whose life spanned the breadth of the human experience: poet, writer, chieftain, mayor, rebel and thinker.

NOTE: When I feature these poems I am not cutting and pasting them from anywhere since most of them aren't readily available on the web.   Instead I am retyping (transcribing) them from a book of poetry.  Initially this was tedious, but I have found that I enjoy it now.  Typing out the words, the stanzas, the periods, the capital letters, the commas, illuminates the poet's intent and state of mind for me. 
*From what I can tell, Dipoko wrote this poem in English.  I intend to translate it into French at a later date.

A Poem of Villeneuve St. Georges
(for M-C)
I am tempted to think of you
Now that I have grown old
And date my sadness
To the madness of your love.

All those flowers you hung
On my gate
All those flowers the wind blew
On the snow!
Why must I remember them now
And recall you calling me
Like a screech-owl

While I watched you
Through the window-pane
And the moon was over the Seine
And Africa was far away
And you were calling
And then crying
In the snow of exile
And the neighbor’s dog barking as if bored
By the excesses of your tenderness?

When I came down for you
And opened the gate
Cursing the cold of your hand
You always went and stood
Under the poplars of the river Yerres
At the bottom of the garden
Silently watching its Seine-bound waters;
And the moon might take to the clouds
Casting a vast shadow
That sometimes seemed to reach our hearts.

And then following me upstairs
You stopped a while on the balcony
As high as which the vines of the garden grew
With those grapes which had survived
The end of the summer
You picked a few grapes
Which we ate
I remember their taste
Which was that of our kisses.

And then in the room
You in such a hurry to undress
And you always brought
A white and a black candle which you lit.
Their flames were the same colour
Of the fire glowing in the grate
And you were no longer white
You were brown
By the light of the fires of love
At midnight
Years ago.

Dipoko was born in 1936 at Mungo, Cameroon.  He left Cameroon for Paris in 1960 and lived there for about 25 years (I think); he died in Tiko, Cameroon in 2009 .  He published two novels: A Few Nights and Days and Because of Women.  He also published a book of his poetry entitled Black and White in Love.  From what I have been able to research, he was also a controversial figure in his service as a mayor in Cameroon (in Tiko) under the CPDM after previously denouncing authoritarianism.

http://www.dibussi.com/2006/06/mbella_sonne_di.html
http://www.joyceash.com/2009/12/mbella-sonne-dipoko-dies-at-73.html
http://www.palapalamagazine.com/2009/12/in-memoriam-mbella-sonne-dipoko.html
http://www.peuplesawa.com/fr/bnvip.php?prid=4085&wid=2
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2011/05/joyeux-anniversaire-cameroon.html

Some of my favorite poetry books:

"AGOA is at the heart of our Africa policy" or "That heart of yours is looking pretty old and not too useful"

First for your entertainment:
FUUO's Protesters of the Week Compendium (rundown on the week protesters at the Pentagon):
http://fuuo.blogspot.com/2011/11/fuuos-pentagon-protesters-of-week.html


