[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.And during his tenure, it is fair to say, Africa received more attentionthan in previous administrations, Republican or Democratic.More attention,however, did not necessarily translate into fairer and more just policies on thepart of the United States, and, in fact, Powell and Rice s blackness (and that ofother top black U.S.foreign policy officials) often masked and diverted attentionfrom policies that aggravated the dire conditions faced by Africa and much of theglobal South.As did Powell, then National Security Advisor Rice also acknowledged apersonal linkage with Africa.In meeting with the press before Bush s 2003 tripto Africa, she stated in response to a question about the legacy of black slaveryand Africa that Slavery was, of course, America s birth defect.We ve been tryingto deal with the consequences of it every [sic] since and to bring about recon-ciliation.The President is going to talk about and acknowledge what haswhat slavery has meant to Africa and has meant to America.But there is plentyof blame to go around about slavery. 6 While she does not elaborate on thedistribution of blame that she alludes to or what exactly reconciliation meant,for many Americans and many around the world, Rice s racial heritage providesa legitimizing dimension to her remarks unavailable to other Bush foreign policyofficials except for Powell.These statements and others gave hope initially to many in Africa as well as inthe Caribbean, Latin America, and other regions of the global South, particularlyto communities of peoples of African descent in these areas.While recognizing,as Powell stated, that their first obligation was their responsibility as secretary ofjColin Powell and Condoleezza Rice126 state and national security advisor, some desired desperately that his and Rice sexperiences as black Americans provided an edge of sensitivity that was lackinghistorically in U.S.foreign policy and that could translate into a more beneficialand honest relationship with the United States.However, as the Bush doctrineunfolded, key elements of which were drafted by Rice and implemented by herand Powell, among others, those hopes were gutted and binned.Under Bush,U.S.policy toward the global South was characterized by a number of featuresthat had little to do with the interests of the peoples in the region and moreconcern with opening markets for foreign investments and exploration, partic-ularly involving oil-rich states, a serious beatdown of recalcitrant politicalleaders, moral commandments on issues such as birth control and homosexu-ality, and U.S.military expansion in the name of anti-terrorism and nationalsecurity.Out for Africa: The Bush Doctrine andthe Struggle to Advance AfricaAnd I am here today to say on behalf of President Bush that Africamatters to America, by history and by choice.Colin Powell, May 25, 20017I sincerely hope that people will focus on this tremendous positiveagenda that this President has, over the last two-and-a-half years,developed for Africa.It s broad.It is a positive agenda.Condoleezza Rice, July 3, 20038Strong rhetoric, public pledges and promises, vacuous meetings with Africanheads of state, and even a visit to Africa by the president could not veil the brutaltruth: the policies of the Bush administration have failed to address substantiallyand, in a number of instances, exacerbated the calamitous conditions faced bythe peoples of sub-Saharan Africa.Bush s positive agenda for Africa, as Riceputs it, had little to do with what the people of African considered their urgentneeds and more to do with U.S.access to Africa s resources.As a number ofobservers note, Africa s priorities and interests have been fairly consistent inrecent years, and so has been the tendency of the policies of the United States toignore them.9In 2000, the United Nations passed the Millennium Declaration that wasadopted by 189 countries, which generated the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs), a set of eight goals, eighteen targets, and forty-eight indicators agreedupon by UN members to reduce and eliminate hunger and poverty eventually,jAfrica Challenges the Powell, Rice, and Bush Doctrine127 and to promote health care, education, and development.These 2015 targetsseek, among other objectives, to cut infant mortality by two-thirds; reduce byhalf the number of people living on less than $1 a day; achieve primary edu-cation for every child; eliminate gender disparities at all levels of education;reduce by three-quarters maternal mortality; and cut in half the proportion ofpeople without access to safe drinking water.10 The MDGs by themselves willnot eliminate poverty in the developing South let alone spur sustained devel-opment.Ultimately, it will not be the generosity of the North, but the re-structuring of global economic and political relations that must occur.However,the MDGs are important benchmarks of what is needed if progress is to bemade.For a number of states, the goals have helped to shape and focus gov-ernment, private sector, and civil society actions to address the needs of society smore marginalized sectors [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.And during his tenure, it is fair to say, Africa received more attentionthan in previous administrations, Republican or Democratic.More attention,however, did not necessarily translate into fairer and more just policies on thepart of the United States, and, in fact, Powell and Rice s blackness (and that ofother top black U.S.foreign policy officials) often masked and diverted attentionfrom policies that aggravated the dire conditions faced by Africa and much of theglobal South.As did Powell, then National Security Advisor Rice also acknowledged apersonal linkage with Africa.In meeting with the press before Bush s 2003 tripto Africa, she stated in response to a question about the legacy of black slaveryand Africa that Slavery was, of course, America s birth defect.We ve been tryingto deal with the consequences of it every [sic] since and to bring about recon-ciliation.The President is going to talk about and acknowledge what haswhat slavery has meant to Africa and has meant to America.But there is plentyof blame to go around about slavery. 6 While she does not elaborate on thedistribution of blame that she alludes to or what exactly reconciliation meant,for many Americans and many around the world, Rice s racial heritage providesa legitimizing dimension to her remarks unavailable to other Bush foreign policyofficials except for Powell.These statements and others gave hope initially to many in Africa as well as inthe Caribbean, Latin America, and other regions of the global South, particularlyto communities of peoples of African descent in these areas.While recognizing,as Powell stated, that their first obligation was their responsibility as secretary ofjColin Powell and Condoleezza Rice126 state and national security advisor, some desired desperately that his and Rice sexperiences as black Americans provided an edge of sensitivity that was lackinghistorically in U.S.foreign policy and that could translate into a more beneficialand honest relationship with the United States.However, as the Bush doctrineunfolded, key elements of which were drafted by Rice and implemented by herand Powell, among others, those hopes were gutted and binned.Under Bush,U.S.policy toward the global South was characterized by a number of featuresthat had little to do with the interests of the peoples in the region and moreconcern with opening markets for foreign investments and exploration, partic-ularly involving oil-rich states, a serious beatdown of recalcitrant politicalleaders, moral commandments on issues such as birth control and homosexu-ality, and U.S.military expansion in the name of anti-terrorism and nationalsecurity.Out for Africa: The Bush Doctrine andthe Struggle to Advance AfricaAnd I am here today to say on behalf of President Bush that Africamatters to America, by history and by choice.Colin Powell, May 25, 20017I sincerely hope that people will focus on this tremendous positiveagenda that this President has, over the last two-and-a-half years,developed for Africa.It s broad.It is a positive agenda.Condoleezza Rice, July 3, 20038Strong rhetoric, public pledges and promises, vacuous meetings with Africanheads of state, and even a visit to Africa by the president could not veil the brutaltruth: the policies of the Bush administration have failed to address substantiallyand, in a number of instances, exacerbated the calamitous conditions faced bythe peoples of sub-Saharan Africa.Bush s positive agenda for Africa, as Riceputs it, had little to do with what the people of African considered their urgentneeds and more to do with U.S.access to Africa s resources.As a number ofobservers note, Africa s priorities and interests have been fairly consistent inrecent years, and so has been the tendency of the policies of the United States toignore them.9In 2000, the United Nations passed the Millennium Declaration that wasadopted by 189 countries, which generated the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs), a set of eight goals, eighteen targets, and forty-eight indicators agreedupon by UN members to reduce and eliminate hunger and poverty eventually,jAfrica Challenges the Powell, Rice, and Bush Doctrine127 and to promote health care, education, and development.These 2015 targetsseek, among other objectives, to cut infant mortality by two-thirds; reduce byhalf the number of people living on less than $1 a day; achieve primary edu-cation for every child; eliminate gender disparities at all levels of education;reduce by three-quarters maternal mortality; and cut in half the proportion ofpeople without access to safe drinking water.10 The MDGs by themselves willnot eliminate poverty in the developing South let alone spur sustained devel-opment.Ultimately, it will not be the generosity of the North, but the re-structuring of global economic and political relations that must occur.However,the MDGs are important benchmarks of what is needed if progress is to bemade.For a number of states, the goals have helped to shape and focus gov-ernment, private sector, and civil society actions to address the needs of society smore marginalized sectors [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]