Obama Is Soft on Africa's Dictators

By Jason McLure | Newsweek Web Exclusive Even more than handing leaders like Kibaki, Yar'Adua, and Kabila the chance to sashay about for their state-run television channels arm in arm with Clinton, the new administration has stumbled in Africa in other ways. The top Africa job at the Defense Department, which eclipsed State's role in directing Africa policy during the Bush era, went to Vicki Huddleston, a retired diplomat who distinguished herself in recent years by penning op-eds in defense of Bush's robust support for Ethiopia's repressive government. Additionally, one of Obama's first high-level missions to East Africa, in June, was led by Jacob Lew, whom Clinton named to a top State post despite his lack of any diplomatic experience. Turns out the visit was Lew's first of any kind to the region, and he faltered badly in a press conference in Addis Ababa, clinging to a sheaf of talking points and appearing to praise Ethiopia's flawed 2005 elections that ended with security forces killing at least 193 demonstrators and the government jailing opposition leaders. Equally puzzling is that after more than six months on the job, Obama hasn't filled the post of administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the agency that distributes the billions in American aid money that flows to the continent annually. The tragedy in all this is that Obama could have been swinging for the fences instead of trying to bunt. With few exceptions, white Western leaders have tip-toed around direct criticism of African despots, for good reason: the continent's former European colonizers handpicked many of them, and during the Cold War the U.S. happily financed and armed some of the most brutal and corrupt, like Zaire's Mobutu Sese Seko. For years African leaders have parried Western critics by accusing them of neo-colonialism.

[sabonis15]

There is no stomach in American foreign relations to challenge the governments of Africa for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I don't think Africa is high on anyones agenda in the US, whether in public or private domains. Secondly, I don't think Obama has enough energy to tackle the problems in Africa. Thirdly, a US aministration, whether republican or democratic will support whatever regimes are hard on islamist movements right now, so as long as a government is behaving according to that simple logic, it can pretty much do as it feels.

[Themore]

It should be noted that all countries have their own priorities, namely their interests. Common interests are what transforms cooperations between countries into taking bilateral actions. It has become bad luck or even a curse for those who don't happen to share common interests with the super powers. African leaders can lose the support of their own people when they get carried away with the honeymoon to the extent of ignoring why they are there to begin with-to use the once in a life time opportunities to develop and protect their people and not sway from the direction their true regional progress is leading them.

[Ayantu Oluma]

sabonis15 wrote:

There is no stomach in American foreign relations to challenge the governments of Africa for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I don't think Africa is high on anyones agenda in the US, whether in public or private domains. Secondly, I don't think Obama has enough energy to tackle the problems in Africa. Thirdly, a US aministration, whether republican or democratic will support whatever regimes are hard on islamist movements right now, so as long as a government is behaving according to that simple logic, it can pretty much do as it feels.

Ayantu- I do not belive the world leaders pay that much attention to Africa until they do that continent will not progress with the courupt governments in Africa.I came from Ethiopia 18 years ago became a RN (Nurse) and I would like to help the people of africa in what ever way possible.

[Z_Journalist]

Themore wrote:

It should be noted that all countries have their own priorities, namely their interests. Common interests are what transforms cooperations between countries into taking bilateral actions. It has become bad luck or even a curse for those who don't happen to share common interests with the super powers. African leaders can lose the support of their own people when they get carried away with the honeymoon to the extent of ignoring why they are there to begin with-to use the once in a life time opportunities to develop and protect their people and not sway from the direction their true regional progress is leading them.

Yes, All countries have their priorities and interests, but not in most African countries.Nowadays, We already figured out that there are only European/American interests that transforms cooperation between dictators in African countries and super powers. The African dictators are there, from the beginning, to terrorize the same people they claim that they are governing because of the kind of back-door billions of dollars support from the super powers. Blankly, We can say that there are no common interests and priorities b/n the super powers and those African countries that have dictators suppressing their own people. Those dictators do their shrewd business with the super powers to hold the power they grabbed by force and continue to be the instrument to the western interests.
In the middle of these messes, We know all these innocent poor people are suffering in hunger, draught, and war. I feel sorry to the western people who do think that their countries are helping the poor African people. The truth is quite different than the images and information pasted in their mind.

