Last week, leaders of the House and Senate forged an agreement with the White House to reauthorize the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) at the level of $50 billion over five years -- $20 billion more than the White House was originally seeking. This watershed announcement may signal that the promising start on combating AIDS made seven years ago will be built upon in a meaningful way: literally millions of lives will be saved.
President Bush's February trip to Africa was not covered with exactly the enthusiasm and interest his first trip there engendered five years ago, and that's a shame. Africa -- as it so often can be -- became a mere backdrop for several of the President's press conferences concerned with headier geopolitical matters (notably, Castro's retirement).
As I have stated here before, the Bush administration has done much to celebrate in Africa, and has set a bold path for scaling up interventions in health and development that can improve the lives of hundreds of millions. And while last week's PEPFAR announcement was indeed exciting, perhaps the president's most overlooked recent accomplishment was his plan to bring Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), which afflict one billion people, under control.
In my field, pleasant surprises are sometimes hard to come by. Usually, they're small triumphs, the kind that you can chart individually. Seeing the face of just one patient who's been successfully treated at a local health center for an NTD ranks as an important development. You've seen the images of children and adults the world over who suffer from NTDs -- kids with bellies full of worms, kids and adults blinded by treatable disease, the disfigurement of elephantitis and leprosy. These diseases impact human development at all levels. They ensure that even kids receiving enough calories are malnourished since worms rob them of their food. They make treating AIDS, malaria and other disease more complex since they work in tandem to exacerbate illness. Most importantly, they contribute to keeping people poor by lowering their productivity, increasing day-to-day illness, and lowering quality of life.
President Bush, like other presidents before him, recognized that the situation is utterly needless and could be addressed for as little as two cents per patient. Years ago, Former President Carter decided to tackle a horrible NTD -- guinea worm: as a result, cases have fallen from one million in 1989 to about 25,000 last year. President Clinton has devoted much of the last several years to providing financing and support for the fight against AIDS -- something he laments having been unable to do at scale while in office.
President Bush's announcement signals that we will see more of these triumphs in the years to come. While visiting Ghanaian President John Kufour -- the outgoing chair of the African Union - for a meeting that focused on an anti-malaria effort and Darfur, Mr. Bush took the opportunity to announce the effort, a new, five-year, $350 million initiative targeting NTDs.
One of the ironic developments in international public health during the past decade is that expensive treatments have garnered enormous attention and resources while simpler interventions -- from beefing up the number and training of health workers, to delivering emergency medical obstetrical care, to fighting NTDs -- have fallen by the wayside. The best example of this than I can cite is that it takes a mere 50 cent treatment to cure intestinal worms, compared to $300-$1,200 per year to treat HIV/AIDS.
That's been frustrating, but the good news is that there need no longer be a choice between treating the easy diseases versus treating the challenging pandemics of the day: we can do it all. In fact, it's far easier today with new computerized tracking, disease surveillance, and improved health facilities across Africa to get the whole job done and end the preventable tragedy of death and illness, which takes a devastating toll.
$350 million is not $50 billion, but it will go a long way to bringing NTDs under control, as they need to be, and when the president said this will "help save lives and to bring hope to families", it was not merely rhetoric. What a fresh change for this administration and for the U.S.'s role in promoting development worldwide. Let's hope that the presidential contenders pay attention to this aspect of the Bush legacy and choose to address these issues early in the term rather than trying to garner good will at the end. Millions the world over are counting on it.
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"President" Bush's legacy will be partly in Africa, and will consist of Genocide
Now, what other 20th Century Leaders share that distinction?
Clinton going back to every other 20th century president since and including McKinley.
I commend the President for his African health policies
While the levels of suffering are not comparable, I can't help but wish that he might have become interested in the health and well-being of some AMERICANS too!....................................tm
I seem to recall that the extremist lefties who haunt this site love to denigrate Dubya's legacy with shrill hoots and derision. They mock his conviction that history will vindicate him.
I guess history is starting now!
History is a trillion dollar debt, about fifty million Americans who can't afford doctors or drugs. Or fuel or food.. History is Bill Gates was working on AIDS long before Bush. History is the devastation of Iraq and the devastation of America. History is saying that global warming wasn't happening. History is trashing the Constitution. History is that it is romantic to fight in Afghanistan. History will look at Bush and wonder what came over Americans when they allowed a liar from a family of crooks, to be appointed president by the Supreme Court. History is that it is a joke when Americans go0 to supervise the elections of other countries. Their own are a travesty. That's history. The money thrown at AIDS in Africa is a spit in the ocean.
