The New African Policy Initiative Lobby Proposal: A Working Paper for Urgent Actions and Foreign Policy Objectives to Prevent Africom from Becoming a 21st Century Imperialist Tactic During the Tenure of U.S. President Barack Obama

by Dr. Mutulu Shakur – 1/30/2009

The establishment of Africom command by the Bush Administration has Imperialist objective which has been openly rejected by most African State can not be allowed to evolve under the Obama administration.

The urgency for our activist group to be proactive cannot be overstated. Particularly in this period of overlapping transitional stage into the Barack Obama Administration.

A racist vindictive retaliatory agenda is being waged in the congressional House of Representatives and in the Senate by the Republican Party (Although not exclusively), To manipulate and influence intervention and economic military strategy to re-determine various outcome of states of African Nations under Africom’s mission.

Congressmen from Districts with little to no Black/New African constituency have been placed in the National Intelligence Assessment Committee with oversight subcommittee over covert operation in Africa as a part of Africom’s mission.

Their objective reflected by these questions is a white backlash, by developing justification for covert operation internationally so as to interject into the internal affairs of African states setting the stage for US imperialism of the 21st century Africa during the Obama presidency, testing, juxtaposing Obama United States interest irrespective of the African crisis.

It goes without saying that African leadership leaves a lot to be desired. That does not exonerate us from our obligation to distinguish US foreign policy under Barack Obama Era. The world economic forum in Desvo Switzerland was telling, requiring a critical analysis of the African leadership on the world stage. What was also revealing is that all of the western nations have a Zimbabwe fetish – why? Particularly in light of the many challenges and internal conflicts that African states experience trying to fit the western democracy, Zimbabwe represents a crucial question as to rectifying for years of racial apartheid on the key issue of land distribution. A commitment made by the United States and Britain as a imperative element for peaceful transition that has as a promise after all these years since 1980 yet to be fulfilled.

Now to confront a policy initiative in light of the existing background in not only unique to Zimbabwe in the Horn of Africa. The lesson presented in the government of South African model titled, “The Black Economic Development Point System” while it address some of the principle in question at the business level post liberation expectation the land distribution is a mess.

The New African Policy initiative lobby (NAPIL) must resolve to change policy issue of America and it allies who drag their feet, prolonging the post-apartheid solution designed to evolve the quality of life after years of human rights violations. The failure has made the question of land ownership in southern Africa an issue for the black electorate and human right advocates. The many issues that should trigger our moral obligations such as human rights, rape of women, disaster relief, infrastructure development, perpetual war, agricultural underdevelopment all of the above that can undermine the present potential in Africa’s renaissance. Surely while the world is suffering from an economic meltdown, opportunities are created for underdeveloped nations to be apart of the global restructuring on Africa. We must not relinquish our responsibility to monitor and check for any hidden agenda in the United States by racist operative working in the United States house of representative and senate to undermine its possibility. The responsibilities of monitoring the US policies responding to that are not only particular to the African continent but the African Diaspora worldwide is a daunting task. The history of the Atlantic slave trade and western imperialism and colonialism support a prevailing thinking that still exist today; that the lives and conditions of Africans on the continent and of the Diaspora are not as valuable as western Europeans and should not expect human dignity with 33 million Africans living outside of Africa along with the Diaspora.

It’s past time for a change in the paradigm.

Operational Objective N.A.P.I.L. is the development of activist committees through the process of critical thinking, establishing the research preparation, exposure and monitoring focus groups to prevent congressional operatives from moving an agenda on Africom without our input, that conflict with our develop interest.

With 53 nations on the continent even if Sudan and Somalia are apart of the Arab League Africans and the Black Electorate have to take some responsibility. The plan in development to build a African standby force to create a permanent peacekeeping force for Africa which could be deployed on emergency basis will act as a stabilizer in time of conflict by the African Union is the indicator that Africa is moving in the right direction and opens the door for foreign inclusion all have been including South America particularly Brazil. The NAPIL must see how strong policy push in the legislature can hold this Pan African priority.

The Congressional Black Caucus as an apparatus must be requested to provide to our researcher the government policy of Africom for review. It should also be recommended that the CBC call for public review of any policy and allows for transparent interaction and discussion where recommendations of policy of African standby force development is enhanced, paralleling Africom’s intention and that works out and is consistent with the African Union Objective.

