Posts
The AFRICOM Initiative (Guest Blog)
Recently, the African Command (AFRICOM) initiative seems to have generated a great deal of serious debate; the following articles reflect some of the arguments for and against the initiative:
allAfrica.com: Africa: U.S. Command Reaches Initial Operating ...
U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM, officially stood up today when the ... For its first year, AFRICOM will operate under U.S. European Command (EUCOM), ...allafrica.com/stories/200710011666.html - Similar pages
allAfrica.com: Africa: US Africa Command Will Enhance Local Skills ...
The new U.S. regional military command for Africa (AFRICOM) will have a distinctly ... AFRICOM also will help countries interested in improving government ...allafrica.com/stories/200709300038.html - Similar pages
allAfrica.com: Africa: Questioning Africom -1
With the nomination in July of General William E. Ward as the first chief of the new U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), the long-discussed new command took ...allafrica.com/stories/200708010836.html - Similar pages
allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Stop Africom
When launched, AFRICOM will become a permanent military base in Africa, thus completing a long-desired strategic plan by the US. The stated reason was that ...allafrica.com/stories/200709280143.html - Similar pages
allAfrica.com: Africa: Questioning Africom - 2
This AfricaFocus Bulletin contains excerpts from an extensive critique of AFRICOM from the Center for International Policy, with particular emphasis on ...allafrica.com/stories/200708010835.html - Similar pages
allAfrica.com: Botswana: Botswana Discusses Africom
President Festus Mogae has said that Botswana is discussing the possibility of hosting the controversial U.S. African Command (US-AFRICOM). ...allafrica.com/stories/200709060965.html - Similar pages
allAfrica.com: Africa: Africom Can Help Governments Willing to ...
Since the announcement of the creation of Africom, a new unified American combatant command responsible for Africa, there has been much skepticism over its ...allafrica.com/stories/200706251196.html - Similar pages
allAfrica.com: Africa: Testimony of Dr. Wafula Okumu - U.S. House ...
Until the enunciation of Africom, the continent had been haphazardly divided into ... Africom is expected to stop terrorists being bred in Africa’s weak, ...allafrica.com/stories/200708031070.html - Similar pages
allAfrica.com: Africa: Africom - Wrong for Liberia, Disastrous for ...
Ordering that AFRICOM be created by September 30, 2008, Bush said, "Africa Command will enhance our efforts to bring peace and security to the people of ...allafrica.com/stories/200707270740.html - Similar pages
I have found it difficult, really difficult, to resist the temptation of getting involved in the debate. Let me tender my observations and misgivings concerning the AFRICOM initiative, without reciting those which are presented in existing articles on the subject.
1. In terms of peace and security, African countries do not, by and large, face external threats. Zambia, for instance, is surrounded by civilized and friendly nations which do not apparently pose any threat to the country—that is, Angola, (Botswana), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. We expect the situation to remain that way in the long term.
In other words, the problems facing the African continent are generally NOT military in nature. The needs, expectations and aspirations of citizens on the continent are clear: greater access to education, vocational training and life-saving healthcare; greater and sustained food security; greater employment opportunities; improved socio-economic conditions in rural areas; greater access to clean water and electricity; greater care for the elderly, the handicapped and both orphaned and vulnerable children; sustained protection of the fragile natural environment; and, among other things, a sustained effort to address the scourge of corruption.
We need support in addressing these and other related needs of our people.
2. If AFRICOM is allowed to create military bases on the African continent, what arguments will be advanced to prevent other countries with the wherewithal to seek to establish military bases on the continent—such as China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, and so forth? We really do not need to foster another Scramble for Africa, a military-based one this time around!
3. AFRICOM is a potentially divisive initiative; it can very easily trigger acrimony and dissention among countries that have thus far worked hard to create the African Union (AU) and such economic blocs as COMESA, SADC, ECOWAS, and so forth. Once some member-countries decide to host AFRICOM against the wishes of other member-countries, it will be the beginning of disintegration and fragmentation of the continent.