[Ayantu Oluma]

what is wrong for a white man marrying an educated women who never smoke never done drags never drink alcohol I might add never married and have no kids at 40 y/o she knows who she is?

[sabonis15]

Z_Journalist wrote:

<quoted text>
Yes, All countries have their priorities and interests, but not in most African countries.Nowadays, We already figured out that there are only European/American interests that transforms cooperation between dictators in African countries and super powers. The African dictators are there, from the beginning, to terrorize the same people they claim that they are governing because of the kind of back-door billions of dollars support from the super powers. Blankly, We can say that there are no common interests and priorities b/n the super powers and those African countries that have dictators suppressing their own people. Those dictators do their shrewd business with the super powers to hold the power they grabbed by force and continue to be the instrument to the western interests.
In the middle of these messes, We know all these innocent poor people are suffering in hunger, draught, and war. I feel sorry to the western people who do think that their countries are helping the poor African people. The truth is quite different than the images and information pasted in their mind.

Many states in africa can't emerge from the basics feed the king king of social organization. everything is geared directly to the comfort of the ruling eleties, ike all kinds of authoritarioan structures from history. There are things I se in Ethiopian that make me cringe politcally, but to mee seems way ahead of its neighbours, in that there is a least a political culrtural oppsotion to the government (though maybe not successsul right now. Scold ethiopia the loudest becas e it has the most hope for the horn. Love it when it is good, and bemone it when it bad. Let's get on it, those that are interested.

[some-1]

he can't go against his people,eh
he can only go against american police force

[abr]

Ayantu Oluma wrote:

what is wrong for a white man marrying an educated women who never smoke never done drags never drink alcohol I might add never married and have no kids at 40 y/o she knows who she is?

hehehe you are looking for white man!
GOOD LUCK!

[goban gergo]

president Obama is not soft on african dictators . he steps no the rul of law and every dictators going to punshed . The ethiopian meles zenawi worry for the tplf manifesto and its new chapter is compltly a crime , specialy it's 22 pages written by melse zenawi 4 years a go. once it's exposed, no international communities work with him. he is a bloody evil man .so we can submit tplf manifesto to criminal investigation

[wako]

sabonis15 wrote:

There is no stomach in American foreign relations to challenge the governments of Africa for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I don't think Africa is high on anyones agenda in the US, whether in public or private domains. Secondly, I don't think Obama has enough energy to tackle the problems in Africa. Thirdly, a US aministration, whether republican or democratic will support whatever regimes are hard on islamist movements right now, so as long as a government is behaving according to that simple logic, it can pretty much do as it feels.

Hi, you are intention. you want to say some thing, yes I can understand. it is a power and poltics that human beings needs to succes. Mow president Obama is on the real poltics that African people needs , obama is not alone , all international communities are stand by. so a great power is in hi's hand. but obama don't come to your and purefiy you. you must ask for your advantages. I belive that African has to make more struggle. why and how Obama elected ? it is after many years secrification . so that if you trust and struglee for democratic Africa , you can attracte all world attentions but don't confiuse yourselfe with islamic revolution . our world needs not religouse revolution, but needs democracy revolution.

[sabonis15]

wako wrote:

<quoted text>
Hi, you are intention. you want to say some thing, yes I can understand. it is a power and poltics that human beings needs to succes. Mow president Obama is on the real poltics that African people needs , obama is not alone , all international communities are stand by. so a great power is in hi's hand. but obama don't come to your and purefiy you. you must ask for your advantages. I belive that African has to make more struggle. why and how Obama elected ? it is after many years secrification . so that if you trust and struglee for democratic Africa , you can attracte all world attentions but don't confiuse yourselfe with islamic revolution . our world needs not religouse revolution, but needs democracy revolution.

I honestly think that most of the problems of Muslim nations will only be fixed by a peaceful liberalization within the cultures of the Umma. The US did some terrible things to Iraq for example, but the biggest killer of Iraqis since 2003 has been other Iraqis (2:1 over american killings). Same with the horrors in Darfur.

Democracy is something that can only really happen in a peaceful environement, so it will take the sustained efforts of millions in africa and Asia to bring true democratic rights and practices. What we're seeing in iraq and afghanistan are democratic fictions that require the backing of the worlds toughest miltary in order to be sustained