J. Peter Pham
29 September 2008
(Page 3 of 3)
The United States has generously funded UNAMID, the hybrid African Union/United Nations mission in Darfur, spending more than $100 million to assist with training and equipment to African nations willing to contribute to the mission. That is in addition to the approximately one-quarter of the bill which we pay through UN assessments for peacekeeping. While we can and, in a McCain administration, will do more to aid in the stand-up of a force capable of protecting the people of Darfur, the international community needs recognize that the major reason why UNAMID is presently barely at one-third of the strength authorized by the UN Security Council is that the force has been hamstrung by the obstacles which the Sudanese government has been allowed to place in its way, including the requirement that the force be composed primarily of Africans when it knows well enough that the capacity of Africa’s militaries is not up to the task.
Senator McCain has repeatedly emphasized that the responsibility to protect civilians is one that arises out of our common humanity and no government complicit in the underlying atrocities should be allowed to set the terms whereby the international community acts to defend the most vulnerable, especially when those conditions are poorly-disguised obstructions to delay the alleviation of the plight of those displaced by the violence. This is nothing short of genocide in slow motion.
We have to acknowledge that in the ongoing global war on terrorism, there is potential for Africa’s poorly-governed spaces being exploited to provide facilitating environments, recruits, and eventual targets for Islamist terrorists. The attacks by al-Qaeda on the U.S. embassies in Dar es Salaam Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, in 1998, and on an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, and, simultaneously, on an Israeli commercial airliner in 2002, only reinforced the analysis of Africa’s susceptibility to terrorism, as have the more recent “rebranding” of the Algerian Islamist terrorist organization, Salafist Group for Call and Combat (usually known by its French acronym GSPC), as “Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb” (AQIM), and the ongoing activities of al-Qaeda-linked Islamists in Somalia. In facing these challenges, we acknowledge the value of the security partnerships which governments like those of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Tanzania, Uganda and others have forged with us.
The decision to establish a unified combatant command, AFRICOM, was motivated by a desire to better focus defense resources, previously divided across three different commands, to support American initiatives to help African governments and regional organizations to enhance their own capacities to provide security and respond to emergencies as well as to carry out the responsibilities of peacekeeping. A McCain administration will secure for AFRICOM the resources it will need as it begins its mission, in partnership with other agencies of the U.S. government as well as international partners, to contribute to a more peaceful and secure Africa.
Establishing a unified command for Africa is a useful step in better cooperating with African governments. The new command’s emphasis needs to be on working with African and other partners to build up security capabilities and develop, in conjunction with various agencies across the U.S. government, those countries’ capacity for securing essential services, a viable market economy, rule of law, democratic institutions and a robust civil society. While traditional “hard power” operations will also be a responsibility of AFRICOM, “soft power” instruments, including diplomatic outreach, political persuasion, and economic programs should be part of our total national strategy of engagement. Senator McCain has said:
“In such a world, where power of all kinds is more widely and evenly distributed, the United States cannot lead by virtue of its power alone… Our great power does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want, nor should we assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to succeed. We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies. When we believe international action is necessary, whether military, economic, or diplomatic, we will try to persuade our friends that we are right. But we, in return, must be willing to be persuaded by them.”
To this end, the upcoming political transitions in both Washington and Pretoria offer the opportunity for the United States to engage anew with the Republic of South Africa, a country whose importance to Africa and the world economically and diplomatically is recognized by all. We need to also strengthen ties with other democracies in Africa so that, harnessing our political and moral strengths within the worldwide “League of Democracies” which Senator McCain has championed, we might support struggling democracies on the continent and elsewhere. We must work with partners, not only because, realistically speaking, our resources, especially in these times of economic uncertainty, may be limited, but because such openness to dialogue and collaboration is the right thing to do.
Let me conclude by noting that discussions of national security and diplomacy must lead us back to questions of governance. Even as we celebrate the fact that freedom is gaining ground in Africa with democratic elections taking place in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Botswana, and other countries, we deplore the fact that it has been brutally repressed in other countries.
Across Africa, it is clear from the experience of recent years in building up the practices and institutions of democratic governance and in bringing about sustainable, broad-based economic development, that not only can these priorities be pursued, but they must be if we want peace and stability. Senator McCain, Governor Sarah Palin and the Republican team believe that the progress we have seen in recent years ought to impel us to renew our commitment to supporting the democracy and rule of law—and consequent prosperity—that alone can guarantee a bright future which Americans and Africans alike can share. I hope you will join us in pursuing those noble objectives.
