I have been floundering attempting to understand and express my stand on an ‘Obama doctrine on Africa’ post-Obama-euphoria. It’s a bit early for Obama to have the policy drafted and published,…but somehow, I’ve stumbled upon a fantastic article which articulates exactly what I believe Obama’s approach should be toward Africa. Read below an excerpt.

Military or humanitarian concerns alone will serve neither the US’s, nor Africa’s long-term interests.

A deeper understanding of US interests in Africa would require supporting Africa’s overall desire to lead herself and enhancing African institutions that promote democracy, accountability and human rights. A new US Africa policy should aim to trigger fundamental internal changes in the modes of rule in the continent.…

Africa would benefit from an Obama presidency if more resources were invested in long-term projects in rural and inland infrastructure, agriculture and health, basic and higher education, trade facilitation and enhancement, the elimination of obstacles to private investment, the development of credit facilities, support to African civil society organizations, leadership, institutions and expertise and the sound management of Africa’s natural resources and open its markets to Africa’s exports.

The US will not alone provide the full array of investments that are needed to overcome the continent’s economic problems. But Obama could significantly strengthen and revitalize important public constituencies for Africa in the US and broaden the basis for US engagement in the continent. Read more.

I think it’s so important to focus development projects on helping Africa build self-sufficiency rather than building dependency on aid. Ideology-based diplomacy which tries to solve African issues through the tinted prisms of ‘war on terror security issues’ ‘anti-abortion/abstinence’ and in the past ‘anti-communism’ is also not a good idea. My stance is the US needs to start dealing with Africa on Africa’s terms, with an approach that is grassroots/infrastructure oriented rather than aid. Maybe we will get lucky, the universe will conspire (like it magically did for Obama) and we will actually escape from receiving the ‘poisoned gift’ (Franz Fanon) of aid.

What to DO

An exciting new phenomenon is mentioned in passing in the article as a “revitalization of important public constituencies for Africa in the US”; I’ve mentioned it in passing in previous posts. This phenomenon is the increasing number of young educated African Immigrants in the US and their engagement in US politics. 1st-3rd+ generation African Immigrants working within capitol hill…getting involved in campaign organizations like Africans/Ethiopians/Somalis etc.. for Obama. There is a chance these organizations will be a trigger for the involvement of the African immigrant community within U.S. politics.

As stakeholders who fulfill their obligations, these Americans can make use of their rights to make demands on Washington. The creation of these Africa-affiliated public constituencies (i.e. political/community African Immigrant Organizations) could mean they can push the African agenda…at a time when the U.S. will continue to have an expanding reason to engage with the continent. Jewish communities are well known for their ability to unite in political community groups for common causes. It only takes a bit of unity and organization…(tehehe…said while temporally looking away from the overwhelming plethora of African triumphs *cough* in this regard).

It is very possible these campaign organizations played key roles in some of the successes of the Obama victory last week. Concrete data is pending; but, allow me to do some extrapolations:

• CNN called VA decided by the African American turnout.
• Precinct 8 is the primary locality for a majority of the Ethiopian Americans in Virginia with voters being in the tens of thousands and Ethiopians for Obama/VA Obama office led by an Ethiopian American field organizer/ primarily focusing on this region. The report on precinct 8 is: “Obama’s win in Virginia was buoyed by his margin of victory in Northern Virginia, in particular Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and eastern Fairfax County, inclusive of the 8th and 11th Congressional districts…Out of 3,470,390 total votes cast in Virginia, Obama’s 154,238 statewide advantage, for 51.7 percent of the total, was matched almost exactly by his 154,749 margin in the 8th and 11th districts.” Read more.
  

What is to come; we shall see. What these Africa-affiliated public entities will amount to; No clue. But their engagements early on in the Obama campaign, the dynamism of the young African-born immigrants who have “the highest median earnings/highest education amongst immigrants in the US” and a common ambition to see a better Africa might lead to some intriguing times up ahead.

There is a good amount of cynicism revolving around Obama’s Africa policies. But it should not come as a surprise, especially when Barack is taking over from Bush, reportedly one of the more successful leaders in his engagement with Africa… at a time when the U.S has woes that would restrict the plane of vision of any well-meaning, president…there is very small chance for lots of attention raining on Africa at the early stages of the Obama presidency. But for once the euphoria shows there is more in our hands than we first see.

Meanwhile, We should help Obama help us.

Stay tuned world.