4. Would the U.S. permit another sovereign nation-state to establish a military base on its soil?
USAID, AGOA and other American initiatives are commendable. Any new programs that are benign to the continent’s people that are not yet catered for through such initiatives, therefore, need to be channeled through the same existing non-military initiatives.
Finally, it will perhaps not be unwise for African countries to eventually do away with defence ministries or departments and the defence forces they serve. We are headed toward an era of greater understanding among countries—an era that will make it both safe and rational for nations to relegate the functions of their national defence forces to the UN peace-keeping forces, and/or regional forces established through arrangements like the African Crisis Response Initiative (ACRI), which France, Britain and the United States have offered to support by providing training and equipment.
In such an era, the protection of each and every country’s territorial integrity will not be a necessary function of national governments.
Update: I wish to make a few additions to the contribution I made earlier.
1. Becoming a host to a foreign military base is a permanent, irreversible and very serious commitment, which a country’s leaders would do well NOT to assent to on behalf of present and future generations—perhaps not even through a referendum!
2. It is important to delineate the generic or regular roles of the civil police and the military. In Zambia, the functions of the Zambia Defence Forces, as stipulated in Article 101 of the Republican constitution, are to: (a) preserve and defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Zambia; (b) cooperate with the civilian authority in emergency situations and in cases of natural disasters; (c) foster harmony and understanding between the Zambia Defence Force and civilians; and (d) engage in productive activities for the development of Zambia.
On the other hand, the functions of the Zambia Police Force, as stipulated in Article 104 of the Republican constitution, are to: (a) to protect life and property; (b) to preserve law and order; (c) to detect and prevent crime; and (d) to cooperate with the civilian authority and other security organs established under the constitution and with the population generally.
These functions are fundamentally not dissimilar to those performed by the civil police and the military in the U.S., and of police and military forces in civilian government regimes worldwide as a matter of fact. In analyzing the stated and potential roles AFRICOM will play in Africa, it is, therefore, important not to overlook this delineation.
3. I have enjoyed reading three pieces of information about "Understanding AFRICOM" found on the following links:
www.moonofalabama.org/2007/02/understanding_a_1.html / Part I
www.moonofalabama.org/2007/02/understanding_a_2.html / Part II
www.moonofalabama.org/2007/02/understanding_a_3.html / Part III
Conclusion of Part III:
Africa has been through this (the scramble for the continent) before, caught in the middle of a global chessboard during the first Cold War as competing world powers sought to win friends and contain enemies at the expense of those in the way. Militaries were trained and armed to fight proxy battles or overthrow unsympathetic regimes. Rhetorical allusions to notions of human rights and democratic governments lost out to the more pragmatic ends of protecting economic ideologies. For the most part, the blood that spilled was largely that of Africa, again prevented from achieving true independence, self-identity, and prosperity. The old Cold War blew in primarily on the exaggerated vapors of ideology. This one is not so abstract.
Africa is now perceived as the final frontier for the world's energy supplies, crucial for the preservation of hi-tech global civilizations, and this new scramble will be much more serious. This is the context in which the new combatant command enters the history books, at the junction of the early 21st century and the pending flare out of the petroleum age. Expanding the military reach of the most powerful empire the planet has ever known, AFRICOM will be tasked with the responsibility of achieving full-spectrum dominance over mother Africa for fuel. Operating as both energy-protection service and strategic Cold War front, the unified command will concentrate whatever military forces are necessary to keep the furnaces of Empire lit.
Whether AFRICOM will succeed in this directive is beside the point, for, while ends may justify the means for the elite in power, their so-called "national interest" payoff, it is regular people who pay the full price at all times. And it does not require a crystal ball or great imagination to realize what the increased militarization of the continent through AFRICOM will bring to the peoples of Africa.
Henry Kyambalesa
(Guest Blogger)
12 comments:
Kya,
Very interesting issue indeed.
