Ab-Titchaz
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 30, 2008
- 14,630
- 4,253
Much has been said about President Elect Obama's victory in the just concluded US elections.I was looking at the man's past record in regards to the continent of Africa and I believe there is reason to be optimistic knowing how this Continent has disregarded by many past US administrations. If anything at all Africa has been used and abused by these regimes and to me Obama represents a change from this and a challenge to the present African leaders to govern with responsibility and fairness.
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Barack Obama has fought to focus America's attention on the challenges facing Africa:
BARACK OBAMA'S GENERAL VIEW ON AFRICA POLICY (SOURCE - OFFICIAL WEBSITE barackobama.com )
Barack Obama believes that strengthening weak states at risk of collapse, economic meltdown or public health crises strengthens America's security. Obama will double U.S. spending on foreign aid to $50 billion a year by 2012.
He will help developing countries invest in sustainable democracies and demand more accountability in return.
Obama will establish a $2 billion Global Education Fund to eliminate the global education deficit.
He will reduce the debt of developing nations and better coordinate trade and development policies.
Obama also will reestablish U.S. moral leadership by respecting civil liberties; ending torture; restoring habeas corpus; making electoral processes fair and transparent and fighting corruption.
Other key positions
US policy should promote democracy and human rights
In every region of the globe, our foreign policy should promote traditional American ideals: democracy and human rights; free and fair trade and cultural exchanges; and development of institutions that ensure broad middle classes within market economies.
It is our commonality of interests in the world that can ultimately restore our influence and win back the hearts and minds necessary to defeat terrorism and project American values around the globe. Human aspirations are universal-for dignity, for freedom, for the opportunity to improve the lives of our families.
Let us recognize what unites us across borders and build on the strength of this blessed country. Let us embrace our history and our legacy. Let us not only define our values in words and carry them out in deeds.
Source: Speech to Chicago Council on Foreign Relations Jul 12, 2004
Barack Obama on why he majored in international affairs in college
Q: Why did you major in international affairs?
A: Well, obviously, having lived overseas and having lived in Hawaii, having a mother who was a specialist in international development, who was one of the early practitioners of microfinancing, and would go to villages in South Asia and Africa and Southeast Asia, helping women buy a loom or a sewing machine or a milk cow, to be able to enter into the economy--it was natural for me, to be interested in international affairs.
The Vietnam War had drawn to a close when I was fairly young. And so, that wasn't formative for me in the way it was, I think, for an earlier generation.
The Cold War, though, still loomed large. And I thought that both my interest in what was then called the Third World and development there, as well as my interest in issues like nuclear proliferation and policy, that I thought that I might end up going into some sort of international work at some point in my life.
Source: CNN Late Edition: 2008 presidential series on Zakaria's GPS Jul 13, 2008
Moral obligation to intervene in Darfur to avoid spillover
Q: What about Darfur? You've called for a UN no-fly zone, but the Chinese and the Russians will probably not go along with it, so it'd be a US or NATO no-fly zone.
A: In a situation like Darfur, I think that the world has a self-interest in ensuring that genocide is not taking place on our watch. Not only because of the moral and ethical implications, but also because chaos in Sudan ends up spilling over into Chad.
It ends up spilling over into other parts of Africa, can end up being repositories of terrorist activity. Those are all things that we've got to pay attention to. And if we have enough nations that are willing--particularly African nations, and not just Western nations--that are willing to intercede in an effective, coherent way, then I think that we need to act.
Source: CNN Late Edition: 2008 presidential series on Zakaria's GPS Jul 13, 2008
Wrote 2006 law stabilizing Congo with $52M
Obama wrote the law signed in 2006 that provided $52 million in US humanitarian assistance to help stabilize the Congo, and he worked to approve $20 million for the African Union peacekeeping mission.
Obama also worked with Sam Brownback (R-Kans.), writing an op-ed in the Washington Post criticizing the Bush administration's failure to stop genocide in Darfur.
