Obama and Africa: The Change We Have Been Waiting For?

In the momentary lull that follows a presidential election, between full-out campaigning and real decision-making, the media has a few time-honored rituals that center on parlor games and policy speculation.
This election has been no different. While we wait for an Obama administration to start taking shape, one of the favorite exercises has been gazing into crystal balls about the foreign policy crises the new president will face. Others, a bit more boldly, make forthright statements about what the incoming government's foreign policy priorities should be.
Fred Kaplan's take in Slate on Wednesday was a fairly typical offering of this kind. Under the heading, "A Foreign-Policy Repair Manual: Six priorities for President Obama," he went on to detail a fairly typical laundry list of crises and opportunities, from getting out of Iraq to "laying the initial groundwork for renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks."
As priorities, the lists were fine as far as they went. The problem is that for a new leader promising change, they have tended to reflect the most traditional sorts of Washington priorities, neglecting other parts of the world that are starving for American moral and political leadership; places where Obama, by virtue of his unique background, offers particularly compelling potential for impact.
The most obvious and important omission by list keepers like Kaplan is Africa, a continent of nearly one billion people today that according to United Nations projections will count an astounding two billion people by mid-century.
Today, for example, a new war looms in the Congo, a place where unbeknown to most Americans the United States has played a critical and mostly disastrous role since independence from Belgium in 1960. According to respectable international estimates some five million people have died in the Congo as a result of wars there since 1996, the greatest toll anywhere since World War II.
There is a powerful argument to be made that this disaster, along with the Rwandan genocide that preceded it, is Bill Clinton's most important foreign policy legacy, and an Obama policy toward Africa run by many of the same people and carrying forward Clinton era thinking would be a sign of disdain for the continent and its problems.
The Congo's apocalyptic dissolution began in earnest when Washington gave Rwanda the green light to invade the country, setting off a free for all that sucked in many of the Congo's neighbors.
Washington has spent money on the crisis through the United Nations, but in terms of showing political leadership it has run from the problems of the Congo ever since, leaving a vast and potentially rich country that is the effective crossroads of north, south, east and west in Africa crippled and unattended.
Africa has never long retained the attention of our foreign policy elite, journalists included, and yet today this fast-growing continent, the homeland of our new president's father, teeters on a fulcrum point, credibly capable of veering off in radically different directions in ways that will profoundly affect Americans and indeed mankind.
An Africa that can douse its conflicts, build functioning institutions and continue to lay the foundations of democracy stands to become an important player in the next phase of globalization, as labor costs rise in much of Asia, and capital begins to prospect for productive opportunities elsewhere.
An Africa pocked by neglected failing states will increasingly become a nexus of catastrophe, and contrary to the wishes of our foreign policy establishment, which always seeks to confine Africa to the realm of our lowest priorities, the blowback from its ever-larger disasters will inflict high costs and pain everywhere.
During the last decade of political neglect of Africa, China has made extraordinary inroads on the continent, eclipsing the commercial presence of Europe's old colonial masters, and lapping fast at the heels of the United States as Africa's most important trading partner.
China's trade with Africa has more than doubled in the last two years alone, reaching roughly $120 billion this year. It is important to state that China is pushing into Africa not as some charity project, but because of two very carefully reasoned conclusions.
China, for one, badly needs priority access to Africa's storehouse of minerals, petroleum and even farmland. Even more jarringly for Americans, who have embraced a deep and abiding bigotry of low expectations about the continent, though, China sees Africa as a frontier of opportunity; a place whose future is bright.
Today, all across Africa Chinese, not Western companies, are building vital infrastructure - ports, railways, roads, schools and hospitals -- at a rhythm and scope that surpasses anything the continent has seen before, including during the heyday of colonialism.
For the most part, for Africa and for the world, this is good news. The problem with leaving the African playing field to China alone relates to the most profound shortcomings in Beijing's emerging foreign policy, just as it relates to some of the United States' most special qualities, as well as to the unique potential of our new president as a game changer in America's relationship with the continent.
For reasons of deep-seated diplomatic tradition and because of its own underrated insecurities, China still clings to the idea that the so-called internal problems of other countries, be they harsh dictatorship, rampant corruption or even genocide are none of its business - or indeed even ours.
Africans are grateful for China's intense interest in the continent, and they rightfully find inspiration in China's example of a stirring rise from poverty largely on the strength of concerted and sustained national effort.
Africans have no illusions, though, of Chinese leadership in resolving the conflicts that continue to tear their continent apart and hold them back. And for good reason there is even less hope among the civil societies that have sprouted in country after country, even in the seemingly least fertile of soils, that China will help Africa democratize, which is a key to the continent's future.
While much of the world has gone sour on the United States' claim of being a beacon of hope, the 53 countries of Africa have by and large remained profoundly attached to a vision of America as land of justice, opportunity and freedom. Obama's election will only make such feelings much more intense, a fact I can attest to from correspondence from friends across the continent of prayer vigils in every faith for his candidacy and for his success in office.
To waste this moment would be more than a lost opportunity. For the United States, for Africa and for the world, it would be a tragedy.

