Obama in Ghana

Given the state of the economy and the situations in Iran, North Korea and elsewhere, why would President Obama appear in Ghana now? Perhaps he intends to build on the progress in a new America-sub-Saharan Africa relationship that George W. Bush started. Bush reset the relationship in the sense of beginning to rebuild trust and respect between America and the nations of Africa.

Where Clinton and others had acted with condescension and brazen disregard for sub-Saharan African opinions, Bush made serious efforts (one of the few bright spots in his foreign policy that most can agree on) to establish:

* lasting relationships (via pragmatic efforts like the MCA to reward governments which served their people well)

* to make enduring contributions to African peace and prosperity (through support for trade initiatives, mediation efforts in Kenya, Liberia and Sierra Leone and earnestly pushing and prodding the AU forces in Darfur to do more with US/NATO logistical support)

* to renew America’s commitment to improved health in sub-Saharan Africa via the greatest investment ever in anti-AIDS efforts and the eradication of malaria.

While destructive or regressive policies existed, often to great disaster (Somalia, Northern Uganda, Darfur), the positives outweigh the negatives by far.

Now Obama moves forward into the next stage, taking advantage of his unique attributes to prod sub-Saharan African leaders and elites into giving up the excuses of the past. As he currently enjoys immense popularity among the masses in many countries there, he has a bully pulpit unlike any other president in order to hold these leaders to a higher standard and impart new narratives about governance, responsibility and progress. Its entirely too early to know if he can build on Bush’s progress in this area in a lasting fashion, but messages like these surely cannot hurt:

But despite the progress that has been made — and there has been considerable progress in many parts of Africa — we also know that much of that promise has yet to be fulfilled. Countries like Kenya had a per capita economy larger than South Korea’s when I was born. They have badly been outpaced. Disease and conflict have ravaged parts of the African continent.

In many places, the hope of my father’s generation gave way to cynicism, even despair. Now, it’s easy to point fingers and to pin the blame of these problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict. The West has often approached Africa as a patron or a source of resources rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants. In my father’s life, it was partly tribalism and patronage and nepotism in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career, and we know that this kind of corruption is still a daily fact of life for far too many.

President Obama in Ghana, 10 July 2009.

Bringing It On

A response almost too good to be true.  A Huckabee/Obama race would be interesting to say the least.  It beats the hell out of the Clintons returning to the White House.