J. Peter Pham is a foreign policy and national security advisor to the McCain campaign. This article is excerpted from remarks to the Constituency for Africa 2008 Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series forum on “U.S.-Africa Policy Agenda and the Next Administration” at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
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As an American Christian who has many friends in Kenya, Uganda and many other African nations I have spent many hours researching Barack Obama. Before I became a Christian over 25 years ago I had been a communist. This background has helped with giving me some insights during my research. I have, also, noticed that those African-Americans most involved in truly helping the poor are those that are most opposed to Obama. What I have found from my research is that Obama is nothing close to what people want to believe who he is. Let me give just a few of many many examples: 1. As a State Senator in Illinois, Obama took the side of the teacher's union against the interests of black children in inner city Chicago. 2. He has taken the most pro-abortion positions of any member of the US Senate including support for live birth abortion (i.e. allowing a baby that survies abortion to be left to die.) 3. Throughout his life he has been closely associated with communists and even American terrorits (Bill Ayers among others). Despite continual denials on behalf of the Obama campaign more and more evidence cames out about his shady associations. 4. He has claimed to be a Christian but in his own words one of his books, he answers his daughter when she asked where she goes when she dies by him saying "I don't know". 5. He is a major supporter for homosexual rights.
With the current financial crisis in America, if Obama is elected President and implements just some of his economic and tax policies the American economy could well go into a depression. This would mean much less US aid for Africa.
As I have said for the last ten years when I have taught in Africa is that it is a big mistake to look to America as Africa's salvation. The nation building principles of early America can provide good insights for nation building in Africa. America today has fallen far away from these self-governing principles.
Listen up John A, It's the American people that will put Barack Obama in the White House not your sorry opinion of him. 25 years is not enough time for a commie to change, still sound like one and a true Christian don't cast that kind of judgement. It is the American Christian who believe in Obama's vision and competence as a President, that means mainstream America, big America,little America, midwest America and rural America. You should research Christianity and what it means,happy hunting!
John, let's take the emotion out of it and make it about facts. The current global financial crisis was triggered by that phony make believe "real estate boom" of 2002-2005 in the US real estate market. John McCain was behind the deregulation of the real estate market. Insanity followed and only the wise ones knew what was coming. Hey, Washington take care of their "boys" first. Deregulation made so much dough $$$$$$ for them + their "boys", what do they care? They layman don't understand, who's looking? You can't Tie Barack Obama to scandal of that magnitude, (the one with rich white boys in power looking out for #1 themselves and their extravagant life styles) end of story.
Oilbaron there are no facts in your post whatsoever. The deregulation was done by Democrats....most of this country realizes this now. Key Democrats opposed the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, which would have established a single, independent regulatory body with jurisdiction over Fannie and Freddie – a move that the Government Accountability Office had recommended in a 2004 report.
Top 3 recipients of campaign contributions from Fannie and Freddie: Christopher Dodd (D)- $133,900 John Kerry(D)- $111,000 Barak Obama(D)- $105,849 McCain had regulation bill 3 years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_FZCaKDn9k You can't question the words right from The chairman if the House Financial Services Committee Barny Frank's mouth.
The total lies like this and selective news reporting by the main stream media are the only reason for Obama's SLIGHT lead over McCain right now.
I'm a Christian and Obama's stand on Abortion anytime anywhere at any age paid by taxpayers and voting to allow children born by botched abortions being left to die is the reason NO ONE with belief in the teachings and salvation of Jesus Christ should have anything to do with Obama whatsoever. Can you tell me anything Obama has done to protect the people of Chicago where he worked? More people die there then in Iraq!
Oh yeah...he had a gazebo built.
Heavens, John, do i have to read through all that right-wing Christian rhetoric complete with all the talk-radio talking points... live-birth abortions, commies and terrorists... in this dialogue? How do these lies further the topic?
Obama is enormously popular in Kenya. Yes, he is half Kenyan (half white, too) and provides a sense of pride for many Kenyans. While in Kenya, I found myself in many political conversations with Kenyans from a variety of places and stations. I found myself apologizing for the actions of President Bush, trying to assure them that not all Americans are in support of his failed Presidency. The people I talked to are quite political savvy, more so that many citizens of my town in the U.S. The know what's happening. They are aware that Republican policies over the last twenty years have not served them well. They have much more confidence in Obama than McCain, a Republican. They see no reason to think McCain's attitude toward East Africa will be any different than that of George Bush.
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