Comments

[shannonmay]

It would be a revelatory turn if Obama took a serious look at this continent, but nothing he has done yet makes it a good assumption that he will. No particular work on Africa during his Senate term, no particular interest personally prior to running for office. No meaningful contact with his extended family here. It was afterall a news agency that provided his grandmother with solar panels and a television so that she would be a more interesting person to interview. Otherwise she'd have no idea what was happening why anyone would want to know her thoughts about a grandson she had only met twice. I hope that he'll see this leadership opportunity, one that no one has had before. He will automatically defuse a century of exploitation that is assumed to be carried in the skin of every white person who comes here, and that will give him an ability to start conversations with a level of goodwill that I don't think another American President would have ever had. He has this opportunity to be part of the answer to the millions of prayers said in his name. I don't think there is a god listening, but at the very least he could listen, and realize this moment as his own. I don't usually like stroking a person's ambition, but on this issue, I think he needs to be encouraged to see its importance. He could be the change we've been waiting for. Howard, Call him!

[Woody41]

This is a prescient observation and valuable advice that I hope reaches Obama's policy team. The early comments of the president-elect indicate that his policy team is not far enough removed from Bushism: he's spouted McCain's line on the Russia-South Ossetia-Georgia conflict, ignoring reports of how Georgia's crackpot chief sparked the conflict with atrocities. Unfortunately, Georgia's tactic mirrors the one Howard French has described in Rwanda's greenlight from the Clintonians vis a vis the Congo. Someone gave Georgia the green light, but there's no need for Obama to keep playing with that sort of switch by blustering about Russia in Reaganite terms. Similarly, Obama's talk about surging in Afghanistan/Pakistan is similarly misguided. Not only is a vain and brutal idea, it will do nothing to rebuild our economy. Quite the opposite. In Africa, the Obama team has to reject the opportunistic and mischievous approach of recent years of seeking to use military and aid money to carve out pro-US zones to be beefed up with weapons and trade deals, e.g. Ghana and South Africa. Such an approach not only fails to meet the humanitarian needs of the African people, it also inevitably provokes regional tensions and strife. Let us hope the Africa Desk seeks advice from Howard French. Clearly, they have no superior minds on their staff.

[bayside]

Obama is unique as he has the good will of most american and the world at this moment. He said he wants change but hiring republicans and blue dogs for his cabinet and no liberals that helped him get in makes me wonder..Change ..Hmm.. Is lieberman his pick next..He is on probation because we will have real change....

[Bladernr1001]

I think one of the most effective things we could do for Africa is to put an end to our own domestic farm subsidies. This would enable african farmers to better compete on world commodity markets.

Will Obama end farm subsidies?

[kanjack]

Excellent article Howard. Nice to know you're back in the States.

[Somali4Obama]

What African nations need are effective leaders who are willing to work for the immovability of their nation, who have no ties to the old way of thinking. What President-elect Obama can do is to reassure faith and understand the different circumstances each country is facing. It is not an easy job, but if anyone could bring attention to the devastations that Continent has endured, I am sure it is him.

[violimo]

Today I heard in the troubled torn Congo, they are breaking into class rooms and taking away little kids to be child soldiers. We can't forget Africa.

[Isitnottrue]

George W. Bush may have done good things for Africa, as he was decimating Iraq and the Middle East. O.J. Simpson might've done some charity work, maybe Osama Bin Laden has helped rake leaves in his community. We can't ever forget what Bush's regime did after 9/11, lying to the country, creating havoc in an oil rich nation. Don't forget it. Vincent Bugliosi's book "The Prosecution Of George W. Bush for Murder" sums it up.

We need to develop rules and regulations that keep the "fruit of the poisoned tree" out of office in this country. If Rummy and Cheney were the fruit of the Nixon tree, full of poison, they should never have been allowed to serve in Bush's administration. If these men are involved in the oil industry, they should never have been allowed to take office without pure 100% oversight. It was that lack of oversight that put us in this financial mess that exists today.

Some of the Bush family "helping out" in Africa was nothing more than public relations.
Bush cares only about himself. The 2000 and 2004 elections were highly suspicious. Not 1992, not 1996, not 2008. Gee, Democrats get in and no one is complaining about stolen votes.