Source: The Improbable Quest, by John K. Wilson, p.160 Oct 30, 2007
Increased aid to Republic of Congo
[Obama had planned his trip to Africa since 2005]. It was abundantly clear that the atrocities of Darfur's civil war were a deep source of concern for him. Also, as a senator, Obama was successful in passing an amendment to a 2006 Iraqi spending bill that increased aid to the Republic of Congo.
The 15-day trip to Africa was organized to include visits to 5 countries, but the bulk of the journey was to be spent in South Africa and then Kenya.
After Kenya, Obama had planned brief visits to the Congo, Djibouti and the Darfur region of Sudan, site of the bloody conflict that was killing thousands of Sudanese a month and displacing millions more.
But Kenya, the homeland of his father, was the physical and emotional centerpiece of the trip. Kenyans had adopted him as one of their own, and had made him a living folk hero in the East African nation.
Source: From Promise to Power, by David Mendell, p.322-323 Aug 14, 2007
Visited largest slum in Africa, to publicize its plight
[Obama's African trip] would take us to one of the bleakest places on the planet. Kibera is recognized as the largest single slum in all of Africa, and thus in all the world.
Over 700,000 impoverished souls are packed into a tract of urban land that is just 2.5 square kilometers. Situated in the southwest quadrant of Nairobi, Kibera was first settled extensively in the 1920s by an ethnic group called Nubians.
The slum is represented in parliament by Kenya's current Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a close ally of Sen. Obama, who drew his attention to this sea of poverty.
Many residents lacked basic services, such as clean running water and plumbing. Sewage and garbage were dumped into the open; dwellings were made of canvas and tin with corrugated roofing; and some children appeared less than fully nourished.
The inhabitants, however, were positively gleeful at Obama's visit. Obama grabbed a bullhorn. "Everybody in Kibera needs the same opportunities to go to school, to start businesses, to have enough to eat, to have decent clothes," he told the residents, who madly cheered his words. "I wants to make sure everybody in America knows Kibera.
Source: From Promise to Power, by David Mendell, p.367-369 Aug 14, 2008
No-fly zone in Darfur;
Q: Darfur is the second time that the U.S. has had a chance to do something about genocide in Africa. The first came in Rwanda in 1994, when we did nothing.
OBAMA: The no-fly zone is important. Having the protective force is critical. But we have to look at Africa not just after a crisis happens; what are we doing with respect to trade opportunities with Africa? What are we doing in terms of investment in Africa?
What are we doing to pay attention to Africa consistently with respect to our foreign policy? That has been what's missing in the White House. Our long-term security is going to depend on whether we're giving children in Sudan and Zimbabwe and in Kenya the same opportunities so that they have a stake in order as opposed to violence and chaos.
Source: 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University Jun 28, 2007
U.S. funds for humanitarian aid to Darfur
The United States should raise the needed funds to ensure that the civilians in Sudan receive life saving humanitarian assistance. We should lead in contributing the lion's share of these funds so that we can convince others to give their fair share as well--the United States should support the immediate deployment of an effective international force to disarm militias, protect civilians, and facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance in Darfur.
Source: In His Own Words, edited by Lisa Rogak, p. 26 Mar 27, 2007
Protested South African apartheid while at college
[While at college in the '80s] Obama became involved in the movement to demand that colleges divest themselves of financial interests that helped support apartheid in South Africa.
At a rally, Obama rose to speak in public for the first time: "There is a struggle going on. It is happening an ocean away. But it is a struggle that touches each and every one of us... a struggle that demands we choose sides. Not between black & white. Not between rich & poor. No, it is a choice between dignity & servitude. Between fairness & injustice. Between commitment & indifference. A choice between right & wrong."
By prearrangement, he was dragged off by students dressed as soldiers to dramatize the lack of rights in South Africa. He did not want to give up the microphone. The audience was "clapping and cheering, and I knew that I had them, that the connection had been made. I really wanted to stay up there, to hear my voice bouncing off the crowd and returning back to me in applause. I had so much left to say.
