Obama in Africa: President Obama speaks to allAfrica.com about U.S.-Africa Policy

The pan-African news distributor allAfrica Global Media* (allAfrica.com) is publishing a number of articles and editorials regarding President Obama’s planned visit to Ghana on July 10-11, 2009. Last week I read an exclusive interview granted to Charles Cobb Jr., Reed Kramer, and Tamela Hultman by U.S. President Barack Obama and another interview given by his point-man for U.S.-Africa policy, Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson (Bureau of African Affairs). I found that the interview with Assistant Secretary of State Carson went into more detail on U.S.-Africa policy under the Obama Administration than what the President had to say in answering questions posed by the allAfrica.com journalists. Links to both interviews and embedded video files are provided at the end of this post.

There has been a great deal of speculation by experts, pundits, and journalists about Obama’s Africa Policy (and long term U.S.-Africa policy in general) over the past 24 months, therefore it is great to have an opportunity to hear directly from the U.S. president and his top diplomat for Africa before tomorrow’s historic visit to Ghana. Here is an excerpt from the allAfrica.com interview with President Obama:

allAfrica.com
Washington D.C. – July 2, 2009
Africa: U.S. Wants to Spotlight 'Successful Models' And Be An 'Effective Partner' - Obama

Washington, D.C. — Barack Obama makes his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as president of the United States next week, following a trip to Russia as well as to Italy, where he will participate in a meeting of industrialized nations known as the G8. AllAfrica's Charles Cobb, Jr., Reed Kramer and Tami Hultman went to the White House to explore President Obama's views on Africa in advance of his visit. The interview took place in the Blue Room.Charles Cobb posed the questions.

allAfrica.com - We asked visitors to our site, allAfrica.com, what they might be interested in with respect to your policy. And as you might imagine, the responses are everywhere: conflict resolution, development issues, trade issues, et cetera. But they and we have one immediate question: How is it that you happened to pick Ghana as the first place to visit in sub-Saharan Africa?

President Obama - Well, part of the reason is because Ghana has now undergone a couple of successful elections in which power was transferred peacefully, even a very close election. I think that the new president, President Mills, has shown himself committed to the rule of law, to the kinds of democratic commitments that ensure stability in a country. And I think that there is a direct correlation between governance and prosperity. Countries that are governed well, that are stable, where the leadership recognizes that they are accountable to the people and that institutions are stronger than any one person have a track record of producing results for the people. And we want to highlight that.

allAfrica.com - And I assume that you'd like to see a lot more 'Ghanas' in Africa. And part of your policy would be, I assume, to encourage that.

President Obama - Absolutely.

allAfrica.com - How?

President Obama - Well, part of it is lifting up successful models. And so, by traveling to Ghana, we hope to highlight the effective governance that they have in place.

I don't think that we can expect that every country is going to undergo these transitions in the same way at the same time. But we have seen progress in democracy and transparency and rule of law, in the protection of property rights, in anti-corruption efforts. We have seen progress over the last several years; in some cases, though, we're also seeing some backsliding. In my father's own country of Kenya, I'm concerned about how the political parties do not seem to be moving into a permanent reconciliation that would allow the country to move forward. And Kenya is not alone in some of the problems that we've seen of late, post-election or pre-election.

And we just want to make sure that people are mindful that this isn't just some abstract notion that we're trying to impose on Africa. There is a very practical, pragmatic consequence to political instability and corruption when it comes to whether people can feed their families, educate their children, and we think that Africa - the African continent is a place of extraordinary promise as well as challenges. We're not going to be able to fulfill those promises unless we see better governance.

allAfrica.com - Do you have priorities in terms of countries or regions? For instance, West Africa is extremely important in terms of oil; East Africa in terms of some of the strategic concerns of the United States?

President Obama - I think the entire continent is important. And keep in mind that although I'm visiting Ghana on this particular trip, we've already had [Prime Minister] Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe in the Oval Office. We've had [President] Kikwete from Tanzania in my office. And in each case, I'm trying to send the same message. You've seen some very good work by the administration in Tanzania focusing on how to deliver concrete services to the people, and wherever folks want to help themselves, we want to be there as a partner. And I think that you've got some very strong leadership in Africa that is ready to move forward and we want to be there with them.

On the economic front, that means opening up better trade opportunities. It means that we are interested not just in foreign aid, but in how we strengthen the capacity for development internally in these countries, and we want to work in a multilateral context, as well as the bilateral strengthening of relations with many of these countries.

But as you point out, there are strategic, national security, economic, environmental reasons why we think this region is important. And part of the reason we wanted to - although we're only going to one country this time, I actually thought that it made sense for us to connect a trip to Ghana to a previous trip with the G8. We'll be meeting a number of African countries in Italy during the G8 meeting - before that, a meeting in Russia - to show that Africa is directly connected to our entire foreign policy approach; that it's not some isolated thing where once every term you go visit Africa for a while to check that box, but rather it's an ongoing part of a broader discussion about how we move many of these international challenges forward.

End Excerpt____ Read the complete transcript and watch the video at allAfrica.com

Note*: allAfrica.com, with offices in Washington D.C., Johannesburg, Dakar, and Lagos publishes news submitted from more than 130 African newspapers and magazines. The company has a staff of journalists and news editors who cover and report exclusive news about Africa for the network. A favorite website for blog authors who write about Africa, allAfrica.com has a global audience generating 12 million monthly page views and over 14,000 websites carry their headlines and news feeds.

What has been very pleasing to see is that leading news organizations are beginning to pick up on the allAfrica.com interview since I first viewed it last week. I forwarded a notification about the interview with the U.S. president to friends at The African Loft (USA) and to Uganda’s leading investigative journalism newspaper The Independent in order to help spread the news online. Today I see that ABC News, Reuters, The Christian Science Monitor, and others have begun to reference the allAfrica.com interview in their respective articles, editorials, and blog posts. This may be another sign that cooperation and interplay between global bloggers and professional journalists is working and helping to improve news media and not destroying mainstream news as many people claim.

The African Loft (USA)
Obama Primed for Ghana Visit 07/03/09
Opinion: Obama in Africa: Nigeria’s Envy 07/08/09

The Independent (Uganda)
Uganda Talks (The Independent’s news blog)
Obama’s Africa Interview 07/07/09
Cover Story: Secrecy, woes, war over Uganda's (vast) oil reserves 07/07/09
According to a recent survey by U.S. government oil and gas experts Uganda has oil and gas reserves in the Albertine rift valley that could rival those of Saudi Arabia

The White African (one of the top bloggers on Africa and technology) 07/03/09
Obama’s New Media Strategies for Ghana

So without any further ado or commentary from yours truly below please find news articles, interviews, and editorials about President’s upcoming visit to Ghana that I feel are important for my readers and visitors. In the meantime I shall continue working on trying to understand the impact of events that unfolded at the 13th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government in Sirte, Libya last week and prepare a post about that important meeting and its possible affects on future U.S. foreign policy toward African countries and the African Union.


allAfrica.com’s YouTube Channel
President Obama Talks to AllAfrica at the White House - Part 1 (video 9:35)



President Obama Talks to AllAfrica at the White House - Part 2 (video 6:19)



Related news articles, editorials, interviews, and other resources

allAfrica.com
Africa: U.S. Wants to Spotlight 'Successful Models' And Be An 'Effective Partner' - Obama 07/02/09 - Exclusive interview with U.S. President Barack Obama on Africa

Africa: Obama Administration Tackling Wide Range of African Issues - Johnnie Carson 07/01/09 - Exclusive interview with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson

U.S. State Department Bureau of African Affairs
U.S. Mission to the African Union – About Us
AFRICOM – U.S. Africa Command

America.gov – official website operated by the U.S. Department of State and the White House new media teams
President Obama in Ghana
Articles at America.gov related to President Obama’s policy agenda for Africa

VOA News (USA)
Africans Await President Obama's Message with Great Anticipation 07/09/09
Ghana President Previews President Obama's Visit in VOA Interview 07/08/09
Note: a VOA exclusive interview with Ghana President John Atta Mills
Ghana Backs Blocking ICC Arrest Warrant Against Sudanese President 07/08/09

Reuters (International)
Obama's Africa visit prompts Nigerian, Kenyan angst 07/03/09

The Christian Science Monitor (CSMonitor.com)
Africa awaits Obama's turn on leadership 07/08/09
The Monitor’s editorial board shares its view on Obama’s trip to Ghana
Where rich countries are buying farmland (Africa) 07/08/09
Saudi Arabia has cut several deals, most recently in Tanzania

ABC News (USA)
Political Punch blog by senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper
Kenya Dig It? President Obama Talks Africa, Chastises Politics in Late Father's Homeland 07/05/09

The Hill (Washington DC, USA)High expectations ahead of historic trip to Africa 07/08/09


Technorati tags:Africasub-Saharan Africa Ghana African Union European Union G8 Summit G20 Summit USA Obama US foreign policy global voices politics democracy governance developing countries economic development foreign trade AGOA fighting corruption failed states conflict war

Iran: Blogging the Revolution in the Aftermath of Sham Elections

Updates and additional resources for June 17, 2009

I’ve added some additional news and opinion resources from Germany (Deutsche Welle, Atlantic Community Initiative in Berlin) along with blog posts and reports from the Middle East Institute in Washington DC. Veteran foreign correspondent/editor Lindsey Hilsum from ITN CH4 News (UK) has been doing a good job of covering the Iranian elections so I have added her reports to the reading list. Last but not least I am including the Iranian-American powered website Tehran Bureau along with Iran’s new online global news channel in English, Press TV. Like many people worldwide I am anxiously waiting for the big showdown tomorrow in the streets of Tehran by opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi’s supporters. Let’s hope that the rally goes off peacefully and achieves its objective of forcing a repeat of the election in a fair and transparent manner___ if that is at all possible under the present regime.

Original post from June 16, 2009

The minute-by-minute news following the disputed Iranian elections of June 12th is breaking so fast it is very difficult to follow let alone compose a blog post. As of this writing a number of international news teams in Iran are reporting that the Iranian government has ordered a lockdown on foreign journalists from reporting about the (illegal) protest rallies of the opposition. However, the foreign press and media in the country are free to report about the ongoing pro-government rallies in support of the incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

It has been clear for several days now that the Iranian Internet Police and security forces have not been very successful in preventing supporters of the opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi from using the Internet and mobile communications to communicate with one another and the outside world. This is understandable when one realizes that young Iranians have been some of the most avid contributors over the past few years to social media technologies and the practice of free speech on blogs and social networking platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The Iranian sector of the blogosphere is one of the largest and most sophisticated online communities in the world so the Iranian internal security forces are up against some of the most tech-savvy young people online. These dynamic young people have lots of friends and supporters right around the globe that are eager to help them outmaneuver the Iranian regime’s cyber-police. Therefore the use of Internet filters and blocking software by the security forces in Iran is of no use forcing them to resort to the old-fashioned way of shutting down opposition voices___ guns and batons and torture and intimidation.

What has also been interesting to watch is the cooperation between mainstream news media and blog authors during the run up to the elections and the days since the announcement of the disputed election results (see CNN iReport/Iran). Where in the past these two groups regularly exchanged insults and harsh criticisms of each other’s performance in covering and reporting relevant news stories, today bloggers and authors on social networks, professional journalists and news editors/producers are relying heavily upon one another to report fast-breaking news events from inside Iran in the face of increasing repression of free speech and free press coverage by the Tehran regime.

I do sincerely hope that in this unprecedented online collaboration of citizen and professional journalists and news commentators that the ‘pros’ continually remind the amateurs about the dangers of reporting from within a crisis zone. The threat of a ‘new revolution’ from inside Iran is a very dangerous business and the use of online communications and publication tools that may help fuel such a revolution is a journey into uncharted waters__ so be damn careful.

Of course I have been discussing these exciting events with Iranian friends here in Germany on an almost daily basis. Germany is one of Iran’s most coveted trading partners (largest) and despite decades of business dealings and diplomatic ties with Iran the present coalition government in Berlin claims to have little sway over Tehran (see Germany’s Spiegel Online and Israeli newspaper articles below). The ruling administration in Berlin and Brussels, like their counterparts in Washington D.C. and Paris, have been rather mute in the face of the unfolding crisis on the ground in Iran for fear of screwing up negotiations over the nuclear arms/energy issues and Iran’s role in a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab countries in the region. There are more than 1900 German firms doing business in Iran so the claim by the German government to have little influence over internal politics in the country is sheer bullshit.

Anyway, my two closest Iranian buddies have both witnessed life in Iran during the time of the Shah as well as the period following the Iranian Revolution of 1979 (see Al Jazeera’s special coverage of the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution). Although we have often discussed what it may be like when the day of true independence finally arrives in Iran, I seem to be the one who is most nervous about the unfolding events in the aftermath of these sham elections. I dread the coming brutal crackdown by a regime that will hold onto power at any cost which is kind of ironic when I also remember for the past 30 years much of what many people in the West saw on the news was 10’s-of- thousands of Iranians marching in the streets chanting “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” My older friend Reza explains the prospects of increased violence against the protestors on the street with the expression, “In order to make this omelette you must break a few eggs…” while my younger friend Asgar has repeatedly warned for many months that America must stay out of this fight so as not to undermine the opposition to extremist leaders like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the group of conservative Islamic clerics who pull his strings.

Therefore my views and emotions are mixed about the possibility of real change in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policies toward the U.S. and other western countries under any leadership that must answer to the regime of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni. I shall reserve my opinions about the hope for change in Iran until this developing story unravels a bit more over the next days and weeks. However, the 2009 Iranian presidential election is covered thoroughly in the news articles, think-tank analysis, and blog posts listed below. So please have a look at my suggested reading list for a better understanding of what the hell is going on over in Iran.


The ‘Jewels in the Jungle’ 2009 Iran Election Recommended Reading List
Week of June 14-21, 2009

Foreign Policy Magazine - The Blogs
FP Passport
Iran Election Special (full coverage by FP’s editors and contributors)
The latest from Iran by Blake Hounshell 06/16/09
Morning Brief: Khamenei steps in 06/15/09
Iran: What now? a must-read roundup 06/13/09

The Cable (editor: Laura Rozen)
Obama on Iran: diplomacy without illusions 06/15/09

Shadow Government (editors: experienced policy makers from the loyal opposition)
What Obama needs to say and do about Iran by Christian Brose 06/15/09

Stephen M. Walt (professor of international relations @ Harvard)
What does Iran's "election" mean? 06/15/09

Mark Lynch (Abu Aardvark’s Middle East blog)
Could there be a Mousavi Effect? 06/10/09

Foreign Policy Magazine – May/June 2009 issues
Iran's New Revolution by Cameron Abadi
Iran's Potato Revolution (a profile of candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi) by Mehrzad Boroujerdi

Informed Comment (Middle East scholar Juan Cole)
Ahmadinejad reelected under a cloud of fraud (Salon.com) 06/13/09
Stealing the Iranian Election 06/13/09

