Africa, the Caribbean Absent from Kerry/Edwards Agenda
It is troubling to notice that since Kennedy with his Peace Corps, Democrat administrations sow only air to foster democracy and development in Africa; while the worst of Republican administrations is currently committed to fighting AIDS in and strengthening commercial partnerships with African countries, be those dictatorships.
By Ndzana Seme
07/24/2004 – Up to this point, with the Democratic Convention about to start next Monday in Boston, I was surprised to notice that Africa and the Caribbean are just inexistent in the Kerry/Edwards agenda. Yet these Democratic Party candidates for the November 2004 presidential elections may become the next tenants of the White House.
The only allusion so far made about Africa and the Caribbean, if I am not mistaking, was on February 2004 during the primaries, when John Edwards claimed that he is more sensitive to the plight of American workers than John Kerry.
At that time, trade had moved to the top of the campaign agenda as a result of manufacturing job losses that some blamed on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and other trade pacts.
John Kerry’s agenda to keep American jobs is by reducing current tax advantages granted U.S. companies that invest abroad. He would even create double revenue taxation both in the host country and in the U.S.
Yet we know that poor countries, notably African and Caribbean countries, desperately need the American companies that cannot anymore stay competitive with the level of labor costs imposed them in Western societies and therefore are seeking labor heavens.
Senate records show that Kerry voted for NAFTA in 1993. Edwards was not in the Senate then but said he would have opposed it.
Both Kerry and Edwards supported trading privileges for China. Edwards did not mention that vote but did say that he voted against pacts with Chile, Singapore, Africa and the Caribbean, and against "fast-track" authority to speed up approval of trade agreements. Kerry voted for all but the Caribbean pact.
Kerry says he would crack down harder than Bush on nations that violate trade deals. A position Edwards also supports.
Senate records show that on May 11, 2000, on an “act to authorize a new trade and investment policy for sub-Sahara Africa, expand trade benefits to the countries in the Caribbean Basin, renew the generalized system of preferences, and reauthorize the trade adjustment assistance programs”, Kerry voted Yes and Edwards voted No.
The “John Kerry and John Edwards’ Opportunity Agenda” released on July 21, 2004 by the Kerry campaign make no specific mention of their foreign policy agenda, except that John Kerry will offer an immigration reform bill in his first 100 days that allows immigrants to earn legalization, encourages family reunification, and strengthens our border protections. All African immigrants are thankful that this Democratic policy would be pursued.
A pattern of Empty Promises and Contempt with Democrat Administrations
Jimmy Carter is credited to be the first American president to visit Sub-Saharan Africa. Africans were honored by his visit and enjoyed US Aid programs, even though those assistance programs are not what is needed to develop their countries.
Early in the Clinton administration’s first mandate, the Rwanda genocide was executed. During three long months, after U.S. peacekeeping troops were withdrawn, Bill Clinton and his Democrat administration ignored the killings that were committed on a daily basis in Rwanda. They did nothing.
In his recent book “My Life”, Bill Clinton now apologizes for having done nothing while he could have stopped the Rwanda genocide. On the other hand, he did stop another genocide that was developing, this time in Europe, in former Yugoslavia.
Clinton is also well known in Africa for his apologies, well clothed with sweet speeches, including his apologies about the slavery system that had built a big part of the American capitalism, controlled by the Caucasian male.
About the claims made by Africans and by African Americans that the U.S. should pay reparations to the African descent people for that other historical genocide, Bill Clinton refused his support; while his wife, now Senator of New York, said she is absolutely opposed to.
The last promise Clinton made to foster democracy was the creation of “Radio democracy”… seriously.
It’s better to have Republican Solutions in Africa than Nothing
Republican administrations did horrible things in Africa, including building worst dictatorship regimes such as the Mubutu system in Congo Zaire, or the Duvalier regime in Haiti. But in their pursuit of American commercial interests by all means, Republicans leave crumbs of revenues to the populations living in locations where their companies invest.
The American pharmaceutical companies behind George W Bush pressed him to create a program of 15 billion dollars to fight AIDS in Africa. The program would ultimately benefit the pharmaceutical companies, but African patients would benefit as well. And Africans are very sensitive to helping hands.
Bush is also pushing hard his agenda of partnership with Africa by signing on June 13, 2004 the third installment of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA III), which includes additional nations to the program. Overall, AGOA programs have received a good welcome in Africa.
The third and most important move the Bush administration made is increasing American investments in the oil producing Golf of Guinea, in the western coast of Africa. These investments would help the U.S. reduce its dependency to the Middle East oil now compromised by their mishandling of the fight against Muslim terrorism.
The New Paths Kerry/Edwards should Develop in Africa and the Caribbean
First, Kerry and Edwards should understand that there is no way they can prevent American investors from seeking returns where opportunities are. If Africa and the Caribbean offer the cheapest labor in the planet, it is just stupid in this global world to try to prevent an investor from taking advantage of that cheap labor.
Economic protectionism may be good during political campaigns for populism, but it would be hard to implement it. Instead of powerlessly attending the bankruptcies of factories in the U.S., it is wiser to encourage dislodgment of American companies into investment heavens and receive at least some investment revenue back in America.
Second, the Middle East, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia are enough evidences showing that an environment of poverty and despair is the best breeding ground for anti-American terrorism. The best security for American investments abroad will be an environment of democracy, justice and respect of human and economic rights.
It is all wrong to think that a dictator can redistribute wealth and prevent an environment of despair from occurring. To be a dictator, one must fear any competing poles of wealth within the controlled country. The best dictator reigns over an ocean of misery; which is the best breeding ground for hate, violence and terrorism.
Democracy, justice and human and economic rights should be the guiding principles of the next Democratic White House’s foreign policy towards the Caribbean and Africa. Compared to the Muslim Middle East the African culture is receptive to democracy, because democracy has always been the rule in traditional African societies.
The Golf of Guinea will not be a save heaven for oil exploitation unless oil revenues are fairly distributed to the populations of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Gabon, Angola. The U.S. should instead create a ring of democracy in the Golf of Guinea to better protect its interests as well as those of these nations.
Haiti will become another breeding ground for terrorism if the U.S. does not foster a democracy there. Cuba, Venezuela, Jamaica will be as many self-timing bombs as long as Washington would follow the “Clash of Civilizations” theory that invites the U.S. to maintain its southern neighbors into poverty by sabotaging all their attempts to establish democracy and plan their development.
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