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




Africa: Obama Administration Wants Africa Trade Act Extended to 2025
Stephen Kaufman
Washington — The Obama administration wants to reauthorize the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire in 2015, through 2025, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson says, citing the measure's success in enhancing trade levels between the United States and the African continent.
Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington May 13, Carson said AGOA "remains the centerpiece of our trade and investment policy with Africa," and has "made progress in creating jobs, spurring economic growth and facilitating a dialogue on key economic and political challenges" since the legislation took effect in 2000.
In 2000, U.S. exports to Africa were valued at $5.9 billion and its imports totaled $23.4 billion. Thanks to AGOA, those levels rose to $17.1 billion in exports and $64.3 billion in African imports in 2010, Carson said. But, he added, neither the United States nor African nations should "become complacent" about the increase in trade and economic opportunities over the past 10 years.
"Africa still faces huge challenges and we need to continue and revitalize our economic partnership," he said. The region "has not experienced a genuine economic revolution."
The continent also continues to struggle to compete in an increasingly competitive global economy. "For these reasons I am fully committed to revitalizing AGOA," Carson said.
The annual AGOA Forum is scheduled to take place June 8-10 in Zambia, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and other senior U.S. officials in attendance.
Carson praised the Zambian government's planning of the event and said he expects "a dynamic forum" with a strong turnout from African government officials, civil society and the private sector.
The assistant secretary said the United States also wants to extend AGOA's Third Country Multi-Fiber provision through 2022. That provision allows AGOA member states to obtain their raw materials from other countries while maintaining preferred access to the U.S. market. He also said the administration wants to add South Africa to the provision.
A major goal for the United States is helping U.S. importers of African products increase their tax savings by eliminating the U.S. tax on repatriated revenues levied on American companies that invest in African factories that produce AGOA exports to the United States.
In prepared remarks at the same event, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis said AGOA is "at the heart of our Africa policy," and it has defined the U.S. trade relationship with the continent for three presidential administrations.
"In the same way that the United States uses trade to increase exports, grow our economy and support jobs here at home, our Africa trade policy helps Africans grow their economies and create jobs through exports," he said.
But because many studies show that African economies continue to face constraints, a lack of trade capacity, or are "otherwise insufficiently competitive to take advantage of export opportunities," the Obama administration is asking "tough questions" about the impediments to Africa's continued economic growth, he said.
Marantis cited reports of bribes and unnecessary checkpoints within and between countries in West Africa as well as poor infrastructure and customs delays that hurt African agriculture exports.
"These are real problems that hurt Africa's competitiveness. And these problems mean that much of AGOA's potential remains untapped," he said.
The Obama administration is intent on finding the "right, informed answers" behind the constraints to African economic growth, and those answers "will shape the future of our Africa trade and investment policy and anchor our ties to this important part of the world," Marantis said.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)



Joyeux Anniversaire Cameroon!

Cameroon's Anniversary of Independence


Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC



On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Cameroon as you celebrate the anniversary of your independence this May 20. Our two nations share an enduring partnership that reflects our long history working on behalf of common causes.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Peace Corps this year, we honor the Peace Corps volunteers who have partnered with Cameroonians in rural villages and urban towns. Since 1962, more than 3,000 Volunteers have worked with Cameroon to help improve the quality of lives and empower individuals and communities throughout the country.

The United States remains committed to working with the Cameroon Government as it seeks to strengthen democracy, governance, and rule of law. We look forward to seeing the people of Cameroon exercise their right to vote later this year in a free, fair, and credible Presidential election.

As you celebrate this special occasion, know that the United States stands with you. We are committed to this enduring partnership to help build a more peaceful and prosperous future for all our people.

African Organizations Diagram

Wow, there are a lot of acronyms and overlapping organizations in this diagram!  There were actually a few that I had never heard of.  I have listed them below.




















 AMU/UMA- Union du Maghreb Arabe (Arab Maghreb Union): Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania)

AU/UA- duh, African Union (L'Union Africaine)

CEN-SAD- Community of Sahel-Saharan States (Communauté des Etats Sahélo-Sahariens): Benin, Burkina Faso Central Africa, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan,Togo, Tunisia

COMESA- Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa: Burundi, Comoros, D.R. Congo, Djibouti, Egypt,Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius,Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

EAC- East African Community: Burundia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda

ECCAS/CEEAC- Economic Community of Central African States(La Communauté Economique des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale): Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, DROC, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, STP and Chad

ECGLC/CEPGL-Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (Communauté Économique des Pays des Grand Lacs): Burundi, DROC, and Rwanda.

ECOWAS- Economic Community of West African States: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde,, Gambia, Ghana,  Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger , Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo

EMCCA/CEMAC-  Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communaute Economique et Monetaire de l'Afrique Centrale): Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

IGAD/AIGD- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Autorité intergouvernementale pour le développement): Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda.

LGA/ALG- Liptako-Gourma Authority: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger

MRU- Mano River Union: Cote D'ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone

SACU- Southern Africa Customs Union: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and South Africa


WAMZ- West African Monetary Zone: The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone

 WAEMU/UEMOA- West African Economic and Monetary Union (Union Econonomique et Monetaire ouest-africaine): Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo. 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Never Lost in Translation-FAO/Language Fluff Piece

Didn't know there was an advanced education magazine but good on 'em!

http://www.military-advanced-education.com/military-advanced-education/305-mae-2011-volume-6-issue-2-march/4002-never-lost-in-translation.html

Navy Calls on Gamers to Unite to Defeat Somali Piracy: MMOWGLI

NOTE:  This news is a few days old but to be fair I tweeted about this information back on 13 May but am only now getting a chance to write about it (and the 16 May launch was delayed anways).