The New York Times - global edition
The Lede Blog (editor: Robert Mackey)
Latest Updates on Iran’s Disputed Election 06/16/09
Updates on Iran’s Disputed Election 06/15/09
Landslide or Fraud? The Debate Online Over Iran’s Election Results 06/13/09

Spiegel Online – international edition
After the Election: Iran's Growing Societal Chasm 06/15/09
The Election in Iran: 'Extraordinary Amount of Wishful Thinking' by US 06/15/09
The World from Berlin: 'Iran Was Never a True Democracy' 06/15/09
The Afghanistan Debate: Germany Mulls Future as Attacks Surge 06/12/09

Articles about German trade with Iran
Haaretz News Online (Israel)
In spite of German talk, trade with Iran growing Feb 2008
The Jerusalem Post
Germany's special relationship - with Iran Aug 2008

TIME.com
Iran's Lesson: Even in a Tainted Election, Voting Still Matters 06/16/09
Ayatullah vs. Ayatullah: Could Khamenei Be Vulnerable? 06/15/09
Why the White House Views Iran's Election as a Diplomatic Coup 06/15/09
Was Ahmadinejad's Win Rigged? - Five Reasons to Suspect Iran's Election Results

Al Jazeera News – English edition
Government supporters rally in Iran 06/16/09
Iran bans pro-Mousavi rally 06/15/09
Iranian writer (Azar Nafisi on poll result) 06/14/09
Al Jazeera English - IRAN: AFTER THE REVOLUTION February 2009

Global Voices Online
(providing one of the best daily roundups of bloggers inside Iran and around the globe)
Iran: Protest and Repression 06/15/09
Iran: Storm of protest after election 06/13/09
Mapping Iran’s Blogosphere on Election Eve 06/11/09
Global Voices Online » Iranian Election 2009 special coverage

The Internet and Democracy Project @ Harvard University
Cracking Down on Digital Communication and Political Organizing in Iran 06/15/09
Mapping Iran’s Blogosphere on Election Eve 06/11/09

The Council on Foreign Relations
U.S. Should React Cautiously to Iran’s ‘Stolen Election’ 06/14/09
Guardians of the Revolution: Iran and the World in the Age of the Ayatollahs
A CFR book by Iran scholar Ray Takeh – Oxford University Press, May 2009
Obama's Message to Muslims Resonates, But Challenges Await 06/04/09
An interview with CFR senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies Steven A. Cook
Beyond Cairo: Translating 'Important' Obama Message into Policies 06/04/09
An interview with former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Edward Djerejian

VOA News Online
US Bloggers Take On Iran's Elections 06/15/09

BBC News
'Mass opposition rally' in Tehran 06/16/09
Shots fired at huge Iran protest 06/15/09
Iran clamps down on foreign media: Bypassing Iran's firewalls 06/15/09

CNN - international edition
Rival demonstrations fill Tehran streets 06/16/09
Hatred, chaos and savage beatings in Tehran 06/15/09
Moussavi vows to 'pay any cost' to fight Iran election results 06/15/09
CNN iReport/IRAN


Updates and additional reading for June 17, 2009

DW World (Germany’s Deutsche Welle online news in English)
German foreign ministry notes irregularities in Iran election 06/17/09
EU deplores recent events in Iran 06/16/09

Atlantic-Community.org (a Berlin-based think tank specializing in transatlantic affairs)
Iran's Fabricated Elections: The US and EU Must React 06/16/09
How to Respond to the Iranian Elections? (an online poll) 06/15/09
Iran's Tactical Foreign Policy Rhetoric 03/03/09

Middle East Institute (Washington DC)
The MEI Editor’s Blog by Michael Collins Dunn, editor of The Middle East Journal
The "Ahmadinejad Won" Interpretation: Why I Think it's Suspect 06/15/09
Gary Sick and Karim Sadjadpour on PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer 06/15/09
The Mess in Iran: Praetorian Coup or Clumsy Overreach? 06/13/09

MEI Publications and Reports
Policy Brief: Prospects for Iran’s 2009 Presidential Elections by Dr. Walter Posch

MEI Viewpoints magazine special report: “The Iranian Revolution at 30” (PDF download)
Provocative essays from 53 leading academics and policy experts discuss the revolution’s effects on many different facets of life in Iran, including gender issues, education, the media, the environment, and foreign policy.

ITN CH4 News (UK)
New protests held in Iran 06/17/09
CH4 News Snowblog – Iran elections 2009 (World News Blog)
A day in Iran I will never forget by Lindsey Hilsum 06/16/09
Telephone update report from Iran 06/16/09
(HT: to ‘The Lede Blog’ at the New York Times)
Tehran's clash of ideals by Lindsey Hilsum 06/10/09

Tehran Bureau (a U.S.-based news website from the Iranian-American community)
Iran’s Power Struggle by Gareth Smyth (Beirut) 06/16/09
Stolen Election by Muhammad Sahimi (Los Angeles) 06/13/09
Headlines June 12, 2009 (Iran elections)
Nieman Reports Iran 06/01/09
A Q&A with Melissa Ludtke, editor of ‘Nieman Reports’ at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism (Harvard University) Also see the Nieman Reports Summer 2009 issue ‘Iran: Can its stories be told?”

Press TV (a new global online news service based in Tehran, Iran)
Mousavi calls for truth commission 06/17/09
Iran warns foreign media over coverage 06/17/09
(Presidential candidate Mohsen) Rezaei's ultimatum to Interior Ministry 06/17/09


Technorati tags:Iran USA politics Middle East Europe elections Ahmadinejad Mousavi global voices

Obama in Cairo: Mission Impossible or Mission Accomplished?

Update June 4, 2009

I had intended to publish the following post about President Obama’s visit to Egypt yesterday but unfortunately I could not complete it in time. The President has delivered his major address to the people of Egypt at Cairo University five hours ago (starting at approximately 12:10 CET) and I was fortunate to be able to watch the speech LIVE here in Europe on both Al Jazeera and CNN International cable news networks.

In a word President Obama’s speech was ‘magnificent’ and neither I nor the news anchors, correspondents, and Middle East experts at Al Jazeera and CNNI can remember such a rousing response, repeated applause, and standing ovations for a U.S. president before an audience of Muslim students and scholars and other invited guests in our lifetimes. The impact of President Obama’s speech on the audience was just amazing albeit it is still too early to measure the reactions from ordinary citizens in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world. Granted, in short time the world’s foreign policy experts, Middle East critics and pundits will have run the speech through their Veg-o-matics (…”you can slice it, and dice it, until it is totally unrecognizable!”). But for now, for those of us around the world who have just witnessed this important and historic speech at Cairo University, well we can savor the moment for as long as it lasts and say “job well done, Mr. President”.

The Al Jazeera English cable network coverage was outstanding and I have provided links to their news stories and videos below along with those from CNN International. In addition I have included key Egyptian news sites and bloggers and other important Middle Eastern news sources that are doing a great job of in-depth coverage of the president’s visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. I shall be updating this developing story with follow-on posts over the next few days as new information and opinions emerge from a world in ‘shock and awe’ over The Cairo Speech (PDF).


Original post from June 3, 2009

It is less than 24 hours before U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his long awaited speech to the ‘Arab and Muslim world’ at Cairo University. Already the White House staff is attempting to play down the importance of the speech in the wake of international media frenzy and hype surrounding the president’s visit to the Middle East. Obama’s Cairo speech, ‘A New Beginning’, has been heralded as an attempt to reset the mood and open new dialogues between the public in the United States and Arab and Muslim countries in order to make progress in the settlement of a wide range of long-outstanding problems and issues. But what should we really expect from President Obama’s visit to Egypt?