Source: Hopes and Dreams, by Steve Dougherty, p. 58-59 Feb 15, 2007
Focus on corruption to improve African development
During Obama's trip to Kenya, at an Aug. 28 2006 speech in Nairobi, he stung some Kenyan officials enough that they sent Obama a scathing official complaint, because Obama pointedly encouraged Kenyan officials to do more to fight corruption:
Like many nations across this continent, where Kenya is failing is in its ability to create a government that is transparent and accountable One that serves its people and is free from corruption. The reason I speak of the freedom you fought so hard to win is because today that freedom is in jeopardy. It is being threatened by corruption.
Corruption is not a new problem. It's not just a Kenyan problem, or an African problem. It's a human problem, and it has existed in some form in almost every society. My own city of Chicago has been the home of some of the most corrupt local politics in American history. But while corruption is a problem we all share, here in Kenya it is a crisis that's robbing an honest people of opportunities.
Source: Should Barack Obama Be President?, by Fred Zimmerman, p.29 Oct 17, 2006
Social Issues
Visited Kisumu, Kenya in 2006; encouraged HIV testing & research, the Senator and his wife Michelle were both tested.
Attended a ceremony for the 200 people who died in the 1988 bombing of the US Embassy.
Encouraged the South African government to respond more effectively to HIV.
Urged Kenya's government to end corruption.
Along with his wife, took a public HIV test.
Visited a malaria research institute.
Visited a program helping children orphaned by AIDS.
Visited his grandmother at Kogelo.
Source: Should Barack Obama be President, by F. Zimmerman, p. 27-28 Oct 17, 2006
Obama's sponsorship of bill on Congo.
SPONSOR'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Sen. OBAMA: There is a country embroiled in conflict that has not yet received the high-level attention or resources it needs. It's the Democratic Republic of Congo, and right now it is in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe.
31,000 people are dying in the Congo each month and 3.8 million people have died in the previous 6 years. The country, which is the size of Western Europe, lies at the geographic heart of Africa and borders every major region across the continent. If left untended, Congo's tragedy will continue to infect Africa.
I believe that the United States can make a profound difference in this crisis. According to international aid agencies, there are innumerable cost-effective interventions that could be quickly undertaken--such as the provision of basic medical care, immunization and clean water--that could save thousands of lives. On the political front, sustained U.S. leadership could fill a perilous vacuum.
EXCERPTS OF BILL:
LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Became Public Law No. 109-456
Source: Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act (S.2125) 05-S2125 on Dec 16, 2005
Implement Darfur Peace Agreement with UN peacekeeping force.
Obama co-sponsored implementing Darfur Peace Agreement with UN peacekeeping force
A resolution calling for peace in Darfur.
Calls upon the government of Sudan and other signatories and non-signatories to the May 5, 2006, Darfur Peace Agreement to cease hostilities.
Calls upon the government of Sudan to facilitate the deployment of the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, including any non-African peacekeepers.
Urges all invited individuals and movements to attend the next round of peace negotiations without preconditions.
Condemns: (1) intimidation or threats against camp or civil society leaders to discourage them from attending the peace talks; and (2) actions by any party that undermines the Darfur peace process.
Calls upon all parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to support all terms of the agreement.
Legislative Outcome: Resolution agreed to in Senate, by Unanimous Consent.
Source: S.RES.455 08-SR455 on Feb 14, 2008
Sanction Mugabe until Zimbabwe transitions to democracy.
Obama co-sponsored sanctioning Mugabe until Zimbabwe transitions to democracy
A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the political situation in Zimbabwe. Expresses the sense of the Senate:supporting the people of Zimbabwe;
that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission should immediately release the legitimate results of the presidential election and ratify the previously announced results of the parliamentary elections;
that President Robert Mugabe should accept the will of the people of Zimbabwe in order to effect a timely and peaceful transition to democratic rule;
that the U.S. government and the international community should impose targeted sanctions against individuals in the government of Zimbabwe and state security services and militias who are responsible for human rights abuses and election interference;
that the U.S. government and the international community should work together to prepare an economic and political recovery package for Zimbabwe;
that regional organizations should play an active role in resolving the crisis; and
that the U.N. Security Council should support efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution of the crisis and impose an international arms embargo on Zimbabwe until a legitimate democratic government has taken power.