Nerd Gamers!  Are you tired of being chastised for countless hours spent on the couch taunting 12 twelve years on your PS3?  Now you can turn your loafing into something productive (and possibly a tax-writeoff).

The Navy, in conjuction with ONR and NPS has launched MMOWGLI (not to be confused with the Jungle Book's affable Mowgli character...or maybe to be confused with Mowgli)


















I think MMOWGLI is actually pronounced the same as Mowgli (you just have to pretend you are Colin Firth when you say it).















Anyway, click on this post's title to read the article and then you can go to NPS' website here to sign up to get on the email list to participate once it launches (evidently the 16 May launch was delayed due to an overwhelming interest).

Lastly, I came across a pretty interesting scoop (document).  It's a 2010 Feasibility Study (if that link doesn't work try this one) done by Raytheon on the feasibility of implementing MMOWGLI.  I say it's interesting because you will get a lot more detail on MMOWGLI (and the thought process associated with its design) than you will in any of the news articles.  For the record, I came across this through a simple google search, not through nefarious means.

I haven't been able to get an update on when the game will launch but I will announce it here or on twitter (@FAOfuuo) when it does.

Links:
http://mmowgli.nps.edu/mmowgli
http://www.gamepron.com/news/2011/05/10/u-s-navy-creates-mmo-to-fight-somali-pirates/
http://portal.mmowgli.nps.edu/
http://signalnews.com/navywargames516
http://jeuxvideo.fluctuat.net/blog/49052-l-us-navy-veut-lutter-contre-la-piraterie-avec-un-mmo.html
The french one has some great pics
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ipRY7pMfD8r6wsNQMyxLoueJFuTA?docId=CNG.339223ab5436ba3fa84923908500ee61.1b1
http://www.yorkdispatch.com/news/ci_18079290
Feasibility Study
Feasibility Study (another link)
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA525431&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf
http://www.iftf.org/mmowgli
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/navy-crowdsources-pirate-fight-to-online-gamers/
http://grognews.blogspot.com/2011/05/mandatory-mention-of-mmowgli.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/1752574/the-us-navys-massively-multiplayer-pirate-hunting-game
http://science.dodlive.mil/2011/04/28/mmowgli-an-experiment-in-generating-collective-intelligence/


Minneapolis-A Twin with Mogadishu? or Mogadishu's calling Cory Booker

This is a very interesting article.  Somali Mohamed Nur left the safety of London to become the Mayor of Mogadishu.  He's putting out a call for a city in England to 'twin' up with them.  I say forget the redcoats Brits!  Let's get a US city to pair up.  My first thought would be for that city to be one with a large Somali population.  Following are the US cities with the greatest Somali diaspora #'s (in descending order):

Minneapolis
Columbus, Ohio
Washington DC
NYC
Buffalo, NY
Seattle
Kansas City
San Diego

However, I am not sure Minneapolis is 'street' or 'gangster' enough for Mogadishu.  It might be like pairing Miley Cyrus to rehab an LA Blood (or maybe more like pairing Ke$ha).   So perhaps a more appropriate choice would be "Brick City" aka Newark, NJ.  The Sundance Channel has a fascinating documentary series on the city and its controversial (what great leader isn't?!) and inspirational mayor: Cory Booker.  If there ever any two mayors that should sit down together it is Cory Booker and Mohamed Nur!


































Links:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/somalia/8514238/How-a-modest-council-worker-from-Camden-came-to-be-the-Mayor-of-Mogadishu.html
http://www.sundancechannel.com/brick-city/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Booker
https://twitter.com/#!/corybooker

Hey Congress, the Coast Guard needs a FAO corps for Africa!