This morning I discussed that question with a good friend from the Middle East and we were in agreement on a number of points.

One, it is great that the new U.S. president is making a visit to Egypt so early in his administration and delivering a speech aimed at the citizens of the Middle East and the Muslim World. The fact that he has chosen Cairo, Egypt as the venue of his speech is an extra bonus due to its historical importance to the world-at-large, not only the Muslim world.

Two, an open dialogue between people from different nations is always a good thing, especially when that dialogue is conducted in an atmosphere of mutual respect and a desire for understanding. That the majority population of the Middle East is so young and outspoken should make for some dynamic and interesting debates and editorials in the international press and news media following this historic event.

Three, my friend and I agree that it is time that the new Obama administration and select key members of the U.S. government put significant pressure on the Israeli government to halt the construction of new settlements and outposts on disputed territories (this is about the only thing my friend and I can agree on when it comes to Arab-Israeli relations, but it is a good start). I personally do not see this demand as an abandonment of the long-standing alliance between the United States and Israel but as one necessary pre-requisite to a sustainable and just peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors. It is also equally important that militant groups and political organizations in the Palestinian territories once and for all abandon the path of violent confrontation with the Israelis as well as the violent clashes between one another. In the end it is the innocent civilians who suffer the most from such behavior, innocent men, women, and children on all sides.

Four, the new U.S. administration (as many U.S. administrations before it) is attempting to maneuver through a political/religious/cultural mine field of contrasting views and opinions which too often has lead to loss and tragedy for the people of the region. How can the people of the Middle East move forward on governance and democracy and human rights in the 21st Century? Whatever the outcome of these struggles and negotiations between the Arab public and their respective governments and civic and religious leaders, the final decisions must belong to the people of the Middle East. This is something that President Obama must make clear at the beginning of his speech before the audience in Cairo (and the worldwide audience who will be watching and listening very closely to every word he says).

America can no longer afford to manipulate and interfere with the legitimate, sovereign governments of the region while at the same time preaching transparency, human rights, and democracy founded on the will of the people. Promoting universal principals and values and good governance to our friends and allies is one thing, supporting autocratic, repressive regimes and dictators that serve our so-called ‘national interest’ is quite another. America needs true friends and allies in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world, not puppet regimes who simply do our bidding for a few billion dollars of aid and trade.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was right in her address to the Arab public at the American University in Cairo on June 20, 2005:

Excerpt from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s Cairo speech:
Source: The Arabist

Throughout its history, Egypt has always led this region through its moments of greatest decision.

In the early 19th century, it was the reform-minded dynasty of Muhammad Ali that distinguished Egypt from the Ottoman Empire and began to transform it into the region’s first modern nation.

In the early 20th century, it was the forward-looking Wafd Party that rose in the aftermath of the First World War and established Cairo as the liberal heart of the “Arab Awakening.”

And just three decades ago, it was Anwar Sadat who showed the way forward for the entire Middle East — beginning difficult economic reforms and making peace with Israel.

In these periods of historic decision, Egypt’s leadership was as visionary as it was essential for progress. In our own time, we are faced with equally momentous choices — choices that will echo for generations to come.

In this time of great decision, I have come to Cairo not to talk about the past, but to look to the future — a future that Egyptians can lead and define.

Ladies and Gentlemen: In our world today, a growing number of men and women are securing their liberty.

And as these people gain the power to choose, they create democratic governments to protect their natural rights.

We should all look to a future when every government respects the will of its citizens — because the ideal of democracy is universal.

For 60 years, the United States pursued stability at the expense of democracy in the Middle East — and we achieved neither.

Now, we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people.

As President Bush said in his Second Inaugural Address: “America will not impose our style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.”

We know these advances will not come easily, or all at once.

We know that different societies will find forms of democracy that work for them.Our goals are idealistic. But our policies must be practical. And progress must be evident.

When we talk about democracy, we are referring to governments that protect certain basic rights for all their citizens — among these, the right to speak freely. The right to associate. The right to worship as you wish. The freedom to educate your children — boys and girls. And freedom from the midnight knock of the secret police.

Securing these rights is the hope of every citizen, and the duty of every government.

In my own country, the progress of democracy has been long and difficult. And given our history, the United States has no cause for false pride and every reason for humility.

America was founded by individuals who knew that all human beings — and the governments they create — are inherently imperfect. After all, the United States was born half free and half slave. And it was only in my lifetime that my government guaranteed the right to vote for all of its people.

Nevertheless, the principles enshrined in our Constitution enable citizens of conviction to move us ever closer to the ideal of democracy.

Here in the Middle East, the long hopeful process of democratic change is now beginning to unfold.

Millions of people are demanding freedom for themselves and democracy for their countries.

To these courageous men and women, I say today: All free nations will stand with you as you secure the blessings of your own liberty.

End excerpt from former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s 2005 Cairo speech___

For sixty years we (the U.S. taxpayers) have allowed our government to invest billions of dollars into Egypt, Israel, and other Middle Eastern countries to promote our national interests___ only to come to the realization later that “this shit ain’t working!”. In other words, after 60 years of a failed foreign policy in the Middle East we (Americans) must wakeup to the fact that it is time to try something else, something new, something radically different.

Five, whatever happens after President Obama delivers his speech in Cairo to the ‘Arab and Muslim worlds’ it will take time before any significant results can be measured and a victory over seemingly never-ending conflict, misery, and mutual mistrust can be declared. It has been more than sixty years since the founding of the State of Israel and the struggles for Arab independence from their former European colonial masters___ and a lasting peace, equality, opportunity and prosperity is nowhere in sight for a majority of the peoples in the region. But peace and prosperity in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world may at long last be within our grasp, if we have the courage to reach out and take hold of it, working together to support one another, striving to understand and respect one another, and helping to solve the various problems and challenges that we face on our small, blue planet.

If President Obama’s highly anticipated speech in Cairo can help to put the people of the world on such a path then he will have really accomplished something great in the ancient Land of the Pharaohs. Let’s wait and see what he has to say____ and how it comes across to everyone who has a stake in Peace in the Middle East.

Here is my recommended ‘pre-speech reading list’ from some of the best minds, scholars, journalists, and popular bloggers in the Middle East and beyond. I shall add more news articles, editorials, and blog posts from the Arab and international news media and bloggers over the next days following President Obama’s speech.

Thank you for visiting Jewels in the Jungle today. Tchuss bis später.


