Business Daily (Nairobi)
Abdikadir Abdallah
9 July 2009
analysis
As he prepared for his visit to Africa, President Barack Obama gave an interview in which he outlined his reasons for the choice of his first stop in Sub-Saharan Africa. He said he had chosen Ghana because, he argued, it is a beacon of democracy and good governance.
Veteran observers of US policy towards Africa may take a more cynical perception of this explanation because it is hard to recall a time when American policy towards the continent was shaped by such "good intentions" as pure promotion of democracy.
To the contrary, the list of countries which the US gives generous amounts of foreign aid in Africa and beyond is long and the election of the new administration has not done much to change this. Egypt and Algeria, for example, are anything but models of good governance.
Struck oilTurning to Ghana, it is hard to ignore the obvious attractions it has for the United States. There is the fact that the country struck oil recently.
America is famously resource hungry and few would be prepared to believe that there is no link between Ghana's ever closer ties to the US and the decision by Mr Obama to strengthen those ties by visiting.
Ghana is also situated very close to Nigeria, one of the United States' most important sources of oil.
But Anglo-American interests in that country have come under frequent attack from rebels, primarily those associated with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.
Considering Nigeria is one of the most important sources of oil exports to the US after the nations in the middle east, it would be no surprise if the Americans will want to use Ghana to secure their interests in the region.
It cannot be a coincidence that Ghana has been mentioned as a possible host for the proposed Africa Command (Africom), the American military unit that focuses on Africa.
Only very optimistic observers would argue that the frequent visits that the US most senior diplomat on African affairs , Johnnie Carson, makes are purely geared towards generating good governance in Africa.
It is hard not to see the Africom agenda in these moves.
Let us not forget that American foreign policy in Africa and in many places around the world has been shaped above all by the need to secure American interests, despite the human rights record of the leaders involved.
That is why former President George W Bush maintained close contacts with Uzbekistan, despite the very poor human rights record of its leader Islam Karimov who heads a strategically important country in a volatile region of the world.
There is also another quiet possible reason for the choice of Ghana for President Obama's first visit to the continent in which his father was born.
Let us not forget that the US has been on a global diplomatic push to get countries to recognise the breakaway republic of Kosovo, which is a firm US ally.
Ghana is one of the countries in West Africa which have not recognised Kosovo. This is evidently something which the US hopes to change and the perception is that a visit by the US president will help to change that.
Own objectivesBut the truth is that Mr Obama's visit will have positive consequences for the US and its own objectives but few benefits for the continent.
If Ghana agrees to host Africom, it will be agreeing to be home to thousands of US troops who cannot be held to account for their crimes in that country because the US is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court Rome Statute.
If Ghana on the other hand agrees to recognise Kosovo, it will be setting the trend for encouraging separatist movements across the continent, a trend which can only be bad for Africa.
This visit is therefore one that will be filled with promise for America, but will not be similarly advantageous for Africa.
The writer commentates on regional affairs.
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I found imost insightful the earlier comment that recognized that Mr. Obama is the President of the same, totally self-interested, USA as his predecessors. So far, he has not done anything special for African-AMERICANS, a demographic historically and currently on the bottom rung of every social and economic indicator in the richest nation on earth. If the outcome of Pres. Obama's visit is establishment of an American military 'beach-head' in W. Africa via Africom, then Africa can expect the 'same old thing' from the bulk of US foreign policy. I still have some hope that Mr. Obama &… [Read Full Text]
AMERICA IS THE WHORE OF BABYLON : Revelations 17 & 18 AND Jeremiah 50 & 51
HERE ARE SOME KEY POINTS :
Jeremiah, chapter 50 : 8 - 9
8: Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks. 9: For, behold, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon AN ASSEMBLY OF GREAT NATIONS FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY: and they shall set themselves in array… [Read Full Text]
OBAMA DECEPTIONS
Matthew 24:4 “ Take Precautions Against Being Tricked By Anyone ” – [Paraphrased] * Unless They’re Likeable ?
#1
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrpRocaEfQE]
[ http://www.infowars.com/obama-feigns-ignorance-of-cfr-nau/ ]
[http://www.infowars.com/michelle-obama-flashes-%E2%80%98el-diablo%E2%80%99 -hand-signal-on-cover-of-vogue/ ]
#2 Here is evidence of Point 2 of the Georgia Guidestones on Reproduction .
Don't be deceived :
[http://www.infowars.com/?p=7259]
Here are search result links to what the Georgia Guidestones are
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones ]
#3
BY PEACE SHALL Many Be deceived (Daniel 8:25) .
DOES THE TERM PEACEKEEPERS ring a Bell ?
Ask the people in Rwanda (who survived that Peace-keeping) about the
United Nations PEACEKEEPERS .
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Nietzsche's last men are now running the site of a problematic synthesis of liberty, reason, and economic hustle: the West, which is really, the Christianized, anti-Byzantine West of the Roman Empire.
Nietzche's last men are radicalideologues of the tradition bashing "radical Enlightenment': drum majors of universal 'human' rights which, in their very universality, become nonsensical constructs that affect not one concrete living human being. Hence, nihilism, it is: this bastard of a reason surgically designed to serve aspects of the liberal tradition.
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The problem with Africa is that we are too welcoming. We should be like the Russians, be cautious because at the end of the day, he is the president of the United States of America and not of Africa. Therefore, first and foremost he has the best interest of his country America, forget his tanned skin, he is an American full stop. We should always look out for our best interest and not let history repeat itself. How do you think Africa got colonised in the first place, we let the White man in!