As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Barack Obama has fought to focus America's attention on the challenges facing Africa:
- stopping the genocide in Darfur,
- passing legislation to promote stability in the Congo
- to bring a war criminal to justice in Liberia,
- mobilizing international pressure for a just government in Zimbabwe,
- fighting corruption in Kenya,
- demanding honesty on HIV/AIDS in South Africa,
- developing a coherent strategy for stabilizing Somalia, and
- travelling across the continent raising awareness for these critical issues.
BARACK OBAMA'S GENERAL VIEW ON AFRICA POLICY (SOURCE - OFFICIAL WEBSITE barackobama.com )
Barack Obama believes that strengthening weak states at risk of collapse, economic meltdown or public health crises strengthens America's security. Obama will double U.S. spending on foreign aid to $50 billion a year by 2012.
He will help developing countries invest in sustainable democracies and demand more accountability in return.
Obama will establish a $2 billion Global Education Fund to eliminate the global education deficit.
He will reduce the debt of developing nations and better coordinate trade and development policies.
Obama also will reestablish U.S. moral leadership by respecting civil liberties; ending torture; restoring habeas corpus; making electoral processes fair and transparent and fighting corruption.
Other key positions
US policy should promote democracy and human rights
In every region of the globe, our foreign policy should promote traditional American ideals: democracy and human rights; free and fair trade and cultural exchanges; and development of institutions that ensure broad middle classes within market economies.
It is our commonality of interests in the world that can ultimately restore our influence and win back the hearts and minds necessary to defeat terrorism and project American values around the globe. Human aspirations are universal-for dignity, for freedom, for the opportunity to improve the lives of our families.
Let us recognize what unites us across borders and build on the strength of this blessed country. Let us embrace our history and our legacy. Let us not only define our values in words and carry them out in deeds.
Source: Speech to Chicago Council on Foreign Relations Jul 12, 2004
Barack Obama on why he majored in international affairs in college
Q: Why did you major in international affairs?
A: Well, obviously, having lived overseas and having lived in Hawaii, having a mother who was a specialist in international development, who was one of the early practitioners of microfinancing, and would go to villages in South Asia and Africa and Southeast Asia, helping women buy a loom or a sewing machine or a milk cow, to be able to enter into the economy--it was natural for me, to be interested in international affairs.
The Vietnam War had drawn to a close when I was fairly young. And so, that wasn't formative for me in the way it was, I think, for an earlier generation.
The Cold War, though, still loomed large. And I thought that both my interest in what was then called the Third World and development there, as well as my interest in issues like nuclear proliferation and policy, that I thought that I might end up going into some sort of international work at some point in my life.
Source: CNN Late Edition: 2008 presidential series on Zakaria's GPS Jul 13, 2008
Moral obligation to intervene in Darfur to avoid spillover
Q: What about Darfur? You've called for a UN no-fly zone, but the Chinese and the Russians will probably not go along with it, so it'd be a US or NATO no-fly zone.
A: In a situation like Darfur, I think that the world has a self-interest in ensuring that genocide is not taking place on our watch. Not only because of the moral and ethical implications, but also because chaos in Sudan ends up spilling over into Chad.
It ends up spilling over into other parts of Africa, can end up being repositories of terrorist activity. Those are all things that we've got to pay attention to. And if we have enough nations that are willing--particularly African nations, and not just Western nations--that are willing to intercede in an effective, coherent way, then I think that we need to act.
Source: CNN Late Edition: 2008 presidential series on Zakaria's GPS Jul 13, 2008
Wrote 2006 law stabilizing Congo with $52M
Obama wrote the law signed in 2006 that provided $52 million in US humanitarian assistance to help stabilize the Congo, and he worked to approve $20 million for the African Union peacekeeping mission.
Obama also worked with Sam Brownback (R-Kans.), writing an op-ed in the Washington Post criticizing the Bush administration's failure to stop genocide in Darfur.