The Coast Guard needs a FAO program (or an Africa FAO program at least).  Almost every American Embassy in Africa (and more importantly African nation) could benefit from having a permanent Coast Guard billet.  Most African countries need to learn how to build a Coast Guard not a navy, but I am pretty sure that in all of Africa there is only one permanent Coast Guard billet at an embassy.   That is all.















Links:
http://africacenter.org/2009/12/navies-versus-coast-guards-defining-the-roles-of-african-maritime-security-forces/

In Beijing, how Africans Want to Be Seen


I love photography and thus I love the idea behind this exhibit in Beijing.  As much as I emphasize the importance of poetry and literature in understanding a culture, I think photography is a powerful tool in capturing the emotion and soul of a culture. 
A new exhibit at Li-Space in Beijing’s Caochangdi district aims to refashion the traditional visual impression of Africa – that of famine, war and poverty – through images that show a continent of culture, hope, imagination and dreams.
“Africa: See You, See Me!” features the work of 36 African and non-African photographers, including Angele Etoundi Essamba from Cameroon, Moroccan Majida Khattari and Italian Marco Ambrosi....
Read the rest and see the photos here:
http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2011/04/27/how-africans-want-to-be-seen/
Here are some of the photographers' websites:
http://www.essamba-art.com/
http://www.essambahome.com/
http://www.majidakhattari.com/
http://www.marcoambrosi.com/

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

FUUO's What To Read- South Africa Edition or The Rabbit-hole Edition

As I seek to learn as much as I can about the countries in the continent in which I will be working for the rest of my naval career, I am always eager to learn what the people in the different African nations are reading.  No doubt, this is due to my roots as an English major and also my granite belief that an appreciation for the poetry and literature of a nation are essential to understanding it. 

So I was pleased to come across this link to the “short list” for South Africa’s annual Alan Paton Award (best non-fiction).  Alan Paton is the author of Cry, Beloved Country, a book that I haven’t read yet but one that I am adding to my Amazon.com wishlist.

One of the authors on the ‘shortlist’ is Jay Naidoo who wrote: Fighting for Justice
He wrote a short article in South Africa’s Times Live (that I’ve provided below) entitled:

What I'm Reading: Jay Naidoo

Jay Naidoo is chairperson of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and founder of the social development arm of J&JGroup. He has recently published his autobiography Fighting for Justice and publishes a blog at www.thejustcause.org.

I'm re-reading Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom - an excellent reminder of the values that we fought for, fearlessly inspired by the dream of a nonracial, nonsexist and democratic South Africa. Today we struggle to live up to the values espoused by our founding leaders - ethics such as selfless service, humility, integrity, honesty and social solidarity.
I recently finished Birth by Peter Harris, a gripping account of the turbulent days preceding the first democratic elections in 1994. What a knife edge we were on, and how wise was the leadership that was able to unify a vision of the future and draw discordant parties into the democratic process that prevented the unleashing of civil war in the country.
It's Our Turn to Eat by Michaela Wrong recounts the story of John Githongo, who as part of the anti-corruption agency of the Kenyan government, uncovered widespread corruption. This is a must-read for South Africans.
The company recently bought me an iPad as one way to reduce my carbon footprint. Now I look forward to having the books of the world at my fingertips.

http://www.amazon.com/Beloved-Country-Oprahs-Book-Club/dp/0743262174
http://www.gainhealth.org/
http://www.jandjgroup.com/devtrust.aspx







Better Late than Never: Johnnie Carson's Senate Testimony

As always, when Assistant Secretary writes/speaks I read/listen (and takes lots of notes)!


FY2012 Budget Request for U.S. Policies on Africa
Testimony

Johnnie Carson
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Subcommittee on African Affairs

Washington, DC

April 14, 2011

________________________________


I would like to thank you, Chairman Coons, Ranking Member Isakson, and all the members of the Committee for inviting my colleagues and me to testify today on the President’s budget request for sub-Saharan Africa. As this is my first appearance before this Congress, I wish to congratulate you Chairman Coons on your election to the Senate and for assuming the leadership of the African Affairs Subcommittee as a new member. Senator Isakson, congratulations on your reelection and for remaining as the minority leader of the Subcommittee. I greatly appreciate your passion for Africa and commitment to realizing our nation’s goals and interests there.