Related articles and resources
Middle East and North Africa

Al Jazeera News Network – English edition
Obama seeks new start with Muslims 06/04/09
Note: see related news articles and videos for Al Jazeera’s full coverage of the visit
Obama in Cairo for landmark speech 06/04/09
Obama begins Middle East tour 06/03/09
Obama offers change to Muslim world 06/03/09
Bin Laden attacks Obama policies 06/03/09

The Arabist (Cairo, Egypt)
Mubarak is a force for stability and good, says Obama at 3arabawy 06/02/09
Obama’s visit is dividing Egyptians - The National Newspaper 06/01/09
Dina Guirguis (chairman of Voices for a Democratic Egypt) - Obama’s Message in Egypt at washingtonpost.com 05/24/09
(Al-Jazeera) Fault Lines on the torture debate, Obama’s relationship with Mubarak, Saudis 06/01/09
Condoleezza Rice’s Remarks from her Cairo Speech at AUC (American University in Cairo) June 20, 2005

3arabawy by journalist Hossam al-Hamalawy (Cairo, Egypt)
NYT Op-Ed: Our allies not in the White House 06/03/09
National Public Radio Interview: Is there freedom of expression in Egypt? 06/03/09
You are NOT welcome! 06/03/09

The Egyptian Chronicles by Zeinobia (Cairo, Egypt)
We Won’t Kill Him For God’s Sake !! 06/03/09
Obama Will Visit These Places in Cairo and Giza 06/03/09
Four Presidents and Four messages 06/01/09

Voices for a Democratic Egypt (VDE)
VDE Blog - Voices for a Democratic Egypt (VDE)
Two Public Opinion Polls on Perceptions of the Arab World

Global Voices Online (U.S. based international network of blog authors and editors)
Egypt: Is Obama not Welcome? 06/03/09
Egyptian blogger roundup on the Obama visit to Cairo

Al-Ahram Weekly (Cairo, Egypt) – Issue Nr. 949, May 28-June 3, 2009
One of Egypt’s oldest and most prestigious newspapers
Front Page: Cairo counts down to Obama
Opinion: Muslim expectations (of Obama's visit to Cairo)
Obama on campus (at Cairo University)

The National Newspaper (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
Obama launches Middle East trip 06/03/09
Obama faces challenge in Cairo 06/02/09
Cairo university (American University in Cairo) in US ‘spy’ furore 04/08/09

Daily News Egypt (an independent English-language newspaper)
Obama Outlines Mideast Policy Ahead of Cairo Speech 06/02/09
Interview with Reza Aslan: "Muslims are all ears but Obama must send the right message." 06/01/09


Europe

BBC News (U.K.)
Middle East: Barack Obama launches key Mid-East mission 06/03/09
Obama hopeful on Mid-East peace 06/02/09
Justin Webb’s America: An Interview with President Obama
The Obama interview exclusive before the Middle East trip 06/01/09

Spiegel Online – international edition ( ‘Der Spiegel’ Magazine, Germany)
'Aspirin for Us Muslims': Arab World Skeptical about Obama Overture 06/03/09
Middle East Peace: Obama's Mission Impossible 05/19/09
Obama and Merkel: The Trans-Atlantic Frenemies 06/03/09


U.S.A. and North America

CNN.com (international edition)
Obama address extends hand to Islam 06/04/09
Obama in Egypt - Radicals ‘worst nightmare’: Obama draws questions, praise from Muslims 06/04/09
Text of President Obama’s Cairo speech ‘A New Beginning’ (PDF)
CNNI video of the President’s Cairo University speech (Part 1)

TIME.com (international edition)
Can Obama Win Muslim Hearts and Minds? - TIME
Meeting High Expectations in the Middle East - TIME
Obama and the Arab World: Can He Meet Expectations? 06/02/09

Newsweek.com (international edition)
Newsweek Voices Series
Robert J. Samuelson: The Media’s Obama Infatuation - Is the press giving the president a free pass? 06/01/09
Christopher Dickey: Will Obama Apologize to the Arab World? 06/01/09

The Peace Maker: Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s Mideast Mission 05/23/09
American and Iranian Diplomats Resume Their Talk___ 30 Years Later (Brzezinski and Yazdi interview) 05/25/09

The Los Angeles Times (L.A. Times)
In Egypt, dissident Ayman Nour is pessimistic on eve of Obama’s visit 05/31/09

The Washington Post
Obama faces a chasm in the Mideast: Legacy of distrust complicates speech 06/03/09
King Abdullah Greets Obama in Saudi Arabia 06/03/09
Clinton says rights a `core pillar' of US policy 05/28/09
Will Mr. Obama in Egypt Engage Autocrats or a New Generation? 05/27/09
What Will Unconditional Aid Buy From Egypt's Hosni Mubarak? 05/06/09

The New York Times
Obama Realism May Not Play Well in Cairo Streets 05/30/09
Cleaning Cairo, but Taking a Livelihood 05/25/09
Memo From Cairo - Egypt to Be Center Stage in Obama’s Address to Arabs 05/12/09

Foreign Policy Magazine (May/June 2009 online issue)
Why Obama Can't Sell America by Ramez Maluf
Until the Israel-Palestine issue is solved, there is only so much rhetoric can do
What Muslim World? By Scott Carpenter and Soner Capatgay
There is one big problem with addressing the Muslim world – it doesn’t exist
Cairo University's Moment in the Sun by Liam Stack
Don't Give up on Egypt by Andrew Albertson and Stephen McInerney
Bush’s push for democracy in the Arab world’s most populous country showed glimmers of success. So why does Obama seem ready to give up on it now?
Today in the World (Global News) by Joshua Keating

Foreign Policy Magazine Blogs – a world class lineup
Mark Lynch (Professor Mark Lynch’s Abu Aardvark Middle East blog)
Obama's subtle shift on Islamism 06/03/09
I won't be pre-gaming The Speech (Obama's Cairo speech) 06/03/09
Why Arab public opinion polls matter 05/29/09
Why did Obama add Saudi Arabia to his itinerary? 05/28/09
Ayman Nour's release - symbol and substance 02/19/09

FP Passport (a great blog by the editors at Foreign Policy Magazine)
Morning Brief: Obama kicks off Middle East visit 06/03/09
Egyptians (poll): Obama much better than Bush, still not great 06/03/09
Morning Brief: U.S. and Israel face off over settlements 05/28/09

David J. Rothkopf (blog at FP)
What happens when the reset button doesn't work? Think Cairo, Gitmo, GM, and more U.S. problems 06/02/09

End FP blogs____

Professor Juan Cole’s Informed Comment blog
Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion
Obama's Speech in Cairo (4 video segments plus commentaries) 06/04/09
Obama Addresses the Muslim World (Juan Cole writes at Salon.com) 06/04/09
Obama and Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 06/02/09

The Council on Foreign Relations
Daily Analysis: The Reset Button On U.S.-Muslim Dialogue 06/04/09
Obama in Mideast: A Focus on Arab Peace Plan and Reform 06/02/09
Obama Needs a 'Big Idea' for Muslims 06/02/09

The Brookings Institution
Saban Center for Middle East Policy
Obama's Egypt Speech: What He Should Say to the Muslim World 06/02/09
President Obama in the Middle East 02/09/09
A Time for Diplomatic Renewal: Toward a New U.S. Strategy in the Middle East December 2008

Technorati tags:ObamaBarack Obama America USA Egypt Cairo Mubarak Middle East Israel Palestine democracy human rights politics foreign policy war religion Islam peace global voices

"Spies, lies, and Western conspiracies!": Two exclusive television news interviews with Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir

What is it really like to shake hands with the Devil? To be in a room together with a man who has been accused by very credible sources of launching a campaign of fear and terror against his own citizens that he has swore to serve and protect as their president? A person charged by the International Criminal Court in The Hague with war crimes and crimes against humanity___ atrocities against innocent civilians that include the order to militias and government troops to commit mass rape, torture, mutilation, and murder.

A leader who orders the bombing, shooting, and burning of innocent civilians in their villages using Chinese and Russian-built aircraft and munitions purchased with the revenues earned from precious oil reserves stolen from under the very feet of the same people being killed and driven from their lands. What do you do as a journalist or a ‘special envoy’ after shaking hands with a person like this___ wash your hands with bleach afterwards or will just a little soap and water do the trick?

