From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Aug 26 2009 - 08:12:47 EDT
Note: This is a reader's reaction to Jendayi Frazer's article (see
below) that appeared on Wall Street Journal
******
Simon mace wrote:
Ms. Frazer,
Your history for wrecklessness in the horn of Africa precedes you,
what makes you think you are qualified to advice Mrs Clinton . You had
neither the confidence of the Africans, nor your colleagues when you
plunged the Horn of Africa during your term. Please let Mrs. Clinton
do her own decision, you have already caused enough disasters. Below
are two testimonies from the British paper "Independent" and Memoir of
Frm. Ambassador John Bolton.
Ethiopia's 'own Darfur' as villagers flee government-backed violence
By Steve Bloomfield in Bosasso
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
while Khartoum's counter-insurgency in Darfur has been described by
the US as "genocide" and by the UN as "crimes against humanity",
international condemnation of Ethiopia has, so far, been limited.
Indeed, the US has given its backing to Ethiopia. America's top
official on African affairs, assistant secretary of state, Jendayi
Frazer, visited one town in the Ogaden last month.
On her return to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, she criticised the
rebels and said the reports of military abuses were merely allegations
[ opposing HRW and Red Cross reports]
Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton's "Surrender Is Not an
Option" Page 347
"For reasons I never understood," writes Bolton, "Frazer reversed
course, and asked in early February to reopen the 2002
[Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission] decision, which she had
concluded was wrong, and award a major piece of disputed territory to
Ethiopia. I was at a loss how to explain that to the Security Council,
so I didn't."
And now you are advising to pour petrol to the fire ? Why are you not
advocating to correct the errors that you made. Ethiopia is still
renegading International rule of law ruling (Hague Border commission
ruling).
*********
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203706604574372711948607526.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#articleTabs%3Darticle
AUGUST 25, 2009, 11:42 P.M. ET
Four Ways to Help Africa
The U.S. African Command should move from Germany to
Liberia..ArticleComments (8).EmailPrinter
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Text .By JENDAYI E. FRAZER
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently concluded her maiden trip
to sub-Saharan Africa carrying in her words "a tough message lovingly
delivered." Simultaneously, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk visited
Kenya, Ethiopia and Senegal also touting, in his words, "a tough love"
message for Africans.
But U.S. policy in Africa is not about love. It's about advancing
America's core interests: promoting economic growth and development,
combating terrorism, and fostering well-governed, stable countries.
Did Mrs. Clinton's trip advance those interests? The record is mixed.
The secretary of state did well to show the American flag in the
region's most strategic countries. Kenya is the regional hub for
commerce in East Africa, and it plays a key role in combating
terrorism in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. South Africa and Nigeria
together constitute more than 50% of sub-Saharan Africa's economic
output, and both countries are major providers of peacekeeping forces
throughout Africa. Mrs. Clinton got it right that we must engage these
countries to help shape the continent's future in a fashion that
advances our mutual interests.
She was also right to speak about women's empowerment. Her stops in
the Democratic Republic of Congo—especially the conflict zone of Goma
where women are frequent victims of war-related rape—and Liberia, home
of Africa's first elected woman president, demonstrate her commitment
to highlight and advance women's issues globally.
Not so welcome is the false billing that Mrs. Clinton's trip was the
earliest by an American secretary of state. Colin Powell and
Condoleezza Rice traveled there earlier in their terms—Mr. Powell in
May 2001 and Ms. Rice in July 2005. Even more unwelcome is the Obama
administration's penchant for lecturing Africans rather than
listening.
Here are four quick steps the administration can take to translate the
rhetoric of love into policies that advance mutual U.S. and African
interests:
• Place Eritrea on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. This will
follow through on Mrs. Clinton's statements that Eritrea must end its
assistance to al Shabaab, a designated Somali terrorist group.
Al Shabaab recruits young Americans to become suicide bombers. It also
has turned Somalia into a haven for mujahedeen fighters from Pakistan
and Afghanistan. The al Qaeda East Africa cell is based in Somalia and
was responsible for the bombing of U.S. Embassies in Kenya and
Tanzania in 1998. Mrs. Clinton laid a wreath in Kenya to commemorate
the embassy bombing. She can help prevent a future attack on our
diplomatic missions and citizens in the Horn and East Africa by taking
direct action against Eritrea today.
• Oppose congressional legislation to extend the trade preferences in
the African Growth and Opportunity Act to all developing countries.
Thanks to this legislation 40,000 jobs were created in Lesotho alone,
mostly for women in the textile sector. The trade-preference program
was adopted during the Clinton administration, and it was extended and
strengthened under the Bush administration to increase Africa's
competitiveness and market access. But extending the same trade
preferences to hypercompetitive Cambodia and Bangladesh—each of which
individually exports more apparel to the U.S. than all of sub-Saharan
Africa combined—will undermine the program's success in Africa.
• Hold a summit at the White House with the presidents of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. Mr. Obama needs
to spend more time meeting and engaging African leaders to address the
continent's challenges.
President George W. Bush helped to end the interstate wars among
Rwanda, Congo and Uganda by holding individual and trilateral meetings
with these leaders. Now Mr. Obama needs to galvanize U.S. efforts to
end the militia violence of Rwandan and Ugandan rebel groups still
operating in the Congo. The Department of Defense in particular must
move from assessing to actually training disciplined Congolese
soldiers capable of protecting Congolese citizens and defending their
territory.
• Move the headquarters of the U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) from
Germany to Liberia. This needs to be done to promote U.S. strategic
interests in the region, which include maritime security in the Gulf
of Guinea, countering terrorism and drug trafficking, and promoting
regional development and stability.
The Liberian government has repeatedly offered to host a headquarters
for AFRICOM understanding the U.S. presence will create jobs and help
stabilize the country and region. The command needs to be in the
region its operations are charged with shaping.
These four steps, more than any love messages, will signal a real
commitment that the mutual interests of the U.S. and Africa will
remain strong and secure under the Obama administration.
Ms. Frazer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was assistant
secretary of state for African affairs from 2005-2009.
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