The establishment of an Africom open policy focus group must make contact with the various African nation states and sub groups operating on the continent as well as all the NGO relief groups where we formulate a foreign affair agenda to Africom. We must not let an justification or debate on any economic sanctions or military intervention on war crimes until national or international standard of what qualified as war crime which is not unilateral and the addition of CBC representative of said advocacy in the house and gain some voice for debate in the senate were there exist no Black representative of our views on policy position that reject intervention.

Our policy research group should obtain from the state department under the Obama administration their policy on African states in general and Africom mission in particular.

The African union delegation at the united nation can provide some understanding of Africom mission ambassador Susan Rice United State UN representative has a moral obligation for dialogue in light of her position during the Clinton administration that refuse to intervene in the Rwanda genocide. One example confounding many African Diplomats in Southern Africa is ambassador Susan Rice’s position taken on the Kenyan crisis power sharing with all the many lives lost by violence. Dr. Rice has encouraged through the American ambassador for Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to reject the negotiations for power sharing so that the issue of Zimbabwe’s future would be referred to the United Nation’s Security Council. Where U.S., Britain and Canada all have veto power, as opposed to allowing the region to solve their issues through S.A.D.C.

Southern African Democratic Country. Knowing full well sanctions, the western nations first reaction in Zimbabwe, which will have a negative effect on the entire region. Telling, the unfortunate accident of Susan Tsvangirai the wife of organ Tsvangirai right after the agreement had been reached at the dismay of the west. Became an issue raised by the west to cause suspicion of foul play toward ZANUPF and President Robert Mugabe. While in fact the footprint of MI6 and the CIA is more evident. Only an international investigation will determine. In any event the misinformation by the West backfired and exposed the real intent of the West of intervention and it consolidate the agreement of the Zimbabwe people and their party NAPIL must make some sense of the right issue to make the African electorate in the united states more informed. The blame falls on our own lack of oversight and political use of our international obligation assets. We lack the power to apply pressure where and when Clinton was the “black president” and had no pressure to respond to black Pan African issues. The real “change we can believe in” is the change to impact on justice and human suffering everywhere but in particular in our home land similar to when the Jewish citizen impact on Israel.

South Africa’s land reform effort post 1994 election is still a ticking bomb. There has been only a 5% white owned land transferred to the Black majority, still leaving 80% of the land owned by whites.

A million people have been illegally evicted by land owners in rural south Africa since 1994 at a time of global food crisis, South Africa has become a net importer of food after decades of being a net exporter of food with the owner slowing production and reinvesting not in South Africa but in places like Australia.

The consequences of land reform failure is growing protest and violence, 10,000 rallies between 2005-2007 for lack of housing as well as xenophobia rallies of violence against Africans of region states in South Africa. If in June 2013, 100 years from the implementation of the “native land act” of 1913 where 87% of the land became the sole property of white after the then legal forces removal of the thousands of African Families and there is no solution critical of Robert Mugabe attempt to address the problem or not if he survives. He will become the hero of the Southern African region for at least trying to right the wrong of the land question. Are we willing to stand by for sanctions of South Africa for the failure of the West to live up to agreements to resolve the land question.

Malcolm X “ If you are not careful the news will have you hating people who are opposed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.

It should be a no-brainer that the CBC enlist the majority whip James Claybourn and Rep. Donald Payne, to appoint a freshman member for that matter any representative that is in line with the perspective of non military intervention in African and a basic search for a balanced allocation and distribution of US aid infrastructure development and other
resources to improve the quality of life that reflects our thinking political status and contribution in this country.

It should be our position that there exists no contradiction for our representative to have as priorities the economic domestic crisis in the US as well as the oversight for African foreign policy, in fact oversight for the Diaspora on the international agenda. In this new global reality it’s both political and economically prudent that there are other ethnic groups who represent these foreign agenda more than their domestic constituency.

During this meltdown the Israel lobby continues to assure millions of dollars a day goes to support the state of Israel. They see no space between the two nor should we with our political power comes responsibility.

The stated objective for Africom, “will coordinate all US military activity across Africa and is responsible for military relations with 53 African countries excluding Egypt.” I guess one wonders why? Upon critical review one understands there is no way central command which cover the Middle East, Central Asia that based in Florida is not monitored by Israel lobby in America, their congressional representative will not allow any decisions in subcommittees that are not in line with Israel interest. No sanctions military intervention, military training or economic aid in the middle east. No enemy of Israel real or perceived will be allowed to get a foothold to alter their design direction in the House of Representatives. My remarks are not intended to address Zionism rather a critical look at the proper use of electoral power that impacts on foreign policy. A strategy that we must now have to engage in as a mature political forces like the Cuban of Florida, and the Irish, “A change we can believe in” for real. There already existing skepticism about this mission in Africa folks in the house of Representative believe there is a hidden agenda to secure oil fight terrorist out flank China and to continue perpetual war in support of the military industrial complex who lobby for these misadventures. The continued use of Al-Qaeda as the bogieman cannot be the straw horse for intervention in Africa just because someone says Allah Akbar. That policy had Africom military operations moving for regions change in Somalia’s Islamic government, the government that had initially been responsible for halting piracy from 2005 to 2006. The end result was the emergence of not respected dysfunctional government, which resurrected the rise of piracy.

