tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950796.post2490499554025510341..comments2024-01-14T22:18:06.542+01:00Comments on Jewels in the Jungle: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Africa: the 'Super Size Me' tourBREhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09668844948345978806noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950796.post-42254239076120307462009-08-17T14:02:35.926+02:002009-08-17T14:02:35.926+02:00Thank you everyone for your kind comments re: this...Thank you everyone for your kind comments re: this post about Hillary Clinton's Africa tour. Now that the 11-day trip is over I am working on a follow-up post or two on what she got right and what she could have done better.<br /><br />Don, I have not had the opportunity to read very much about the Secretary's visit to Nigeria so I cannot comment on her meeting with Nigeria's president. If it was an awkward meeting as you say then that is very unfortunate. Clinton and U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson have made enough mistakes on this trip already, especially during their visit to Angola and the DR Congo. So complicating U.S.-Nigeria relations by adding undue pressure on President Yar'Adua would not be in America's best interest. For all his faults he has been a close ally to the U.S.A. in a region of growing instability and uncertainty (West Africa). More on that later.<br /><br />And finally to my dear Koluki:<br /><br />I presumed that you would be following this trip very closely from your pearch in southern Africa. Secretary Clinton's warm reception in Angola's capital Luanda is encouraging as were the statements about U.S. movement toward more engagement with civil society leaders and organizations, young entrepreneurs and the Angolan business community, and more U.S. assistance for Angola's farmers and agriculture exports.<br /><br />However, as in the Congo Clinton could have been and should have been much more upfront and honest about the troubled relationship between our two countries during post-independence and the Cold War years. Clinton should have been clearer in representing the American people's views and concerns over the Angolan government's misuse (corruption) and 'skimming' of revenues earned from the export of oil and diamonds. Billions of dollars in revenues remain missing from the Angolan treasury under the regime of President Santos, and someone needs to answer for this graft and corruption before any serious investment and trade between our two countries can move forward (see the latest Global Witness report on Angola).<br /><br />However, we will take all the oil and gas you guys can pump from your offshore fields at Cabinda. Like the Chinese always say "Busines is business" and America unfortunately still needs your oil to keep our factories running, light and heat our homes, and drive around in gas-guzzling pickup trucks, imported limousines (BMW and Mercedes) and SUV's. America is still addicted to foreign oil and gas honey, and desperately searching for new 'fixers', despite anything that Secretary of Clinton said on her PR trip through Africa.BREhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09668844948345978806noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950796.post-42817324672442662952009-08-16T18:50:05.761+02:002009-08-16T18:50:05.761+02:00Hi Bill,
Always nice to visit this wonderful plac...Hi Bill,<br /><br />Always nice to visit this wonderful place of yours.<br /><br />Great and resourceful post indeed!<br />Thanks for the attention to my related posts. I have also written specifically on Hillary's visit to Angola, in response to an 'Open Letter' addressed to her by local civil society and human rights activists (sorry, both are in Portuguese):<br /><br />http://koluki.blogspot.com/2009/08/algumas-observacoes-sobre-carta-aberta.htmlKolukihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04635805676701525012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6950796.post-6623182606221782552009-08-12T21:23:40.813+02:002009-08-12T21:23:40.813+02:00WOW! This is the mother of all posts on the Clinto...WOW! This is the mother of all posts on the Clinton trip to Africa. What do you think of the awkward meeting with President Yar'Adua in Nigeria today?Don Thiemehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12230623150123606969noreply@blogger.com