Source: The Improbable Quest, by John K. Wilson, p.160 Oct 30, 2007
Increased aid to Republic of Congo
[Obama had planned his trip to Africa since 2005]. It was abundantly clear that the atrocities of Darfur's civil war were a deep source of concern for him. Also, as a senator, Obama was successful in passing an amendment to a 2006 Iraqi spending bill that increased aid to the Republic of Congo.
The 15-day trip to Africa was organized to include visits to 5 countries, but the bulk of the journey was to be spent in South Africa and then Kenya.
After Kenya, Obama had planned brief visits to the Congo, Djibouti and the Darfur region of Sudan, site of the bloody conflict that was killing thousands of Sudanese a month and displacing millions more.
But Kenya, the homeland of his father, was the physical and emotional centerpiece of the trip. Kenyans had adopted him as one of their own, and had made him a living folk hero in the East African nation.
Source: From Promise to Power, by David Mendell, p.322-323 Aug 14, 2007
Visited largest slum in Africa, to publicize its plight
[Obama's African trip] would take us to one of the bleakest places on the planet. Kibera is recognized as the largest single slum in all of Africa, and thus in all the world.
Over 700,000 impoverished souls are packed into a tract of urban land that is just 2.5 square kilometers. Situated in the southwest quadrant of Nairobi, Kibera was first settled extensively in the 1920s by an ethnic group called Nubians.
The slum is represented in parliament by Kenya's current Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a close ally of Sen. Obama, who drew his attention to this sea of poverty.
Many residents lacked basic services, such as clean running water and plumbing. Sewage and garbage were dumped into the open; dwellings were made of canvas and tin with corrugated roofing; and some children appeared less than fully nourished.
The inhabitants, however, were positively gleeful at Obama's visit. Obama grabbed a bullhorn. "Everybody in Kibera needs the same opportunities to go to school, to start businesses, to have enough to eat, to have decent clothes," he told the residents, who madly cheered his words. "I wants to make sure everybody in America knows Kibera.
Source: From Promise to Power, by David Mendell, p.367-369 Aug 14, 2008
No-fly zone in Darfur;
Q: Darfur is the second time that the U.S. has had a chance to do something about genocide in Africa. The first came in Rwanda in 1994, when we did nothing.
OBAMA: The no-fly zone is important. Having the protective force is critical. But we have to look at Africa not just after a crisis happens; what are we doing with respect to trade opportunities with Africa? What are we doing in terms of investment in Africa?
What are we doing to pay attention to Africa consistently with respect to our foreign policy? That has been what's missing in the White House. Our long-term security is going to depend on whether we're giving children in Sudan and Zimbabwe and in Kenya the same opportunities so that they have a stake in order as opposed to violence and chaos.
Source: 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University Jun 28, 2007
U.S. funds for humanitarian aid to Darfur
The United States should raise the needed funds to ensure that the civilians in Sudan receive life saving humanitarian assistance. We should lead in contributing the lion's share of these funds so that we can convince others to give their fair share as well--the United States should support the immediate deployment of an effective international force to disarm militias, protect civilians, and facilitate delivery of humanitarian assistance in Darfur.
Source: In His Own Words, edited by Lisa Rogak, p. 26 Mar 27, 2007
Protested South African apartheid while at college
[While at college in the '80s] Obama became involved in the movement to demand that colleges divest themselves of financial interests that helped support apartheid in South Africa.
At a rally, Obama rose to speak in public for the first time: "There is a struggle going on. It is happening an ocean away. But it is a struggle that touches each and every one of us... a struggle that demands we choose sides. Not between black & white. Not between rich & poor. No, it is a choice between dignity & servitude. Between fairness & injustice. Between commitment & indifference. A choice between right & wrong."
By prearrangement, he was dragged off by students dressed as soldiers to dramatize the lack of rights in South Africa. He did not want to give up the microphone. The audience was "clapping and cheering, and I knew that I had them, that the connection had been made. I really wanted to stay up there, to hear my voice bouncing off the crowd and returning back to me in applause. I had so much left to say.