The President’s FY2012 request for sub-Saharan Africa reflects our core U.S. priorities and interests in Africa. I would like to highlight those priorities, interests, and some of the major policy challenges and opportunities we face on the continent.

We remain committed to five overarching policy priorities: 1) strengthening democratic institutions and the rule of law; 2) encouraging long-term development and growth, including food security; 3) enhancing access to quality health care and education; 4) assisting in the prevention, mitigation, and resolution of conflicts; and 5) working with Africans to address transnational challenges, including terrorism, maritime security, climate change, narcotics trafficking, and trafficking in persons.

The FY2012 request of $7.8 billion represents a 10 percent ($732.7 million) overall increase from the FY2010 enacted total of $7.0 billion. This increase is due in large measure to increases requested for each of the Presidential Initiatives. The request for Global Climate Change has increased by 140.9 percent ($73.7 million), Feed the Future by 20 percent ($84.4 million), and Global Health by 12.6 percent ($601.22 million). Our request for discretionary funds to support noninitiative programs is $1.8 billion. They include programs focused on enhancing democracy and governance, economic growth, conflict resolution, and transnational issues.

The United States has many challenges and commitments around the globe, but it is important for us not to lose sight of our growing national interests in sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is a region where the United States has benefited from longstanding partnerships and friendships and enjoys some of the highest approval ratings in the world. The ties between Americans and Africans are deep and historic.

With few exceptions, Africa is not a place where we see anti-American demonstrations and rhetoric. That is indicative of the prevailing appreciation for our country’s longstanding commitment to democracy and human rights, and for our steadfast support in addressing Africa’s many challenges and during times of trouble. The spread of democracy in Africa over the past two decades and the vibrancy of pro-democracy activism across the continent is further evidence that most Africans share our political values.

In the international arena, we might not see eye-to-eye with Africans on every issue, but, overall, most governments there have been cooperative as we deal with a variety of global challenges such as international terrorism, Iran, and piracy. We saw one recent example of this when Gabon, Nigeria, and South Africa voted in support of the U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force to avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Libya.  Our economic interests in Africa are clear and compelling.  Approximately 14 percent of U.S. oil imports come from the region, making it a strategic part of our energy security portfolio. Imports from Nigeria alone are about 9 percent of our total oil imports and almost the same volume as those from Saudi Arabia. With promising exploration and development in countries such as Ghana, Uganda, Liberia, and Tanzania, sub-Saharan Africa’s significance for global oil and gas markets will only increase in the coming years. Africa’s enormous share of the world’s mineral reserves is vital for sustaining continued growth of the global economy. And, most importantly, sub-Saharan Africa’s growing population makes it a market where U.S. firms will need to be players if they are to remain globally competitive. The region’s share of the world population today is approximately 12 percent, and it is estimated to grow to 20 percent over the next two decades.

Helping African countries, no matter how small and poor, realize their full potential and succeed as economically viable democracies is in our national interest. If fledgling democracies are allowed to fail and undemocratic regimes are allowed to endure unchallenged, then people will lose confidence in democracy and free market economic principles, and we will find ourselves on the defensive in the global competition for influence and ideas. Many sub-Saharan African countries face enormous challenges to their survival as functioning states, and we must continue to help them meet those challenges so they can better help us as we deal with our own. In the coming years, African cooperation will be increasingly essential in managing a wide range of global issues such as smuggling, piracy, migration, climate change, infectious disease, and food production.

With our limited resources and personnel, we are managing a long list of near and long-term challenges that have a direct impact on U.S. security, political, economic, and humanitarian interests. Nigeria, where I was this past weekend, is in the middle of a tense election process that will have serious repercussions for its near and long-term stability. In Sudan, the six-year-old North-South peace process is at an extremely delicate moment with independence for the South just about three months away. Diplomatic efforts on Darfur are accelerating again, but a solution is still far away. The situation in Somalia remains especially volatile and poses security threats throughout East Africa and in the Indian Ocean. We may also be on the precipice of a humanitarian catastrophe there as food supplies once again run low.

