WTF? – The Militarization of Obama’s Power Africa Initiative

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AFRICOM, Andrew Herscowitz Power Africa, Department of Defense, National Defense University, Obama Africa, ONE Campaign, Power Africa, POWER AFRICA INITIATIVE: THE THIRD WAY, TIDES Project Africa

I have been very busy lately, but a recent notice about an event on Obama’s Power Africa Initiative sponsored by the Department of Defense caught my notice.  I haven’t really had time to scratch the surface of the TIDES project, but at first glance, this really seems to be an unfortunate example of the continued militarization of US Africa Policy.

An email I received notes: “this forum intends to stimulate debate on how to build military, civilian and interagency corporation when formulating African electrification policies and legislation as stipulated by the presidential initiative.”  It adds that it is a $70 billion initiative, a figure much larger than I’ve seen elsewhere.

Someone, please give me a good reason why the US military needs to be involved in formulating African electrification policies?  It is even more disturbing that the event is not for attribution.  We’ve got the State Department convening the head of the Power Africa Initiative, Andrew Herscowitz and several private sector players, and what they’re talking about (‘a third way of energy solutions’ apparently) is so sensitive that they’re not even willing to go on record in what is billed as “an open dialogue between energy sector stakeholders and policy makers.”  No wonder the US couldn’t find an African location for AFRICOM.

How has this sort of work not been the victim of sequestration?  This seems to me to be a splendid example of DoD receiving resources at the expense of State and  more legitimate US public diplomacy.

I deign to call this BS, the same sort of BS that has me blogging quasi-anonymously as the government funded operation I work for has policies on blogging (writing in general really) that eviscerate my freedom of expression.

What are your thoughts?  Am I overreacting?  Does the TIDES project indicate some legitimate longstanding interest of DoD in Africa’s energy sector?

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Constituency for African Affairs Ronald Brown Series Opening Network Reception

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Africa board game, Constituency for Africa, GoodWorks International, Leonard Wantchekon, Melvin Foote, Nigeria DTCA, Obama Africa, Ronald Brown African Affairs Series, Tubman University

This evening I attended the opening network reception for the Ronald Brown African Affairs Series, an annual event hosted by the Constituency for African Affairs in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus’ annual Legislative Week.

Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is Ready for Take Off

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Airlift Africa, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Obama Africa, Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, White House Africa, World Learning, Young African Leaders Initiative

The Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders was only announced by Obama a few weeks ago, while he was in South Africa.  However, the Washington machinery (public and private) is already gearing up for the initiative.

Organizations wishing to profit from the government’s largesse have until the end of August to submit their applications to secure a cooperative agreement with the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to the tune of roughly over 6 million.  World Learning is one organization that will be bidding, as they are already soliciting for a Project Director to name in their proposal.

The award is expected to last from the end of November 2013 to the end of June 2015.  By the time it is complete, 500 young African leaders will have received six weeks of training at a US higher education institution on one of three topics: business, civic leadership, and public management.  Approximately 100 of these young leaders will also have the opportunity to gain hands on learning experience from a 2 month internship.

All in all, the Fellowship seems like a very exciting development, even if it may not match the magnitude of the ‘Africa airlifts‘ in the 1960s that brought Barack Obama’s father to America.

Whither the White, Male Diplomat in Africa? A New Leader for the Bureau of African Affairs & Racial Diplomacy

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african-american diplomats in Africa, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, black american diplomats, Bureau of African affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, minority ambassadors, Obama Africa, Racial diplomacy, State Department, white male diplomats

I read yesterday that Obama has nominated Linda Thomas-Greenfield to serve as the next Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.  If confirmed, this would mean that since 1997, four of the last six individuals to hold this position have been black women.  Five of six are of African descent.

I’m not quite sure what to make of this.  I do recall however, that for many years segregation reigned in the State Department, with black diplomats confined to rotating posts in countries like Liberia and Haiti.  As times have (hopefully) changed, I imagine that there must be some logic prevailing today which posits that black American diplomats are better positioned to relate to Africans than Americans of other racial backgrounds.  While I don’t have any statistics available to me, I’m fairly confident in asserting that black Americans are disproportionately prevalent in the Ambassador corps in Africa and are much less prominent in other regions (according to Wikipedia, it appears that every US Ambassador to China, with the exception of the incumbent, has been a white man – and the current holder furthers the argument here as he is Asian).

Based on the policy events that I attend, I see large numbers of white students and professionals interested in Africa, so I don’t think these choices reflect a racial disparity in interest in Africa.  In fact, it is when I attend events of activist groups critical of US foreign policy in Africa that I see the most non-whites in attendance.

Readers, do you think that this is indicative of any larger trends, or am I reading too much into things here?

The Washington Post Ruins Obama’s African Safari

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Obama Africa, Obama Africa safari, Obama Africa trip, Obama Robben Island, Obama South Africa, Washington Post Africa

The Washington Post has an interesting article on the ‘elaborate security provisions’ needed to facilitate Obama’s upcoming Africa trip based on leaked documents.  Perhaps Obama took so long to go on his Africa trip due to the high cost, the Post estimates that his less than one week in three African countries could cost up to 100 million.  One wonders if in light of the ‘sequester’ environment, high ranking US officials may reduce their visits to developing countries, which would have particularly negative consequences for US engagement in Africa.

Although it seems that someone may have purposely leaked the documents in order to ruin Obama’s Tanzanian safari, all is not lost as it is apparently being replaced with a visit to Robben Island in Cape Town.

The Wilson Center on Obama’s Africa Trip & Summer Directions for Africa in DC?

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Obama Africa, Senegal vs. Ivory Coast, Steve McDonald, Wilson Center

I’m often quick to offer my constructive criticisms to those in DC’s African policy circles (such as in my review of the Wilson Center’s blog), so I should not shirk from celebration when key figures make the right points.

In his Last Word blog column for May, the head of the Wilson Center’s Africa Program, Steve McDonald, makes some great points about Obama’s upcoming Africa trip.  He further articulates some of my concerns on the visit, namely that Obama “is avoiding any difficult issues and going with a very “safe” itinerary.”  I personally would much preferred for Obama to have visited the Ivory Coast than Senegal.

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On an unrelated matter, Summer is now upon us, which means a decline in the number of local events pertaining to Africa (not only are the universities out of sessions, the think tanks also become less active).  I’ve got some ideas about different ways to make up for that and ensure a steady stream of new and interesting material for the blog.  In particular, I’m hoping to go more in the human interest direction – initiate a few interviews and run some more profile pieces.

Do you have any suggestions or comments about people/organizations/issues you’d like to see covered?  Specific topics are particularly welcomed.  Comment here or email me at africaindc at gmail . c om