Obama's legal team did an excellent job of keeping Republican hands off of the Diebold machines.

Only Rush Limbaugh thinks the 2008 election was stolen. Rush...a man desperately craving another rush...someone call in the Fairness Doctrine and get
Limbaugh into treatment.

[stell]

Yeah, well what is the West doing?

"China, for one, badly needs priority access to Africa's storehouse of minerals, petroleum and even farmland. Even more jarringly for Americans, who have embraced a deep and abiding bigotry of low expectations about the continent, though, China sees Africa as a frontier of opportunity; a place whose future is bright."

The Chinese are using cold, hard, logic. Americans as usual are using racist logic. The Chinese aren't hypocrites. They don't pretend to be totally pure and clean and free from corruption. Corruption? Are you kidding me? What nation just rescued corrupt businessmen with a hundreds of billions of dollars for their cronies, in the form of a "government program." Yup, they same kind of government program most Americans would decry if it were for undeserving blacks.

You obviously didn't read the article or the links I posted UWNBM.

[fromero]

Maybe now, in keeping with his campaign promise to reach across party lines, Barack Obama will name Sarah Palin ambassador to Africa.

[Lulliloo]

Thank you, Mr. French, for your excellent article. Your now on my "favourite"/email alert list so I hope you follow these topics while I go follow specifics of your post here.

[Muttlib]

53 countries in Africa? What are you talking about. Mrs. Palin told me there is only one country called Africa. Sheesh Howard... do your research before writing articles. ;)

[UWNBM]

She never said...some stooge from Mack camp created this.

[aramos]

Read Bob Geldoff's article in Time magazine regarding Bush and Africa. What a shame that Bush will never get credit for doing more for Africa than any other President in American history.

We'll see how much coverage Barrack gets for half the effort.

[stell]

He'll most certainly get more credit than his predecessor.

[I Gotta Feevah]

You were reading my mind aramos. People can p*ss & moan incessantly about GW, but there is no denying the positive impact he has had on Africa. Far more than any other president, even our 1st black prez (Clinton). Yet he is humble and never proclaims this acheivement to us and will definately never recieve a Nobel or other prize for it. I would hope that all you GW naysayers can at least admit that he did do a little good for this world...

[Doctor X]

Right on.

According to Pew, U.S. approval ratings exceed 80 percent in many African countries " including some with large Muslim populations. In Darfur, many families name their newborn sons George Bush!

Why?

Under Bush"s leadership, the United States was the central peacemaker in ending a 20-year civil war in Sudan between the Arab north and African south. America also played an important role as mediator in Burundi, Liberia, Northern Uganda and Sierra Leone after civil wars devastated all five countries.

The "isolationist" Bush administration has doubled foreign aid worldwide over the past eight years, the largest increase since the Truman administration. For Africa alone, U.S. aid has quadrupled from $1.3 billion in 2001 to over $5 billion in 2008. These funds are principally for education, healthcare, building civil societies and protecting fragile environments.

The president's HIV/AIDS program (PEPFAR) has provided 1.7 millions Africans with free anti-retroviral drugs, up from 50,000 when Bush took office. And his five-year, $1.2 billion effort to combat malaria has provided 4 million bed nets and 7 million drug therapies, saving literally millions of lives.

Finally, Africa received an additional $3.5 billion from Bush's Millennium Challenge Corporation, which rewards poor countries that encourage economic growth, govern well, and provide social services for their people.

Fact-check away.

It would be mighty post-partisan of President-Elect Obama, with his African heritage, to acknowledge Bush's record. And a Nobel Prize is well-deserved.

[Somali4Obama]

I am not sure of the reasons why individuals are led to believe that money can solve problems. Money is a bandage, it can only conceal so much. If President Bush wanted to underline the problems affecting the African nations, he would not have only dispersed money, but emphasized ways it could be used, including education, health care, and bring awareness and self reliance.

[UWNBM]

Isn't it amazing that, despite Bush's terrible mistakes and flouting of the law, at least he managed to do good things in Africa...Obama has done little to offer any kind of concern for Africa in his brief time as a Senator (that wasn't spent campaigning for President).

[flamflurm]

Yes. We should forgot all that stupid tradition and pay attention to Africa. Putin is too caught up in our Obamania to go and do anything nasty like round up Ukrainians or anything like that.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/06/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4580865.shtml

[DaizeRK14]

Hey, another great thing is i assume Obama probably knows Africa is a continent instead of a country. Positive in my book.

[Stan P]

It just bogged my mind when I read where Governor Palin thought that Africa was just one country and that she had to be "schooled" about the countries which made up the Middle East. The country can breathe a tremendous sigh of relief now that we know she is not a heartbeat away from being president.