|
America goes to the polls next year and already a large number of her politicians are jockeying for the nominations of the Democratic and Republican parties. Two politicians from the state of
New York
, namely Senator
Hillary
Clinton
and former
New York Mayor
Rudolf
Giuliani
, are the leading candidates for the two parties. These political characters in the forthcoming electoral drama are likely to receive much attention in the American and international press.  Four things will be remembered by voters and others about these persons. The first is their collective experience with the events of 9/11; the second is their feeling of being known to the larger American masses than most of their political rivals; the third is their highly cultivated sense of political sophistication in their understanding of the world that would welcome them as President of the United States of America; the fourth and finally common of convergence between these two candidates is their association with things African. For
Rudolf
Giuliani
,
Africa
comes in the form of African immigrants living in the state of
New York
,
Amadou
Diallo
being the major bone of contention for them during his rule. For
Hillary
Clinton
,
Africa
is not only the name of a continent with a majority of black population, but a geopolitical entity whose leaders and their peoples are well known to the
Clintons
.
Bill
Clinton
, her husband and former President of the
United States
went to
Africa
and cultivated good relations with African champions like
Nelson
Mandela
and others. It is this common tread about
Africa
and Africans on the continent and in the Diaspora that inspired this article.
Rudolf
Giuliani
’s candidacy one must not only listen to his words but must also follow the discussions going on in
New York
and beyond. There are various points of view about this man and his candidacy. Some are worried about his jingoistic rhetoric, others are not too sure whether he is not going to lead Americans into another disaster, and yet some others feel that he is the man of the century and history has fashioned some gifts for him. His Italian ancestry, his Catholic background and his heroic role during 9/11, strangely enough have come together to earmark him as Man of the People and the Man of Destiny. Such hopes and fears are in the minds of various Americans.
Fareed
Zakaria
, the Newsweek editor in his
June 11, 2007
column, is one such dissenter. In the article, , he tried to demonstrate to the Republican presidential aspirants that the politics of fear they perpetuate would not advance the cause of the
United States
. Citing a recent research about American Muslims, he argued that this first comprehensive poll of U.S. Muslims, conducted last month by the
Pew
Research
Center
, found that more than 70 percent believed that if you worked hard in
America
, you would get ahead. That compares with 64 percent for the general
U.S.
population. “These American Muslims responded to almost all questions as those in the mainstream and strikingly they are certainly different from Muslim populations elsewhere. Some 13 percent of U.S. Muslims believe that suicide bombings can be justified. Too high, for sure, but it compares with 35 percent for French Muslims, 57 percent for Jordanians and 69 percent for Nigerians.”
This survey on Muslims opinions on and attitudes towards the
United States of America
has consequences for
Africa
. Since the continent is almost evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, it is dangerous and unwise to ignore any semblance of ethnic, racial or religious bigotry around the continent. Since America is going to be more and more connected to African societies and cultures, it makes absolute sense for African leaders and the led to assess how and why big powers such as the U.S., China and India are going to affect their political and material condition. Based on this assumption, it makes sense for us to respond to this survey. The large number of Muslims identified in this poll and the responses of men and women like
Rudolf
Giuliani
and
Hillary
Clinton
towards the international war on terrorism creates fear for U.S./Africa relations about the future of this relationship. Both the Africans and the Americans genuinely interested in peace and stability in
Africa
would pay close attention to the political rhetoric of the two candidates from
New York
. Having witnessed the tragedy of 9/11 equally,
Hillary
and Guiliani see a golden opportunity in distinguishing themselves from their rivals who were nowhere to be seen during those trying days of the
American
Republic
. Whether they are truly committed or just riding the much familiar horse of political opportunism to advance their political careers, we cannot tell. What we can say briefly and in passing is that only time will tell. Should one of these political figures rise to the Oval Office and seize the reigns of government, then the politics of fear could once again dominate our consciousness and our sense of physical movements would be once again stuck like glue to our eyes as we daily look for the right color to know that we are safely protected from the evil machinations of the terrorist forces
Assessing
Africa
and the presidential candidacy of former mayor Giuliani, we must find out what are the leading ideas and the vision and programs he has for
America
and the World. Central to his campaign is a list of twelve commitments whose implementations would be anchored by certain guiding principles. And these principles are supposed to translate into policies and programs made in the image of the new leader coming after
President
Bush
. Casting himself in the light of
Ronald
Reagan
, Giuliani sees himself as a man who will be present at the creation of a better
America
. His plan for America however envelopes many ideas that are unacceptable to many Americans and are most likely to be pooh-poohed by many foreigners, From an African perspective, the twelve commitments have much to be said and unsaid about them. Two points are related to them. The first is its domestic character and the second is the linkage between their domesticity and the international dangers to peace and security for American life and culture abroad.
Africa
suffered a hit in
Kenya
and
Tanzania
before 9/11 and her vulnerability makes her the Achilles’ heel of the
U.S.
campaign against international terrorism.