BBC World News correspondent and program host Zeinab Badawi* had a chance to do just that___ to shake hands with a devil and stare evil directly in the face during her exclusive interview with Sudan’s President Lt. General Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir. The popular BBC News interview program HARDTalk has been on the road in Africa this month, airing a 3-part series from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Zeinab Badawi, born in the Sudan but raised and educated in England traveled to Khartoum recently to interview the Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir. It is the first interview granted to a Western news network since the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest on March 4, 2009. Check your local listings to view the half hour interview or watch the full interview at the HARDTalk and BBC News website (see links below). International viewers can watch the program on May 14th at the following times GMT: 0930, 1530, 2030 and 2230 hours.

BBC News
Sudan leader denies Darfur crimes (video and text) 05/12/2009

BBC News Programmes – HARDTalk
Interview with Sudan President Omar al-Bashir (video and text) 05/14/2009

Here are a few excerpts from the BBC HARDTalk interview with Sudan’s president:
Sources: BBC News and Reuters

BASHIR on the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the warrant for his arrest:

"The ICC ruling is fundamentally null and void," said Bashir. "For us the ICC's ruling is a political one," he added, saying of the ICC charges against him: "This is all lies."

"We do not recognise the court," he stated. "We refuse to negotiate with them, and we will not hand over anyone."

The ICC has issued arrest warrants for two senior Sudanese officials who Khartoum has refused to send to The Hague to stand trial."I challenge anybody to bring me evidence that proves the Sudanese armed forces attacked and killed citizens in Darfur," Bashir said.

Note: Toward the end of the interview President al-Bashir stated that if all the armies of the world stood before the gates of Khartoum, that he would not yield to the court. My analysis: We’ll see about that soon enough.
*****

BASHIR on the war against rebel groups and the killing of innocent civilians:

"I assume full responsibility for what has happened to my citizens," Bashir said. "However, what has been reported to have happened in Darfur did not actually take place. What happened in Darfur was an insurgency.

"The state has the responsibility to fight the rebels. Any state in the world and any responsible government would fight those who raise arms against it."

“We have never fought against our citizens; we have never killed our citizens.”
*****

BASHIR on UN estimates of casualties and refugees caused by the fighting in the Darfur region and Western media coverage of the conflict:

The UN estimates 300,000 people have died in Darfur's six-year conflict and millions more have been displaced.

But President Bashir said figures for casualties in Darfur were "less than one tenth of what has been reported".

"Any talk about crimes committed inside Darfur is a hostile and organised media propaganda to tarnish the reputation of the government and is a part of the declared war against our government," he added.

Note: I still cannot figure out why Omar al-Bahsir has not expelled all Western journalists and media crews from the country if he is so worried about ‘spies’ and ‘enemies of the state’. Does the President of Sudan need the Western news media in order to stay in power? Does the international news media help him execute his war against Sudan’s so-called enemies: the various rebel groups, the African tribes of Darfur and the African people of southern Sudan?
*****

BASHIR on U.S. President Barack Obama, the U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan Scott Gration, and the new administration in Washington D.C.:

Sorry, I forgot exactly what he said but it was somewhat cautious, meaning he didn’t lash out with his normal condemnations of the U.S. You must either watch the HARDTalk program segment or view the online video to find out what was said.
*****

Note*: Short Bio on BBC News presenter and program host Zeinab Badawi
Zeinab Badawi, born 1959 in Sudan, is a graduate of Oxford University (politics, philosophy, and economics) and has a post-graduate degree in Middle East Studies from London University. She has worked in broadcasting for over two decades, worked as a co-anchor with Jon Snow at the UK’s Channel 4 News (1989-1998), and joined BBC 4 World News Today in 2005 as a presenter (anchor).


The BBC News HARDTalk interview reminded me of a story by Channel 4 News International Editor Lindsey Hilsum when she interviewed Omar al-Bashir shortly after his ascent to power following the 1989 coup d’état in Sudan (one of several in Sudan since independence). It was an interview that in terms echoes Hannah Arendts famous ‘Report on The Banality of Evil’ according to the New York Times columnist Robert Mackey (see his report at The New York Times below).

Excerpt from ‘The cartoon-watching, indicted war criminal’ by Lindsey Hilsum
Channel 4 News (UK), April 3, 2009

As we arrived for our interview (1989), about 50 reporters and camera crews were trying to muscle in. The new head of protocol, faced with a horde of badly behaved journalists, decided that the whole thing was off and tried to throw us all out.

We were about to lose our exclusive. Eventually, everyone agreed to back off apart from one particularly pushy and obnoxious reporter, on whom, I confess, I used physical force. I kicked him so hard he limped away. We were ushered into the presence of the new Big Man.

Except he wasn’t a Big Man. He was a small man. I don’t mean physically, but in terms of character. He had no presence, no charisma, no charm, no magnetism.

He spoke mainly in banalities, promising to bring peace and democracy. After about 20 minutes, he indicated the interview was over by standing up, walking across the room, sitting down in front of the TV, and turning on the cartoons.

That was it. The new president of Sudan was watching Tom and Jerry. (Or whatever it was). Our audience was over.

When I interviewed al-Bashir again last year (2008), he seemed exactly the same - a dull, small man who sucked energy from the room. Not a monster, a figure of stature, a person to be reckoned with or to fear. In our interview he simply denied everything. It was like interviewing a blank wall.

End Excerpt___

Channel 4 News – World News blog
The cartoon-watching, indicted war criminal by Lindsey Hilsum 04/03/2009
Lindsey Hilsum’s interview with President Omar al-Bashir 10/17/2008

The New York Times – The Lede blog
Impressions of Sudan’s President by Robert Mackey 03/04/2009

When I compare the two interviews (BBC News HARDtalk May 2009 vs. Channel 4 News October 2008) I get this eerie feeling that I’ve seen and heard all of this before. Even the way that the Sudanese president dressed for each respective interview, a European-style sport jacket with no tie and an open shirt collar, was the same. Have a look at the Channel 4 News October 2008 report and compare President Omar al-Bashir’s answers to questions posed by Lindsey Hilsum to similar questions asked by Zeinab Badawi of the BBC News:

Channel 4 News interview with President Omar al-Bashir
Khartoum, Sudan - October 17, 2008


Excerpts from the Channel 4 News interview with Sudan’s president:

LH: It's not just a question of peace but of justice. These allegations of genocide, war crimes against humanity, war crimes - the prosecutor quotes recorded and written and words of yours calling for forces to take no prisoners, and for a scorched earth campaign..

Bashir: These allegations are not correct. Everything is fabricated and made up. Anything saying that we ordered killing people is untrue. The sources used by the ICC prosecutor are all hostile; they are from the rebels who revolted against the state.

LH: You say the sources are rebel groups, but the atrocities are well documented. I've been there, I've seen the burnt villages, the women who have been raped, the thousands living in terror in the camps.

Bashir: It's true that many people are living in camps. After the rebels were defeated in the field, many entered the displaced people's camps. They are managing the camps, and they direct the people who meet visitors and dictate what they should say.

It's very normal for people to be displaced from areas of operations and to flee. The question is where did these people move to? They moved into places where there are Sudanese armed forces, police and security because they were sure that they would find safety there.

Is it rational for people to flee and look for security in the very place where they find the same forces that were carrying out mass murder and rape? When these people went to Nyala, El Fasher and Geneina, there were no humanitarian organisations or African Union or UN, rather there were Sudan Armed forces and police.

LH: There wasn't much protection for people in Kalma attacked by Sudanese forces in August. There's not much protection for women who run gauntlet of janjaweed whenever they go to look for firewood...

Bashir: When it comes to mass rape, there is no document or evidence, just accusations. Anything which claims these things are documented is untrue.

But if we are talking about Kalma, in Kalma there were arms inside the camp. The crime of murder was committed inside the camp. We agreed that the operation would be made in collaboration between government forces and UNAMID, but at the last moment the UNAMID mentioned that they had received orders not to be involved.