Source: Hopes and Dreams, by Steve Dougherty, p. 58-59 Feb 15, 2007
Focus on corruption to improve African development
During Obama's trip to Kenya, at an Aug. 28 2006 speech in Nairobi, he stung some Kenyan officials enough that they sent Obama a scathing official complaint, because Obama pointedly encouraged Kenyan officials to do more to fight corruption:
Like many nations across this continent, where Kenya is failing is in its ability to create a government that is transparent and accountable One that serves its people and is free from corruption. The reason I speak of the freedom you fought so hard to win is because today that freedom is in jeopardy. It is being threatened by corruption.
Corruption is not a new problem. It's not just a Kenyan problem, or an African problem. It's a human problem, and it has existed in some form in almost every society. My own city of Chicago has been the home of some of the most corrupt local politics in American history. But while corruption is a problem we all share, here in Kenya it is a crisis that's robbing an honest people of opportunities.
Source: Should Barack Obama Be President?, by Fred Zimmerman, p.29 Oct 17, 2006
Social Issues
Visited Kisumu, Kenya in 2006; encouraged HIV testing & research, the Senator and his wife Michelle were both tested.
Attended a ceremony for the 200 people who died in the 1988 bombing of the US Embassy.
Encouraged the South African government to respond more effectively to HIV.
Urged Kenya's government to end corruption.
Along with his wife, took a public HIV test.
Visited a malaria research institute.
Visited a program helping children orphaned by AIDS.
Visited his grandmother at Kogelo.
Source: Should Barack Obama be President, by F. Zimmerman, p. 27-28 Oct 17, 2006
Obama's sponsorship of bill on Congo.
SPONSOR'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Sen. OBAMA: There is a country embroiled in conflict that has not yet received the high-level attention or resources it needs. It's the Democratic Republic of Congo, and right now it is in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe.
31,000 people are dying in the Congo each month and 3.8 million people have died in the previous 6 years. The country, which is the size of Western Europe, lies at the geographic heart of Africa and borders every major region across the continent. If left untended, Congo's tragedy will continue to infect Africa.
I believe that the United States can make a profound difference in this crisis. According to international aid agencies, there are innumerable cost-effective interventions that could be quickly undertaken--such as the provision of basic medical care, immunization and clean water--that could save thousands of lives. On the political front, sustained U.S. leadership could fill a perilous vacuum.
EXCERPTS OF BILL:
LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Became Public Law No. 109-456
Source: Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act (S.2125) 05-S2125 on Dec 16, 2005
Implement Darfur Peace Agreement with UN peacekeeping force.
Obama co-sponsored implementing Darfur Peace Agreement with UN peacekeeping force
A resolution calling for peace in Darfur.
Calls upon the government of Sudan and other signatories and non-signatories to the May 5, 2006, Darfur Peace Agreement to cease hostilities.
Calls upon the government of Sudan to facilitate the deployment of the United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, including any non-African peacekeepers.
Urges all invited individuals and movements to attend the next round of peace negotiations without preconditions.
Condemns: (1) intimidation or threats against camp or civil society leaders to discourage them from attending the peace talks; and (2) actions by any party that undermines the Darfur peace process.
Calls upon all parties to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to support all terms of the agreement.
Legislative Outcome: Resolution agreed to in Senate, by Unanimous Consent.
Source: S.RES.455 08-SR455 on Feb 14, 2008
Sanction Mugabe until Zimbabwe transitions to democracy.
Obama co-sponsored sanctioning Mugabe until Zimbabwe transitions to democracy
A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the political situation in Zimbabwe. Expresses the sense of the Senate:supporting the people of Zimbabwe;
that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission should immediately release the legitimate results of the presidential election and ratify the previously announced results of the parliamentary elections;
that President Robert Mugabe should accept the will of the people of Zimbabwe in order to effect a timely and peaceful transition to democratic rule;
that the U.S. government and the international community should impose targeted sanctions against individuals in the government of Zimbabwe and state security services and militias who are responsible for human rights abuses and election interference;
that the U.S. government and the international community should work together to prepare an economic and political recovery package for Zimbabwe;
that regional organizations should play an active role in resolving the crisis; and
that the U.N. Security Council should support efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution of the crisis and impose an international arms embargo on Zimbabwe until a legitimate democratic government has taken power.