But after a careful review of the twelve commitments of
Rudolf
Guiliani
, one is struck by the fact that his reading of reality is not substantially different from
President
Bush
. Having survived the negative consequences of 9/11 and having shared the stage of global history some six years ago, the former New York mayor may still be hoping that since the presidency is a political role that can best be explained as a the political baton given to the best relay racer who comes closely to his immediate predecessor, it makes political sense for him to succeed President Bush. Like one of the commanders of
Julius
Caesar
, he too was present when the leader came, saw and conquered the invaders by sending a powerful force against the Taliban in
Afghanistan
. This state of mind from candidate Giuliani has consequences for
Africa
. There are many ways in which his twelve commitments could translate positively or negatively for
Africa
. One can look at it globally or locally. With the logic of the environmentalists, a Giuliani administration would put great pressure on the less fortunate and the financially insecure at home, and his policies in other parts of the world could bring pain and misery to African nations that are likely to be underrated not because of their poverty and lack of development but because of the politics of arrogance and the callous indifference to the plight of this segment of the human family. Again, if his twelve commitments are seen in global terms, then the life of the African people would be affected by the implications of such policies. By banking heavily on the war on terrorism and the need to spend vast amounts of dollars on arms rather than food, for many Africans the challenges of hunger and starvation would outweigh the benefits of other policies defined almost exclusively in military and strategic terms. This is more likely to happen because of the new drive of the
U.S.
government to place military troops around the African continent.
While making these points we must also recognize the fact that in the Post Cold War age the leaders of the developing countries are caught in a fix. No longer able to play one superpower against the other and being captured in the powerful tentacles of modernity and globalization, many of these African leaders are now doomed to dance according to the wishes of the World Bank and the dictates of the foreign departments of aid-giving countries. Thus, when we examine the local consequences of his policies in
Africa
, we must concede there would be differential benefits for the 54 countries. Some of them would derive benefits because of geo-political connections with American political and strategic interest in the war on international terrorism; others may be the owners of oil resources which are badly needed by the
U.S.
,
Europe
,
India
and
China
.
In light of this reality, under a Giuliani government American and African interest would be oil, terrorism, and political submissiveness to American signals. Presidential aspirant Guiliani has not shied away from this plain talk. As far as he goes, his foreign travels to 35 countries before his declaration of candidacy means that he is global, sophisticated and well tuned to deal with UN protocol next door on Manhattan Island and with their foreign diplomatic cousins living in Washington and interacting with U.S. staff at Foggy Bottom. As a presidential aspirant,
Rudolf
Giuliani
most probably dreams of the day when he could wear the crown and enjoyed the feelings of being “king”. Since he and former
President
Bush
are among the small number of Americans knighted by the Queen of King., it would be interesting to see how this descendant of an Italian immigrant could add to the inherited WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) tradition. As a Catholic he too could also add to the powerful legacy of the
Kennedy
family in the widening role of American Catholics in American society. May be his residual if not substantial Catholic spirit may in the course of time force him to plant humanitarian ideas that are comparable to those of the
Kennedy
era?
There are other reasons that come to mind when a Guiliani candidacy is viewed through the eyes of continental Africans at home and Africans in the Diaspora living in
America
. His rule in
New York
coincided with a number of incidents involving African immigrants. The plight of these African immigrants can provide us with many bits and pieces of problems the Major may face in office. Most importantly, African issue that could surface once again when Africans looked at the candidacy of Guiliani, is the story of
Amadou
Diallo
, from Guinea Conakry who lost his life because of a police shootout. Although that case was dealt with locally it had international consequences. But while pointing to this historical experience we should not argue that Giuliani is bound to suffer votes for his action during that unfortunate crisis. To the contrary, his foreign policy is not going to be linked to what happened in
New York
. However, those who are concerned about law and order at the globe level would like him to extend the rule of law he celebrated at home to foreign nationals abroad. Rather than support dictatorships abroad while dancing joyfully to the drums of democracy at home, he should effectively combine his commitment to democratic society with the same fervor he has for what he called Islamo-fascists., this set of attitudes and opinions could build or destroy his foreign entanglements.
In conclusion, three points need to be made categorically clear. First, his tenure as a
New York
mayor exposed him to Africans. The
Amadou
Diallo
affair is too widely known, Africans and diplomats who remembered that crisis cannot ignore the man and the event. He is part of that history and like
Teddy
Roosevelt
who served as Commissioner of Police in
New York
in the early part of the last century and later became a part of the Jewish and Arab history of that time, Giuliani too could be part of the African mythology fashioned during the tragic death of
Amadou
Diallo
. One piece of evidence Jews and Arabs now remember about
Teddy
Roosevelt
was the nickname given to him by those Arab peddlers. Because these Semites were peddlers and the Police Commissioner had developed the habit of inspecting their pushcarts, they called him
Haron
Rashid
Roosevelt
. This quote is in the American books of nicknames. One wonders what nicknames in different African languages were given to this new aspirant for the American Presidency.
Another concluding factor is the fact that
Africa
is the weakest link to the chain of anti-terrorism. This is due to the nature of the African state and the lack of technological wherewithal to counter effectively the machinations of the criminal terrorist groups. Due to this reality, it is going to be difficult for the African leaders and their people to negotiate successfully with a Giuliani administration in the important task of food security and politics one the one hand, and the challenges of combating the dangers of international terrorism on the other. The third and last conclusion is that a Guiliani presidency could yield fruits for him and
Africa
only when he pays close attention to the needs of the people and not bank heavily on the alliances he can secured from dictators and hustlers. If he wishes to do a better job of explaining
America's message and mission to the rest of the world, he should act as he once argued, “not by imposing our ideas on others but by appealing to their enlightened self-interest.” African self interest lies in stable government and food security. If such policies are in place, then his idea of empowering the Voice of America program would continue to enjoy good reports. And with such policies his administration could significantly strengthened and broadened this political organ of the U.S.
Eucharia
Mbachu
voiceofwomenandchildren.org
|
RSS Feeds | Podcasts
Posted by Robot| 14.09.2007 08:25