Africa

Return to Common Sense

April 27, 2013

Section: Foreign – Africa

“The U.S. is getting little recognition for the tremendous progress being made by the HIV/AIDs initiative, and will only degrade diplomatic perception by getting involved in civil wars”

“I dream of an Africa which is in peace with itself.” Nelson Mandela.

Philosophy (Background, Issues, Objectives):

Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent.

It is composed of 11.7 million square miles and 20.3% of total land area.
It contains 840 million people in 61 territories which is more than 12% of world’s population.
By most estimates, Africa contains well over a thousand languages.
Approximately 46.3% of all Africans are Christians and another 40.5% are Muslims.
The climate of Africa ranges from tropical to subtropical.
Failed government policies and political corruption have marked Africa’s history.
Africa is the world's poorest inhabited continent.
Global climate change has resulted in many widespread famines with inadequate distribution systems.

Africa also suffers from a variety of internal and external problems.

Africa is composed of numerous third world countries that have been exploited through history.

o These third world countries have been exploited and underdeveloped.

Political mismanagement has doomed many countries economies to poverty.

o Foreign aid has been diverted by corrupt and incompetent regimes to buy military equipment, pay off cronies, and keep oppressing people, while funding off shore accounts.

An estimated 30 million Africans are infected with HIV/AID and 20 million have already died.

Islamo-fascists are exploiting African unemployment and poverty to take over weak countries and implement Sharia law.

Islamic extremists in Somalia have banded together under Islamic Court Union (ICU).
Muslim West African countries, Mauritania and Senegal, continues to enslave girls and women as sex slaves and trade them with Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Libya, and Morocco
Eritrea and Ethiopia enable Islamic terrorists in other countries.
Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda fear expansion of Islamic conflict to other East African countries.
Terrorists are trying to undermine the oil production in Nigeria.
AFRICOM formed to focus military operations on security in the African theater, and integrate terrorist response with Global War on Terrorism.

In 2003 the United States committed to a $15 billion initiative to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa.

1.5 million people, scattered across 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and Caribbean, have received treatment.
10 million new cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission have been prevented.
Initiative has been expanded to tackle malaria with a goal to cut malaria deaths in half.

The developed world has committed to help Africa promote its own development.

G-8 has agreed to double aid to $50 billion by 2010, half of which to Africa.
In 2005 15 members of UN agreed to commit .7% aid/GDP target.
In 2005 there was agreement to cancel $55 billion of debt to 18 countries, 14 of which in Africa.
Africa Financial Sector Initiative (AFSI) provides technical assistance and private equity funds for underserved markets.

Rwanda has grown with low personal taxes, low corporate taxes, and business facilitation.

Rwanda was rated No. 1 reformer in the world in 2009.
World Bank ranked Rwanda tied with America as ninth-easiest country in which to start a business.
Rwanda has grown an average of 8% annually since 2004.
Foreign aid has been reduced to 40% of government budget in Rwanda.
The Rwanda Development Board offers a one-stop business registration process.
Rwanda has privatized 72 state-owned businesses in 2010.
Rwanda still suffers from 18-24% interest rates.
Credit cards are rarely accepted.
Per capita GDP still lags other countries in Africa.

Principles:

Shift US focus from one of benefactor to one of partnership.

Recommendations:

Redefine the conflicts in Africa as another major theater in the Global War on Terror.

Educate American public on true nature of Muslim religion.
De-legitimize the immorality and hypocrisy of Islamic fundamentalists.
Label terrorists as the cowards and “useful idiots” that they are.
Promote the values of Western democratic modernity.
Encourage moderate Muslims to condemn terror as a tactic and Islamo-fascism as the cause.

Develop a comprehensive strategy toward Africa to oppose forces that stunt African development.

Increase the diplomatic profile of the United States in Africa.
Encourage grass roots economic development and peer-to-peer assistance programs.
Encourage human rights, democratic principles, and good governance.
Coordinate strategy with military forces, AFRICOM.
Increase security engagement.

Increase trade and economic ties to Africa as path to future prosperity.

Target businesses by country, by sector, and by business.
Encourage efforts to root out corruption.
Help develop energy resources.

Encourage Africa to learn from the Rwanda economic experience.

Lower taxes on both individuals and companies.
Offer government assistance to expedite business development.
Privatize non-essential state-owned businesses.
Continue focus on overall economic performance.

References:

“Ten Things that Africa Can Do for Itself” by Greg Mills dated February 27, 2006 published by The Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Africa/hl923.cfm .

“An African Taliban” by David McCormack dated October 4, 2006 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTQwNGQwOTFjZGU5MGQwZTUwYTFiZjMxZTdlZjUwYWM= .

“A Hard Wound to MEND” by Kyle Dabruzzi dated November 9, 2006 published by Front Page Magazine at http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=25371 .

“What is Ghana’s Secret?” Kathryn Boateng dated March 6, 2007 published by American Magazine at http://www.american.com/archive/2007/march-0307/what-is-ghana2019s-secret .

“The Crisis in Zimbabwe: How the U.S. Should Respond” by Brett D. Schaefer dated March 23, 2007 published by The Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Africa/wm1407.cfm .

“A Private War on Poverty: Peer-to-Peer Development” by David Rusin dated April 18, 2007 published by TCS Daily at http://www.tcsdaily.com/printArticle.aspx?ID=041207D .

“Horn hotbed” by Peter Brookes dated May 2007 published by Armed Forces Journal at http://www.armedforcesjournal.com/2007/05/2670146 .

“Genocide Doesn’t Just Happen” by Nina Shea dated June 1, 2007 published by National Review Online at http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZjI0ZTY0MTViYzQ3YTI1MzUxYmQ5NDQ5NWJjOTg2NGM= .

“Profit for the Poorest” by Apoorva Shah dated June 13, 2007 published by American Magazine at http://www.american.com/archive/2007/june-0607/profit-for-the-poorest .

“What Bono doesn’t say about Africa” by William Easterly dated July 6, 2007 published by Los Angeles Times at http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-easterly6jul06,0,6188154.story?coll=la-opinion-rightrail .

“Defeating Terrorism in Africa” by Alan W. Dowd, dated August 27, 2007 published by Front Page Magazine at http://www.frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=C06FBA85-2B84-4E4E-803A-BBC8AE2C768C .

“Into Africa” by Joseph Loconte dated February 20, 2008 published by The Weekly Standard at http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/766sqpli.asp .

“Only Africans Can Solve Africa’s Problems” by Walter E. Williams dated February 25, 2008 published by Investor’s Business Daily at http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=288833608197579 .

“U.S. Africa Command: Challenges and Opportunities” by Brett D. Schaefer and Mackenzie M. Eaglen dated March 21, 2008 published by The Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/bg2118.cfm .

“Into Africa: Bush Initiatives That Deserve Continuing Support” by Thomas M. Woods dated October 31, 2008 published by The Heritage Foundation at http://www.heritage.org/Research/Africa/bg2204.cfm .

“As America Dithers…” by Deroy Murdock dated December 13, 2010 published by Human Events at http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=40542 .

“Let My People Go” by Jerrold L. Sobel dated April 27, 2013 published by American Thinker at http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/04/let_my_people_go.html .