They knew when the forces moved because the informatiom had leaked. A number of citizens confronted the forces. Behind them, there were armed men and the shooting started from inside the camp. Some soliders when shot at, automatically retaliated and casualties occurred…

LH: I'm interested that you deny that there's been mass rape. Because this is something that not just the rebels are saying.

What we see is the UN, the Ministry of Health people, we see women turning up with evidence of rape at healthcare facilities. We see children with this. And they all tell the same story, that it's usually janjaweed, sometimes government of Sudan troops. Are you really denying this, are you really saying that women of Sudan are lying?

Bashir: The women inside the camps are under the influence of the rebels and some are even relatives of the rebels. That's why they make these claims.

Now there are scientific methods that can reveal who are the fathers of these children which are born. We are fully convinced that no rape took place. It might have happened at an individual level, but this is a normal crime that can happen in any country in the world. Mass rape does not exist.

LH: So you're going to take DNA of the janjaweed...?

Bashir: You can bring any accused, and take his DNA.

LH: They don't know who did it, individual, Just know the janjaweed[sic]

Bashir: These are all false allegations. It's not in the culture of the Darfurians. The Darfurian society does not have rape. It's not in the tradition.

LH: Do you have no pity?

Bashir: No-one has more compassion for their people than we do in Sudan. We have been fighting rebels and in any country where people raise arms against the government, they are to be fought.

In fact, people who fight now are classified as terrorists even those who are resisting foreign occupation like in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and so on.

If we had no mercy, those displaced people wouldn't have come to the government areas. They wouldn't have been received and cared for until the humanitarian organisations arrived.

End Excerpts____

The responses by Sudan’s president to the interviewers’ questions are an act, well coached and well rehearsed to show the international viewing audience that the President of Sudan, Lt. General Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, is a peace-loving and caring man, a good leader of all Sudanese people and a devout Muslim. This gentle man wouldn’t hurt a fly let alone be guilty of the alleged crimes and atrocities contained in the ICC indictment and arrest warrant, the UN Security Council reports, and various other investigations by organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the U.S. government and the European Union.

Looks like all those hours sitting before the television watching Tom & Jerry cartoons and The Roadrunner may have really paid-off for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. He certainly knows how to handle journalists and appearances in the Western and international news media, that’s for sure. His many supporters back in Khartoum and elsewhere around the globe just eat this stuff up.

Who is going to tell the Sudanese president that all of that violence he has been watching in cartoons is just for entertainment, that what has been happening to his country for more than two decades is for real and that he is one of the main perpetrators of the death and destruction? Who will finally relieve President Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir from his nightmares and state of denial, and when will they finally do it? I wonder, I really do wonder how this story will end.


Mark Fiore's animation (cartoon) 'COPS Darfur'
March 11, 2009 http://www.markfiore.com/




Related articles and resources

BBC News
Sudan leader denies Darfur crimes (video and text) 05/12/2009
French lawsuit against African leaders 'valid' 05/06/2009
A French magistrate rules that a lawsuit against three African leaders accused of embezzlement of state funds is admissible in court (Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Republic of Congo)

BBC News Programmes – HARDTalk and Newsnight
Interview with Sudan President Omar al-Bashir (video and text) 05/14/2009
HARDTalk On the Road: a special 3-part program series featuring Stephen Sackur traveling in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Newsnight: Can UN bring peace to DR Congo? 05/08/2009

Reuters, Reuters AlertNet
Bashir rejects ICC charges over Darfur conflict-BBC 05/14/09
Bashir denies targeting civilians in Darfur 05/12/2009
U.S. calls for "credible" 2010 Sudan election 05/07/09
INVESTOR RADAR: What investors are watching in Sudan by Andrew Heavens 05/13/2009

Al Jazeera News – English
War crimes suspect heads Sudan post 05/08/09
Indicted war criminal Hamed Harun, former State Minsiter for Humanitarian Affairs, is appointed as new governor of oil-rich Kordofan State (southern Sudan)
US envoy urges stronger Sudan ties 04/03/09
Profile on US Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration before first visit to Khartoum

The Washington Post
Chad accuses Sudan of armed incursion (Reuters) 05/02/2009
African Union panel on Darfur will meet ICC: says Thabo Mbeki (Reuters) 05/02/2009
A Town Constantly On Brink of Chaos by Stephanie McCrummen 04/25/2009
A profile of the very tense situation between North and South Sudan as played out in a town near the valuable southern oil fields. See related article Precarious South Essential to Sudan and the photo essay Cattle Raids Escalate in South Sudan.

The Economist
Sudan and its controversial president: Behind the defiance, a whirr of diplomacy 05/07/2009
Barack Obama's approach to Africa: Don't expect a revolution 03/12/2009

VOA News
Sudan Says It Will Welcome New International NGOs by Derek Kilner 05/08/2009
Photo Exhibit to Chronicle Violence, Human Suffering in Sudan's Darfur Region by Howard Lesser 05/08/09
NBC News (US) journalist Ann Curry opens photo exhibition on Darfur and Chad

Washington School of Photography (Bethesda,Maryland)
Exposing Darfur: a photography exhibit by Ann Curry with Antoine Saufuentes
May 8 - June 5, 2009

Sudan Tribune – a leading independent online news service based in Paris, France
Sudan president denies Darfur crimes 05/12/2009
ICC prosecutor says rebel case likely decided before UNSC briefing 05/12/2009
France says arrest warrant for Darfur suspects must be executed 04/22/2009

The New Sudan Vision – an independent news website founded by Sudanese university students in the U.S.A.
In an exclusive interview with BBC, Sudan's Bashir denies war crimes in Darfur 05/12/2009
Security Desk: Interpreting Khartoum Kangaroo court verdicts by Mariar Wuoi 04/30/2009
NSV columnist Mariar Wuoi accuses the Khartoum regime and Sudanese courts of sentencing captured JEM rebels to death sentences without a fair trial.

OUP Blog (Oxford University Press) – Notes from Africa
The Invasion of Chad (Act III) by Gérard Prunier 05/12/2009
Africa’s Arab Leaders Unite by Eve Donnegan 04/17/2009
Sudan: A Coward’s Revenge by Gérard Prunier 03/17/2009

Mark Fiore’s Animated Cartoon Website
Mark Fiore’s Channel at YouTube.com
Mark Fiore is a political cartoonist who according to the Wall Street Journal is “the guru of the form”. He works and publishes his animations from some undisclosed location in San Francisco. Mark’s animations are a regular feature at Salon.com and other online magazines and newspapers in the U.S.A. Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir just loves this guy.


Technorati tags:Africa Sudan Darfur genocide war crimes war justice law ICC International Criminal Court international law global voices

The First 100 Days: a worldview of U.S. President Barack Obama's foreign policy achievements and missteps during his first 100 days in office

Note to my readers:

I am a bit surprised that there is such a widespread interest in what has been an American press & news media tradition of reviewing the first 100 days of a new U.S. president. But with President Barack Obama, a man who has captured the hearts and imaginations of so many people around the globe, a president who is fondly referred to here in Germany as ‘The World President’, almost every word he says and every move he makes is of interest to millions outside of the United States.

Over the past several weeks I have been focused on foreign affairs news and reports that of course have impacted President Obama’s first 100 days in office. Like a number of experienced foreign policy hands whose opinions I have provided below, I feel that the first 100 days in office for this new U.S. administration is far too short a period of time to make a sound judgment about how they will perform over the long term. But I will say this: from what I have read, heard, and seen so far from the Obama administration in its first 100 days in office, I am very pleased and mighty proud of this young president and his team. The challenges ahead are many and some of the crises we face may seem insurmountable, but I believe that President Obama has instilled a new spirit of cooperation and can-do willpower not only in his many young fans around the world, but he has also inspired experienced political leaders and older foreign policy hands in the capitals of America’s traditional friends and allies.

