Date: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 23:56:03 +0200
Why is President Obama Hosting Some African Dictators?
July 29, 2014
by Dula
About to become a lame duck President, Obama is holding a roundtable
discussion on Africa with African leaders. I guess better late than never.
It is scheduled to be held on August 5-6 in Washington D.C. Many of the
African leaders bring lots of baggage of crony capitalism, anti-Gay
legislation, corruption, abuse of human rights, simply absolute lack of rule
of law.
For example, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and his party have been in
power for the last 23 years, and their legacy is dreadful, as Ethiopia is
ranked the second poorest and second sickest country in the world, where
over 70% of the population goes hungry on daily basis. The primary reason
for the dreadful situation is government control of the economy.
A young boy waiting in front of his tukul for his mother as she arrives with
a body of his 4-year old dead sister who died of malnutrition in Shashemene,
Ethiopia: Source: NBC: & .Creeping famine-is-back-to-Ethiopia
Like North Korea, the regime controls everything, spies on everybody, at the
village level as well as via the Internet, even though less than 1% of the
people have Internet access. Like North Korea, the state controls all the
land, telecommunication, Internet, mining, banking, and major industries
directly or through cronies.
In Ethiopia, like in North Korea, there is no freedom of the press, freedom
of assembly, no free or fair election, no property rights, and simply no
rule of law when it comes to the majority of the citizens. The ruling party
representing less than 6% of the population like the old Apartheid regime
rules through its private and ethnic army and cronies.
African leaders democrats, and dictators like Mr. Desalegn are coming to the
USA under the invitation of President Obama for a roundtable discussion on
Africa. It would have been more natural to invite only those countries
respecting and applying democratic principles. Furthermore, winning and
dinning with African dictators will mean nothing unless President Obama has
a concrete plan and he can make it stick.
For example, he can propose a Marshall Plan for Africa like the way Truman
did for Europe. He can prompt African leaders to spend less on the military,
because the armies are primarily used to keep the one party dictatorship,
and spend more on education, technology, and economic development. Adopt a
common language, privatize the economy, end corruption, respect human and
property rights, rule of law, and form a stronger economic and political
union.
Raging ethnic and religious tension are primarily fueled by lack of hope and
oppression. The primary culprit for the hopeless situation, the dictators
thrive and survive with U.S. support and largesse. Some will go by the
wayside without massive Western aid. This gives President Obama tremendous
leverage to promote democratic and economic reform in the continent. For
example, the rabid anti-Muslim and anti-homosexual government of Ethiopia
lead by Mr. Desalegn was forced last March by Washington to rescind an
anti-homosexual legislation (Homosexuality-non pardonable) that he
orchestrated through his rubber-stamped parliament.
The Ethiopian regime pretended for long for things that it is not in order
to earn respect and foreign aid. The Ethiopian regime spends huge sums of
money to make sure the West does not notice the cruel and evil system and to
portray the regime incorrectly anti-terrorist and democratic.
Azusa Pacific University Board unanimously withdrew a plan to award an
honorary degree to Mr. Desalegn on July 31 because of gross human rights
violations by his regime (university-withdraws-honor). In 2003, Texas
Southern University canceled a planned event with an Ethiopian government
delegation for similar reason.
President Obama can rise to the challenge if he dared too. Pushing
democratic values and free market economic development strategies are
critical. President Truman provided a lifeline to a devastated Europe and
created strong democratic allies for the U.S. The total cost for the
Marshall Plan from 1948-1952 was $13.3 billion. President Obama has the
option to embark on a similar, bold political and economic agenda for
Africa, while opening a huge market three times that of Europe for American
businesses.
By Dula Abdu, dula can be reached at dula06_at_gmail.com (article was adopted
from previous articles from similar topics).
A young boy waiting in front of his tukul for his mother as she arrives with
a body of his 4-year old dead sister who died of malnutrition in Shashemene,
Ethiopia: Source: NBC: & .Creeping famine-is-back-to-Ethiopia
(image/jpeg attachment: image001.jpg)