Yeah the Real Bush Legacy is going to be right here in the U.S of A. We've inherited a rotten mess & he is directly responsible-- although never has he really been held accountable. He is leader of U.S. not Africa. ... & the more we discover natural resources in Africa-- well there will be more aid.
Finally. A positive blog amidst the vitriol and superficiality. Thank you.
Bush's legacy will be destruction on a global scale.
The most ill conceived and incompetent war in our nations history.
The deaths of tens, if not hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi people. Who died for the most ignorant of American Presidents. Willfully ignorant.
The gutting of Constitutional principals that have stood for over two centuries.
Over seeing the destruction of our economy.
Corruption on a scale unimaginable even in the worst of times Corruption that would make Boss Tweed envious.
The politicization of the government to an unprecedented level. All for short term partisan political advantage.
Legal precedents that will give a future dictator a roadmap of how to subvert the Constitution and our freedoms.
And most devastating. A legacy of lies that will haunt our Republic for years. Possibly generations.
Ah, no - the only Bush legacy is the war in Iraq and the nearly 4000 dead Americans and counting and the over 40,000 seriously wounded and the nearly 4 million Iraqi refugees and the tens of thousands of dead Iraqi men, women and children.
Oh, by the way, I didn't even mention the waste of billions and billions of dollars in this sink hole of a war.
Anything that Bush does - other than shooting Dick Cheney in the head and immediately resigning is like putting lipstick on a pig - no matter the color, it's still a pig.
Josh: You broke the golden rule here at Huffpo. NEVER say anything good about Bush. Bush is doing it for oil or Haliburton..blah blah blah. On a side note, anyone know how many barrels of oil we have taken from Iraq? Everyone here says thats why we are there.
And maybe if you were a little more well-informed you would realize it was never about "taking Iraq's oil," and that most of those who call this a "War for Oil" do not mean it in that sense. This was all about making sure that Iraq's ability to pump oil was kept at a mandated minimum so that oil prices could continue to reach all-time highs. And he's succeeded.
It's got to do with two things: strategic military positioning and oil.
Bush couldn't care less if the entire continent of Africa succumbed to disease and deprivation.
Get real about this administration.
The real Bush legacy may be in Africa, but no--it's actually in Iraq.
. . . and then there's the often overlooked, "minor" detail of pressing his abstinence only perquisite before giving aid. And, oh yeah, add Catholic missionaries to the mix who condemn the use of condoms while preaching the love of Jesus (presumably, Jesus hated the useof birth control--can't find that quirk of his in the bible, however).
One of the other commentaries on this column is entirely correct: Bush's love for Africans goes no further than his love for oil.
Just look as his record in politics: pathologically vicious, arrogant, lying, greedy, cynical . . . and then think to yourselves: In this one instance is he REALLY being a humanitarian?
Common sense suggests otherwise.
What a crock. I don't want my tax dollars poured into Africa. Let the Africans solve their own problems, and all the rest of the world for that matter. We have serious problems in this country that need our attention NOW.
Sorry, he doesn't get any applause for that line either. Despite efforts by the State Department and people like J. Fraizer, he has effectively allowed the Chinese to take over Africa and lock down its resources.
I'm sorry to be cynical towards all the wonders coming from Bushco, but we should get one thing straight. He isn't doing this because he cares about AIDS or Africans, he's doing this because it goes towards the United States long term designs on African Oil.
Why do you think we recently established the African Command? It's all for the oil, baby.
But I guess, we'll help the Africans before we rape them for their resources. That way, we can say, "Look at all the wonderful things we're doing."
Did he do it or not? Is it good or not? Who cares who did it?
What happened to the "world is a village" ? That must have been the "old" democrats, not the new, self-centered ones lacking is even a scintilla of compassion or objectivity.
It's not a lack of compassion on my part, FirstShirt; it's the utter uselessness of trying to solve the problems in Africa by throwing money at them. Only the people of Africa can change conditions there, and I'm speaking as someone who lived there.