I have also felt the same temptation to comment on this, been successful in resisting the urge..until now :)
Before I get into your main thrust of your argument. I should point that Zambia does indeed face threats to its borders. Countless stories are repeated of rebel encroachments to the north and of course refugees crossing the borders possess challenges not just to the humanitarian groups residing in Zambia but to institutions keeping law and order. The point is that Zambia does not face "existential threats". The threats are certainly there but just not existential.
Coming back to the central point of the USA activities. I think sometimes it puzzles me that we always tend to decouple economic leadership from military leadership.
I agree with you when you say: "African continent are generally NOT military in nature. The needs, expectations and aspirations of citizens on the continent are clear: greater access to education, vocational training and life-saving healthcare; greater and sustained food security; greater employment opportunities; improved socio-economic conditions in rural areas; greater access to clean water and electricity; greater care for the elderly, the handicapped and both orphaned and vulnerable children; sustained protection of the fragile natural environment; and, among other things, a sustained effort to address the scourge of corruption." But when ask for solutions to these problems we must recognise that the solutions need to be multifaceted and YES some of these solutions would involve military solutions.
Here are two examples where economics and military meet.
The first example: Assume that a poor nation like DRC wants to tackle the problems you have highlighted. Can we really expect any nation in the West to go there and invest cash without guaranteeing that investment through force? Nations who invest billions of dollars in countries which are unstable like the DRC always will ensure that there are military guarantees on the ground to provide certainty.
China is a prime example. We have seen a rapid growth in Chinese military influence in the region as its economic influnce has widened. As this quote from Asia Times illustrates:
China will increasingly be challenged to respond to security threats to Chinese property and personnel in the region that may necessitate a re-evaluation of the role of China's military. The recent kidnappings and killings of Chinese workers in Ethiopia and Nigeria painfully demonstrated that China can no longer depend on local security forces to protect its oil interests (personnel and facilities) in areas such as Ethiopia and the Niger Delta. Potential attacks by local insurgents, criminals, and even terrorists, demand skilled defense practitioners. The PLA could provide this either directly and openly in tailored military units with or without Chinese police force participation, through quasi-military or "outsourced" rent-a-soldier security entities that would be manned by trained soldiers who may retain loose association with the PLA as demobilized soldiers, or through other mechanisms based on negotiations with the host African countries.
So in short I believe that USA has now learnt that you can't simply pour money and aid into Africa and hope that leaders behave themselves. In an increasingly competitive world you need to guarantee that with force. To that extent the formation of AFRICOM is a rational approach to the facts on the ground. There's nothing sinister about it.
The second example : AFRICOM may be useful to prevent failing states that are democratically elected. There's no doubt that African nations have weak armies. That the AU force was wiped out this week by a rug tag army of Darfur rebels is no surprise. I believe that having a permanent AFRICOM on the ground would send a strong message to despots. If you don't behave yourselves we are coming in.
A small force on the ground would be useful in preventing states from drifting into chaos. Military interventions can be positive if the interventions are done in the correct way e.g. the British mission in Sierra Leone. So for example, if someone elections fairly and the other party rose to arms, having Africom on the ground to move in quickly and guarantee protection to the party which won fairly should be perfectly acceptable. It helps instill democracy and ensure rule of law.
So to conclude my position on the AFRICOM initiative is that we should not look at it purely as a military issue. We need to recognise that economics and military might are connected. Also we need to realise that there are benefits of having a 'reasonable' big boy in the class who keeps other boys in check. The challenge for nations is to ensure that any future AFRICOM is working in close partnership with the AU.
cho -
perhaps you overlooked the part about AFRICOM being defined in its very name as a military entity as that of a "unified combatant command". while the overall role of the u.s. military is indeed inseparable from the u.s. economic agenda -- serving as the enforcer of u.s.-style capitalism -- the personnel that provide that force could hardly care less about economics. they are used as the brute force that makes sure u.s. interests are protected, that markets are fully opened for exploitation, and that the locals who will allow this to happen are in positions to make it so. there are plenty of examples of this to point out on the continent of africa, but maybe a better idea of what should be anticipated can be gleaned from u.s. policy in central and south americas.