The international community has agreed that the dysfunctional government can’t allow piracy to exist off the coast of Aden, effecting the worldwide shipping and economy without military consequence.

Keeping in mind that same International maritime company took advantage of a government and people unpunished for what became the birth of piracy. The surge of piracy has been blamed on Somalian National Volunteer Coast Guard, one of the first pirate groups. It was formed by a group of fisherman who used small guns broken speed boats in an effort to protect their coast line by chasing away vessel they believed were illegally fishing and dumping waste in Somalia’s waters, killing and drying up fish and food supply a rag tag group of young men doing their patriotic duty. The appalling living conditions drive the desperate (rational or not) young Somali to risk their lives and freedom. In which 80% of the population is still living in hell with an ocean view. Similar scenario repeated in many places around the world for those of the Diaspora. Is this a condition of manipulation or design so as not to allow the Somali to realize an economic development possibility by the development of a thriving seaport of Adrian? The piracy issue in Somalia is a military issue because its in need of a realistic economic development plan with dignity.

It should be noted that Rep. Donald Payne was discouraged by the US State Department from going to Mogadishu during the intense period of the Mersek Alabama ship hijacking. In search for a African union and the new Somalian government involvement in the situation. Courageously Rep. Payne succeeds the protection and assurance of the African Union and a general of a African nation to proceed. It was reported that upon departure some form of rocket attacked representative Payne’s plane. This being a not too subtle reminder from the State Department for the CBC to stay out of the National Intelligence Assessment Committee backyard. If we recall it was the same attitude that had many of our people believe that Rep. Cynthia McKinney was not working in our best interest, similar that was attempted against Rep Maxine Waters and Randall Robinson intervening to prevent the assassinations of the then President of Haiti President Aristide. Dialogue with the CBC and general William Ward should be the oversight process to determine his understanding of his mission (who happens to be black) and impress upon him our concerns by what the 21st century strategic engagement under the Barack Obama era. That should be distinguished from the Bush administration. The 300-pound gorillas in the debate are these; Does the International criminal court in The Hague only indict African bad actors? Do we see a role for US military in Dafur, the Congo, Uganda, should military aid be a condition for humanitarian support.

Many of these questions and more should be must be debated factually in our Harlem great debate and all over the country in workshops that internationalize the new political involvement. A coalition of concern organizations who are task motivated for research preparation lobbying exposure and monitoring of Africom. This must be a fact driven process with mobilization with clear focus to accomplish political pressure.

Our overriding objective within the context of this historical political period is to not allow Africom to become an apparatus of 21st century US imperialism in Africa under leadership of President Barack Obama.

1. It’s important that this task favor young people leadership (not exclusively).
2. That they learn the lesson of Africa colonization and US imperialism so they know it when they see it. The study of Randall Robinson work is instructive as well as Dambisa Mayo’s book, Dead Aid.
3. That critical analysis of the various competing political conflicts be reviewed.
4. Young activists who participated in the Obama campaign and local election with candidate with a working understanding of civil involvement.
5. Technical geek college students for investigative journalism development of position paper research of alternative press “The New African”.
6. Hip Hop community activist are most internally aware of the geo-political theatre and generally have international contact perspective.
7. The young promising elected official who won with the aid of activist young people in local districts should use Cynthia McKinney, Maxine Waters, Rep. Donald Payne and Barbara Lee as mentor and research who in the Senate has our perspective.
8. As our coalition matures and become predictable we should include other human rights coalitions.
9. Complicated as the challenges represent in light of the uneven development of the emerging African Nation states NAPIL objective is to formulate an idea that encompasses the totality of the direction guide by principle and policy address a Pan African responsibility within the US legislature format, assisting Africa and the Diaspora into the 21st Century at the pace of the other continents. There are many very important developmental steps taken by a number of nations in Africa models for investments and inventions to improve the quality of life in Ghana, Botswana etc., which we should promote, and support.

Aim high and go all out!

Stiff resistance,
Dr. Mutulu Shakur

SOURCE: New African Magazine