It is lack of compassion on your part. I understand your frustration because of the incredible corruption (having lived in Guinea, which is one of the most corrupt countries anywhere). BUT, I think we need to remember that ever dollar we spend in Africa MATTERS, and there are ways around the corruption. Bed nets, HIV/AIDS drugs, programs that buy school supplies for girls to get educated--all of it matters to real people, it changes real lives. It is the difference between a child dying and a child living.
How can you say that it is useless to help people in Africa, I honestly don't understand--especially if you have lived there. Every life we save is a life that can fight for change, and I saw a lot of people demanding change when we lived in W. Africa. We need to care about Africa for humanitarian reasons, for national defense reasons, for human rights. You can't just wash your hands of it all. And this is also speaking as someone who has lived there.
I'm not saying you are wrong about his motives, certainly it isn't as if he deserves the benfit of the doubt. But, what else is to be done right now? I just cannot see saying that aid to help people in Africa is a bad thing because I suspect that the Bush administration has less than honorable motives.
I'm sure if I asked any West Africans I know if we should we not support the gov'ts programs for Africa because we suspect that their motives are questionable they would look at me like I was high.
This is an emergency, but much of this emergency can be helped. We cannot predict what future US administrations may or may not do with Africa's natural resources, but, right now, we have to do whatever we can to stop people from dying from preventable diseases.
Thank you for this post. I am anything but a Bush fan but have been impressed by what his administration has done with Africa.
For others who respond with cynicism, or say what about this genocide, or that other problem: it is all well and good to sit in our comfortable living rooms and question Bush's "real" intentions, or point at things we haven't done enough about. We don't have to watch our children die because of a mosquito bite, or worms that live in their bellies.
As someone who has lived in West Africa, has sat with friends after they've lost loved ones to entirely preventable diseases, or to illnesses that went undiagnosed and untreated, or had been given improper medication, or for a million other reasons I can't imagine how anyone can belittle or disregard anything that helps the people who need it most.
We only lived in W. Africa for 2 years but, in that time, we saw more death and suffering than I care to think about. We also saw incredible grace, joy, courage, and love. We have an obligation to help in whatever way we can. Try to just remember that, no matter what else his administration has done, or what you think his motives are, we are making a difference. It might be a drop in the bucket but it is a bigger drop than before, and it matters to REAL people. No parent should ever have to watch their child die from a preventable disease, anything that we do to stop that from happening is good.
Actually, there's another HUGE accomplishment in Africa that Bush made that has had little to no media coverage. In fact, had he focused more on this sort of accomplishment he would probably have made quite a name for himself. And the rather comical yet tragic part is he relied on the very cowboy tactics he misused in Iraq to _successfully_ make a positive difference. What am I talking about you ask?!?
It's July 2003, months after we've invaded Iraq and declared Mission Accomplished. After a quite bit of State Department legwork and in consultation and coordination with neighboring West African nations, Bush ordered a flotilla of US warships carrying US Marines off the coast of Liberia. He demands that the indicted international war criminal Charles Taylor, the sitting president of Liberia who brutalized not only Liberia but neighboring Sierra Leone step down from power immediately and leave the nation. Taylor steps down, about 300+ Marines land into the country and In a matter of days, a 14 year-old civil war that claimed over 200,000 lives was OVER!! And our Marines WERE in fact greeted as liberators there - you can google to find photos of folks dancing in the streets of Liberia at the mere _sight_ of US warships off the coast of Liberia. What's more, he ended a war that his daddy didn't have the courage to step up and prevent from happening (many Bush Sr. foreign policy advisers/commentators admit that Bush Sr. could have averted the civil war but failed to act in time). And unlike Iraq, the citizens of Liberia - both there and here in the US, the Organization of African Unity, the United Nations, and many in the international community had all begged and pleaded for the United States to intervene both diplomatically AND militarily in Liberia. Why?
For starters, the guy who would terrorize the nation, Charles Taylor, was in fact an escapee from a _Massachusetts jail_ . (Incredibly, years after the initial fighting and after he'd stolen the presidency of Liberia, he was granted a pardon by the state) After his escape, he somehow left the US, returned to Africa, amassed weapons, covertly built a rebel army and in short order invaded Liberia in December 1989 via sneaking through neighboring Ivory Coast.