The political crisis in Cote d’Ivoire has escalated into armed conflict and unleashed one of West Africa’s worst humanitarian crises since the Liberian war. The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains highly insecure, especially for women and children. That country is scheduled to have elections in November that will serve as a bellwether for its post-conflict transition. Uganda and its neighbors are struggling to eliminate the Lord’s Resistance Army, which still threaten civilian populations in northern DRC and the Central African Republic. In Zimbabwe, President Mugabe and his ruling ZANU-PF party continue to obstruct the democratic process and mismanage the economy, creating a persistent and long-term threat to the country’s overall stability.

Beyond these fast-moving issues which dominate the headlines, our government is trying to address a number of slower moving but nonetheless high-impact challenges. The greatest of these is the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases which have tragic consequences for economic livelihoods and social welfare of Africans across the continent. My colleague, Ambassador Eric Goosby will address this in greater detail. It is estimated that some 22.5 million Africans are living with HIV/AIDS, about two-thirds of the world’s total. Millions more suffer and die regularly from malaria and other debilitating but preventable endemic diseases. Women and children suffer disproportionately.

Although a handful of African countries have demonstrated improved rates of macroeconomic growth compared to previous decades, the overall poverty and social indicators for much of the continent are sobering. Ethiopia’s per capita GDP, for example, is $344. Life expectancy in Nigeria is 48. Basic infrastructure is lacking in many countries struggling to keep up with their growing populations, especially in urban areas. As of last year, Southern Sudan had only 50 kilometers of paved road. And food security remains an ongoing concern across much of the continent.

I have already alluded to some of the many security challenges in Africa. There are others such as the presence of terrorist groups and drug traffickers in the Sahara, and the ascendance of drug trafficking in countries such as Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. Our referred approach to all of these challenges is to work through African security and judicial institutions and develop their capacity rather than rely on direct and potentially costly U.S. involvement. This approach may be slow and imperfect, but we believe it is the only truly sustainable one for the African context, and it is the most cost-effective approach for the United States. When Africans take ownership of their own security responsibilities, we are more likely to have the requisite trust and political buy-in of key players than if quick-fix solutions are imposed by outsiders. And this buy-in is what can lead to more durable outcomes.

To put it differently, the more proactive we are in encouraging and supporting African-led security initiatives, the less likely we will need to intervene directly down the road.  Africa’s complex challenges demand considerable time, attention, and resources, but we must also be attentive to the significant gains and progress that have occurred in many countries over the past decade, and ensure they continue. Liberia and Sierra Leone, for example, require our engagement and support to help sustain their largely successful postconflict transitions. Helping Africa’s most democratic countries—such as Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Benin, Botswana, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Tanzania, and South Africa—continue with political and economic reforms is vital for demonstrating the sincerity of our commitment to democracy and encouraging other countries to follow their model. In recent years, regional organizations such as the African Union, Economic Community of West African States, East African Community, and the Southern African Development Community have demonstrated a growing commitment to, for example, censuring unconstitutional seizures of power, promoting economic integration, and addressing regional security problems. It is in our interest to see that these organizations continue to build capacity and become more assertive across the continent.

I have worked on Africa for my entire career of more than forty years, yet, whenever I review the budget numbers, I am still amazed at how our government manages to do so much with so little. Roughly speaking, one can easily fit the landmasses of the United States, China, and Western Europe in sub-Saharan Africa. After Southern Sudan becomes independent in July, sub-Saharan Africa will have 49 states.

We have 44 embassies, 5 consulates, and several regional platforms used by various U.S. Government agencies. Those of you who have been out to the region know most of these missions are thinly staffed with an ambassador and a handful of reporting officers and support personnel.

In closing, I would like to state simply that every dollar we invest in helping Africans to address their problems and better capitalize on their opportunities may not satisfy our high expectations for economic growth, development, health, security, and political stability, but they sure can go a long way in preventing situations from getting worse and costing us even more money down the road. And, as  Ambassador Goosby and my colleagues from USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation will detail in their testimonies, many of our efforts do in fact have a very positive and significant impact on the lives of Africans.

It is through these programs and our vigorous diplomacy that the United States will remain a player in Africa and protect and advance our interests there.

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, and distinguished Committee members, thank you. I will be happy to address your more specific questions and concerns.