This week Obama invited bunch of African leaders to explore investment opportunities between USA and Africa.  

No one can fault Obama for wanting to better his people through trade with potential markets. However, America and Obama especially preached American values. Where did that go here?

America is a land of laws and not men! America has rules even for fight war and engagements of the enemy! America treats alleged criminal innocent under proven guilty! America is guided by freedom, liberties and privacy! America expects other uphold similar values or they are encourage or punish/sanction/keep at arms length if they choose otherwise!

If these are true, and to an appreciable extent they are - did those same values and principles employed when selecting who cosy up with the Obama? 

At least for Gambia that doesn't seem to be the case. For 20 years every State Department Report on Gambia show human right abuses. Why is that not used to demand change before Yahya has a seat at the table? Or so long some investor will make few $s our plight doesn't really matter? I hope not because that doesn't tally well with those much talked about American values,

People of other African nations who's leaders were invited may have similar or slightly different concerns.

Does America care anymore about expanding the frontiers of freedom? Or America's economic interest supersede our plight? Or they hope better economic opportunities will better our plight? Or they are more concern with photo-ops than doing good for the people?

Sad to say but this is politics and is a game played not necessarily on fair rules. This we need to know. More importantly we need to learn how to best play the game that doesn't seem of have rules but interests - which are in most cases conflicting.

America did not necessarily abandon supporting freedom but sometimes politics get on the way. Also America is either in economic and political decline or others are catching up at an unexpectedly faster rate.

Our side should come up with alternatives to the leaders ( in our case to Yahya). We shall sell this alternatives to earn their (America/international community) moral and financial support. With that hopefully Obama and America in General may bet on a better positioned Gambia for prospect investment. - now and in the future. With that they are probably likely to tell African leaders you got to change. 

American private investment assets are not likely to pour on Gambia at this point in time. Our markets are not as attractive as comparative markets. Yet this is a big deal for Yahya. Having a photo-op, his wife and the Obamas'. What a propaganda tool! Watch GRTS! But isn't that also telling Yahya is not internationally isolated as some may believe. At least not with Obama and he's  a big /key player.

These are no insurmountable challenges however we have to launch deliberate alternative option(s). That's amassing enough political leverage to be able to dethrone tyranny in Banjul. 

Those who sit on the comfort that the recent demonstrations are a trigger that Gambians are now ready to die/use violence or by any means necessary are making the same mistakes they made about DC Embassy Demonstration, so called Unity Rally of Opposition Parties, etc.

There isn't  a trigger and goodness we don't need one. All we need is our deliberate actions at Reclamation of Our Republic as Sovereigns.

If such demand/alternative  exists or we could come up with, probably Obama will notice before wining/dining with Yahya or offer it as precondition.

Let's get to work - better late than never!

Burama