AFRICOM is not some benign imperialist institution that is wanting african governments to invite it into their homes so it can 'help africans help themselves'. instead, it's about 'helping ourselves to africa's wealth.' i am disheartened by your attempts to justify a rationale that does not fit w/ reality, economist or not. it's a dangerous slope you are placing yourself upon.
check out some of the backgrounders that the heritage foundation has put out there unequivocally calling for the complete privatization of all energy sectors on the continent.
here's just one example -- Africa's Oil and Gas Sector: Implications for U.S. Policy
it's all out there in the open. no need to attribute other idealistic aspirations to it.
the first scramble was sold on the three c's. this time the u.s. is talking about bringing the three d's into africa -- i kid you not -- defense, diplomacy, democracy. things haven't changed that much & motives remain the same. remember that leopold was billed as the great philanthropist when you read the pentagon's marketing pitch about AFRICOM having humanitarian roots. (hint: basic training is about breaking down the individual into an indoctrination entirely antithetical to that of humanitarianism.)
this idea of resisting the urge to comment on the issue of AFRICOM -- i don't get it. silence implies complicity. if this isn't the issue to speak out on, well, i'm not sure that you really comprehend the repercussions. why anyone would seriously want a foreign military presence on their lands, and the u.s. at that, given their track record, is beyond me. once you invite them into your house, it's no longer just yours.
i have family all across zambia. it's one of the main reasons why i spoke up and wrote the article that kyambalesa links to. i am happy to hear mwanawasa state that he has rebuffed u.s. advances on this front. i am happy to hear kk & others speak out against allowing the u.s. military to plant its boot on african soil. outspoken voices like these lead me to believe that those who come after us will have a better future. why push today's problems onto them? AFRICOM is not a solution to the issues you cited in your examples. it will only compound your problems.
kozo/mtendere/umutende
b real,
I am not justifying Africom, I am simply pointing out two things:
1. There are pros and cons to having AFRICOM. The cons you have stated, the pros I have mentioned. I don't really think the US needs AFRICOM to dominate any nation in Africa. If the USA wanted to dominate African states their subtler and more effective ways of doing it. Also you speak of the US as if they don't run our economies already. They are already on our soil.
2. Those that criticise AFRICOM but WELCOME Chinese investment adopt an hypocritical position. The method might be different but economic dominance ultimately leads to military dominance.
Of course in all this we must recognise the limitations of our power. Ultimately we have to do deals with big powers. The question is which power.
This is a great and very level-headed post about the AFRICOM debate, one of the best that I have read so far. Yesterday I discovered the 3-part series on Understanding AFRICOM at the Moon Over Alabama blog. Unfortunately I have not yet had a chance to read b real's piece thoroughly but intend to do so over the weekend.
I disagree with the author that Zambia does not face any military threats as we can see with the continued instability and violence in the eastern DRC (your neighbor). I also disagree with the idea that Zambia and other African nations can do away with defence ministries and standing armies, handing those duties over to a UN peacekeeping force.
There are over 17,000 UN peackeepers in the DRC and this massive force at a financial cost of over $1 billion per year is not effective in protecting the lives and livelihoods of innocent people in the Kivus and throughout the region.
There is an interesting debate on AFRICOM in progress at the African Loft "Open Debate on AFRICOM: Does Africa Need AFRICOM?". I thought that you and your readers may be interested in the comments posted to that debate. I will reference your post in my upcoming piece on the subject of AFRICOM. Thanks for your valuable inputs on this important subject.
Here are a few basic arguments against AFRICOM:
1) It hands over sovereignty to a foreign power.
Africa's problems may be of a civic nature, but without security, nothing happens. No rights, no commerce. This is the only excuse for having an army, which is to ensure security in the nation, beyond what the capacities of the police force are.
2) Erratic behaviour in US policy.
We have seen the craziest, most corrupt and incompetent American administration in US history. There are no guarantees that indivisuals like that will not rise to power in the US again. Zambia would potentially be at the whim of policy decisions made by religious fanatics, extreme libertarians (anarchists, really), corporate elitists and for all we know, Christian Identity neofascists.
