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From: [log in to unmask]
Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 10:37:53 EDT
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Thursday Digest (7/3): US Africa Policies Look Good but Lack
Substance, Say Crit

US Africa Policies Look Good but Lack Substance, Say Critics

allAfrica.com
NEWS
July 3, 2003
Posted to the web July 3, 2003

By Charles Cobb Jr.
Washington, DC
Apparently compassionate U.S. initiatives for Africa such as the promise of
$15bn to help fight HIV/Aids are "at this moment, fictitious, because they
remain unfunded" and President Bush's forthcoming Africa trip is "lacking in
substance," says Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action.

"The President may be callously manipulating Africa's suffering to present a
veneer of compassion and the American public is being misled," Booker said
at a briefing Tuesday on Bush's five-nation tour of Africa scheduled to
begin next week.

TransAfrica Forum President Bill Fletcher, the Co-Director of Foreign Policy
in Focus, Emira Woods, and Njoki Njoroge Njehu, Director of the U.S. Network
for Global Justice's 50 Years is Enough, were also harshly critical of U.S.
Africa policy.

"Although the Bush administration continues to promote trade as an engine of
growth, U.S. policy continues to promote interests that are antithetical to
Africa," said Booker. Furthermore, the U.S. "fails to provide its fair
share" of foreign assistance and "the U.S. footprint in Africa is growing"
while, at the same time, its "refusal to participate in multilateral
peacekeeping efforts are undermining African peacemakers."

The U.S. HIV/Aids initiative announced by President Bush in his State of the
Union address came under especially sharp critique. "This has turned out to
be a cruel hoax," said Booker. "No new money has been made available this
year and only $450m has been requested in the president's budget for 2004."

Booker noted that President Bush has just announced that former drug company
executive Randall Tobias, the retired chairman and chief executive officer
of the Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Company, will head the new HIV/Aids
program. It was more proof that the President's commitment was "with the big
drug companies," said Booker.

The theme of Bush as primarily the representative of corporate interests
resurfaced frequently. "The Bush administration is driven more by a cynical
preoccupation with securing oil reserves than with matters of promoting
genuine economic development," said TransAfrica's Fletcher.

And, said 50 Years is Enough Director, Njehu, although massive debt
continues to crush development efforts on the continent, "the Bush
administration is ignoring this urgent African priority."

Emira Woods addressed the current crisis in Liberia. Speaking of rumors that
were moving though Washington as the briefing began that the U.S. might send
troops to the West African nation, Woods - a Liberian - said: "It's not just
the forces on the ground. What's needed is an understanding that this is a
broader regional conflict and crisis that has to have a regional solution.
U.S. involvement in a multilateral force is a part of it."

Taking a slightly different stance, TransAfrica's Fletcher said: "Any
international force has to be African, supported financially and
logistically by the United States, but we are extremely skeptical of the
notion of U.S. troops."

None of the four found much to applaud in President Bush's upcoming Africa
trip. Booker however acknowledged that it did provide "a rare opportunity of
focusing attention on Africa and promoting discussion and debate on U.S.
policies and relations with Africa."

Asked what would lead them to consider the trip a success, Fletcher said,
"if Bush went to Africa and said we will cease agricultural subsidies" that
could change his mind. For Emira Woods, it was "no permanent nor
semi-permanent bases in Africa. If he were to [announce] that I would be a
happy person but I doubt that will happen."
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