Secondly, Liberia is probably the most American nation there is. Just look at its flag. Founded by freed US slaves, (independent since 1847) its constitution is a copy of ours, democratic institutions, capital named after our President James Monroe, the US dollar was long the official currency, and a staunch US ally for over 150 years. What made non-intervention by the US military pretty obscene is that the US and Liberia have had longstanding mutual defense pacts- an ally and host of US seaplane bases/ships during WW II, Liberia got shelled by the German U-Boats. The US military had long enjoyed 24 hours no-questions-asked landing rights in Liberia and US military aircraft and ships frequently visited the nation. It was also a known CIA outpost for the continent and hosted intelligence gathering and other clandestine activites by the United States during the Cold War.
There was also historic precedent in the intervention of US military in Liberia in at least one instance when the fledgling nation was threatened by external powers. So it was seen as "natural" that the US would come to Liberia's aid during its time of suffering. The near 14 year civil war featured some of the WORST atrocities that nation ever seen.
Anyhow, George W Bush's stature on the African continent gained quite a few points after the intervention in Liberia. In fact shortly after the intervention, there was even talk of a US military African command. That died down once the Iraq war deteriorated. Interestingly enough, there was recent talk again about establishing that US military command for the African continent and no surprise, Liberia has offered to host it.
In case you're wondering. yes, Liberia has oil deposits but they're not large enough to be economically feasible for an export market. ;-)
Great post, mawrm!
George W. Bush is not going soft, so John Oliver can relax. Here's a little more background as presented on Democracy Now! on Feb. 18th: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/2/18/analyst_on_africa_visit_bush_pushes
Be sure to read up on AFRICOM and the push to control African oil resources. Not even mentioned here are other issues such as enforcing patent protections for drugs that make medicines more expensive, water privatization, and much more. Africa is a big continent, and George has so little time.
When some politicians have low approval in their countries, they sometimes use the backdrop of the suffering of people in Africa for cynical motives.
Most of us of African heritage resent this pubilic relations manipulation.
There has been an ongoing genocide in Sudan for years, an exodus of biblical proportion of children being sent away by their parents to avoid being murdered. Imagine a long line of children with the older ones carrying the younger, some dying along the way, a march of a thousand miles. Incomprehensible to us. This administration has done almost nothing to prevent the genocide. Yes, we have accepted small numbers of Sudanese refugees.
That is Bush's legacy in Africa.
bush was going to help in the sudan civil war, until he realized that the democrats didn't want to help the iraqis in their civil war, so he figured they wouldn't be up for helping the sudanese in theirs.
uh oh, does ariana know you wrote something positive about bush? you're probably going to get thrown off of here now. didn't you get huff's memo? with support for the iraq war on the rise, ariana's plan now is to highlight the number of casualties in attempt to drum up anger and hatred towards the effort.
Thanks for posting this. I've been reading about the president's accomplishments but you added new information.
I am not one who hates GW Bush. I think he's a compassionate man. I oppose the invasion of Iraq. But I think George Bush is a good person and certainly he's done some good things in Africa.
This is one Bush policy that I hope the next president continues.
Well said, Boadicea!
Boadicea, a "good" man does not cause the death of thousands of people and destroy the economy in his country. What have you been smoking?
good for bush. wow, there's a sentence i never thought i'd write.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day....
There's a sort of majesty in the way you can actually belittle a real effort to save millions of lives.
Don't like the clock analogy - how about "Even a blind chicken gets a kernel of corn once in a while." Makes you wonder why W didn't try to save the people of New Orleans and the Gulf?
Its all about some cynical ploy to create some sort of legacy for the worse presidency in the history of this country besides the oil companies that own his miserable butt let him run off on his own every now and then. It makes Barbara's little man think that he's all grown up.
Even if W is sincere about this and actually follows through - its his version of making the trains run on time.
Is this the same George Bush who won't allow abortions to even be discussed in any Federally-funded health clinic? The same one who won't allow contraceptions to be handed out, the same one who won't allow a discussion of family planning? The same compassionate President who sits on his thumb while the Darfur genocide continues?
I remember his father sending troops into Somalia, bearing food for the famine victims. We weren't seeking regime change, we weren't trying to spread democracy--just feed the hungry. It seemed so altruistic, but George the First was such a strange little man that it also seemed plausible. And then the LA Times ran a story a few months later that Zapata Oil was seeking an oil lease that covered one quarter of the country.
I'll wait for the shoe to drop before I say anything else.
Anyone that cares enough not to be p
Posted March 13, 2008 | 06:22 PM (EST)