Even the Castro brothers are looking rather dreamy-eyed toward Miami and Washington D.C. these days, much to the relief of the Cuban people and many of America’s close friends and neighbors in the Caribbean, Central, and South America. If President Obama and his new team can breakdown the barriers that have existed between Cuba and the U.S.A for the past 50 years, that would warm the planet up by another 10° Celsius just from the partying and celebrations. Then you would have a serious (albeit temporary) global warming problem on your hands.

The articles, editorials, and special feature reports listed below are on my ‘must-read list’ for the coming weekend. I just wanted to share them with my loyal readers and fellow blog authors from around the world who serve as a constant inspiration to me. Note that there is precious little in these expert commentaries and opinions about the Obama administration’s foreign policy and outreach to African countries, but I do expect to read, see, and hear a lot more from President Obama regarding America’s strategic policies toward Africa in the coming weeks and months.

The Next 100 Days will be crucial not only for the administration of this young, dynamic U.S. president but for the whole world. I sincerely hope that more and more people around the globe finally begin to work together to help solve the problems and crises that threaten us all. Don’t fret and please don’t panic! Learn to work together for peace and prosperity for all.

----------------------------------------------------------


Foreign Policy Magazine – March/April and May/June 2009 issues
Foreign Policy: Obama's Report Card
Foreign Policy Magazine asked some of the world’s best foreign policy experts to rate the U.S. president’s first 100 days in office. This is one of the best roundups that I have read on the foreign policy achievements, missteps, and challenges that face the Obama administration over the next four years. The results from no less than 41 leading global thinkers on President Obama’s performance so far may surprise you.

FP Passport – a blog from the editors at Foreign Policy magazine
The 100th day of the Obama administration FP Passport by Annie Lowry 04/29/09
FP Passport authors are always on top of the important foreign policy issues. U.S. President Obama is reported to be a regular reader of this excellent publication, as is yours truly and many other people worldwide who are interested in foreign affairs.

David J. Rothkopf – a blog authored by the noted author and visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The surprise winners and losers of Barack Obama’s first 100 days 04/27/09

The Cable – Laura Rozen reports from inside the foreign policy machine in Washington D.C.
Clinton's 100 days: the mileage The Cable 04/23/09

Shadow Government – a group blog about U.S. foreign policy under the Obama administration, written by experienced policy makers from the loyal opposition.
Questions for Obama at 100 days Shadow Government 04/28/09
Questions the media won’t ask the President during his 100 Days press conference

Other interesting feature articles and blog posts at Foreign Policy magazine:
FP Magazine cover story (feature article) – May/June 2009 issue
The Revenge of Geography by Robert D. Kaplan
Does the U.N. cooperate with indicted war criminals? - FP Passport 04/29/09
Planet Holbrooke and envoy nation - The Cable 04/29/09
The Holbrooke Afghanistan conference you can't go to - The Cable 04/21/09


Newsweek Magazine – International Edition
The Next 100 Days – a Newsweek special feature on the challenges ahead
Hirsh: As Foreign Policy Takes Center Stage, So Will Hillary by Michael Hirsh 04/29/09

First 100 Days – a Newsweek special feature
Obama's Foreign Policy Is More Nixon Than Carter by Michael Freedman 04/25/09
Barack Obama is no Jimmy Carter. He’s Richard Nixon.
Alter: How Successful Were Obama's First 100 Days? By Jonathan Alter 04/25/09
With all that the president has done, he’s in a league, so far, with FDR and LBJ. But early success is just that.
First 100 Days: Obama Fulfills Promises to Youth by Ben Adler 04/28/09


The Washington Post
Obama's First 100 Days: a Washington Post special feature
Obama Emphasizes Sharp Departures From Bush Policies by Michael D. Shear, Michael A. Fletcher, and Scott Wilson 04/30/09
From the Start, Putting a Bold Stamp on the White House by Dan Balz 04/29/09
What Historians Say 04/29/09
Topic A -- The Next 100 Days of the Obama Administration 04/26/09
The Post asked former officials, strategists and others for their thoughts on the next phase of the Obama administration. Below are contributions from Allan J. Lichtman, Thomas A. Daschle, Alan S. Blinder, Meghan O'Sullivan, Martin Neil Baily, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Paul Wolfowitz, Kathleen Dalton, Elaine L. Chao, Robert Shrum, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Ed Rogers and Paula J. Dobriansky.


The New York Times – NY Times blogs
The Caucus – the politics and government blog of the New York Times
The President’s 100th Day by Jeff Zeleny 04/29/09
Live Blogging the President’s News Conference by Peter Baker and Adam Nagourney 04/29/09
The Early Word: Benchmark by Kate Phillips and Ashley Southall 04/29/09

100-Day Diary - Making New Policies, Reversing Old Ones
Issue: Foreign Policy

100 Days – a blog authored by five U.S. presidential biographers
Obama at 100 Days: How Does He Compare? 04/28/09

On the Ground – a blog about globalization and human rights by two-time Pulitzer-prize winning journalist and New York Times’ columnist Nicholas D. Kristof
Appeasement of Sudan? 04/27/09
Kristof takes issue with the Obama administration’s handling of the crisis in Darfur and the issuing of an arrest warrant for Sudan’s president by the ICC. I’m with Nick on this one. WTF is going on with you guys back in Washington! Arrest that sucker!

New York Times: Politics and Government - White House and Congress
Full coverage of the political scene in the United States of America


The Root – an online magazine about African American news and viewpoints from Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive
100 Days, A Million Headaches by Terence Samuel and Dayo Olopade 04/29/09
Michelle Obama's First 100 Days by Dayo Olopade 04/30/09
President Obama's First 100 Not So Black Days in Office by Terence Samuel 04/27/09



Spiegel Online (international edition of Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine)
Opinion: The Most Expensive President Since 1945 04/30/09
100 Days of Obama: The Instant American Revolution 04/29/09
Closing Guantanamo: US Attorney General Asks Europe for Help by Marcel Rosenbach 04/30/09
From Mania to Mistrust: Europe's Obama Euphoria Wanes by gregor Peter Schmitz 03/30/09

Other news in English from Der Spiegel and its European partner publications NRC Handelsblad - International (The Netherlands) and Politiken (Denmark)

The World from Berlin: 'The German Military is in Afghanistan to Secure the Country' 04/30/09 (a must read – Germany’s politicians in Berlin are ‘helping to lose the war in Afghanistan’ and getting German troops killed in greater numbers due to Berlin’s unwillingness to take an offensive position against the Taliban and al-Qaeda)
Is 2009 the New 1929?: Current Crisis Shows Uncanny Parallels to Great Depression by Der Spiegel staff 04/29/09


allAfrica.com – aggregating content from more than 120 African newspapers and media organizations
The Daily Independent (Lagos, Nigeria)
Opinion: President Obama's First 100 Days 04/28/09

Reuters News / Reuters Africa
The First 100 Days - Barack Obama full coverage special feature
Obama's many challenges overshadow Africa by Daniel Wallis 04/28/09

National Security Network (don’t ask, just read it…recommended by FP Passport)
100 Days, 100 Foreign Policy Achievements 04/27/09


Technorati tags:America USA Barack Obama Obama politics government foreign policy foreign affairs global voices