Sovereignty cannot be outsourced.
The article by Henry is so lovely I am posting it on www.AfricaAgainstAFRICOM.org, the main site that keeps up the crusade of free Africans now and will keep highlighting the devastation caused by this re-colonisation in the future if African leaders are foolish enough to accept Africom.
Thought you guys could use an update on the AFRICOM rollout:
Nigeria's new democratically elected president Yar'Adua has seen the light about AFRICOM during his December 2007 visit to the White House. Here's the latest from Nigeria's This Day newspaper about Yar'Adua's about face on the new command:
allAfrica.com - Dec 14, 2007
Nigeria: Yar'Adua in White House, Ready to Partner U.S. on AFRICOM
http://allafrica.com/stories/200712140108.html
President Yar'Adua has now denied accepting AFRICOM; see: http://allafrica.com/stories/200712150069.html
African,
Good site. Not sure I share the objective, but its good for Africans to debate these issues :)
Well done!
I hope this drives a stake through the hart of the US AFRICAM concept, whether Barack Obama is the new president or not. No nation should give away it's sovereignty:
Zambia hosts US secret prisons
Written by Mwala Kalaluka
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
ZAMBIA is one of the countries hosting secret Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) prisons that newly elected United States President Barack Obama wants closed.
According to an article and map published in a British newspaper The Guardian of Friday January 23, 2009, Zambia is one of the countries with one CIA secret prison facility, while nations like South Africa have two CIA ‘black sites’.
A map showing the spread of CIA secret prisons in the publication, that broke the story of the CIA secret detention centres last year, is accompanied by the following caption: “The US keeps detainees in camps around the world, many of them shrouded in secrecy. These are the ones we know about.”
The US government has acknowledged before that it was holding at least 26, 000 people without trial in secret prisons.
The map in the Guardian highlights that apart from Zambia’s secret prison, Djibouti has three secret CIA detention facilities while Mauritania, Kosovo, Poland, Romania, Syria, Uzbekistan and the British-run Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia have one facility each.
The other countries with more than one secret CIA prison were highlighted as Morocco (3), Egypt (6), Iraq (5 facilities with 15, 800 detainees), Afghanistan (15 facilities with 600 detainees) and Jordan (2 facilities).
The Guardian also illustrates through the map that Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has 254 detainees.
Just days into office, President Obama signed executive orders hinting at the fact that the secret CIA prisons dotted allover the world would be closed.
“The orders that I signed today should send an unmistakable signal that our actions in the defence of liberty should be as just as our cause,” President Obama said in a speech at the State Department.
The executive orders signed by President Obama will facilitate for the abolishing of the CIA’s secret detention centres, torture and rendition and the shutting of Guantanamo Bay prison.
The CIA ‘black sites’, according to The Guardian, were authorized by a classified presidential directive six days after the September 11 attacks in 2001, and only acknowledged five years later in a speech in which former US president George W Bush declined to say where they were and insisted only that the techniques used there were “tough… safe, and lawful, and necessary.”
The Guardian stated that the black sites first came to light in Afghanistan where an airbase was used for interrogation and as a clearing centre for captives from around the world before they were flown to Guantanamo.
A cross section of Zambians opposed the establishment of a United States African Command Centre (AFRICOM) on Zambian soil during the late president Levy Mwanawasa’s administration.
Zambia has always lost out in matters like this. In the 1960s, Zambia cut ties with Israel over a remote political issue. Israel cut off its technical assistance such as the construction of the University of Zambia Lusaka Campus. We cut off ties with South Africa, everybody was trading with it. We listened to China and North Korea and isolated Taiwan and South Korea, all our neighbours were doing business with the latter. Won't be a shame if one of our neighbours hosts Africom and we will be left kicking ourselves once we see the benefits?
Gersh,
I would probably add the amount of money wasted "liberating" our neighbours while "imprisoning" our people in poverty.
Post a Comment