December 27, 2012 Commentary: Sub-Saharan Africa Mali: A Victim of Our Inconsistent Foreign Policy On December 20, 2012 President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation suspending Mali from benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) program–due to coups the country underwent in 2012. At the same time President Obama approved South Sudan’s eligibility under [...]
Read MoreDecember 20, 2012 Commentary: Sub-Saharan Africa Mali: At Risk of Becoming an Islamic State On December 11, 2012, Prime Minister Cheick Modibo Diarra was removed from office by Mali’s military. This comes on the heels of the March ousting of President Amadou Toure, by a junta led by Captain Amadou Sanogo. Mali’s destabilization is the [...]
Read MoreDecember 14, 2012 Commentary: Sub-Saharan Africa Breeding a New Generation of Leaders Robert Redford, the well-known actor, director, and filmmaker, had a vision for the Sundance Institute’s Theatre Program that embraced “What Africa can become with artistic endeavor.” My July 2012 commentary “Artistic Endeavor: Can Change the Face of Africa” was about Sundance Institute Theatre [...]
Read MoreDecember 6, 2012 Commentary: Sub-Saharan Africa Mali’s Music Has Been Muzzled Mamadou Diabate, a Malian musician, composed the song ‘Bogna’, which means respect: “Respect is the healing medicine of peace. Peace is the healing medicine of love. Love is the healing medicine of life. Life is the healing medicine of hope.” On December 1, 2012 [...]
Read MoreNovember 29, 2012 Commentary: Africa and Arabian Peninsula Will Islamists Trump Democracy? “Regime change, brought about by the Arab Spring, has emboldened Islamists in their quest to establish a Pan-Islamic caliphate, and govern under Islamic law.” The Arab Spring led to the overthrow of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, which unleashed the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi [...]
Read MoreNovember 26, 2012 Commentary: Africa Mali the Epicenter for AQIM Terrorists On October 12, 2012 Youssoufou Bamba the Côte d’ Ivoire representative to the United Nations stated, “The clock is ticking and every day that passes brings more suffering to the population trapped in the areas controlled by the terrorists”; noting they are carrying out [...]
Read MoreNovember 20, 2012 Commentary: Africa and Arabian Peninsula The Arab Spring Didn’t Buy Us Many Friends The Arab Spring brought about regime change. At the same time it emboldened a new generation of Salafi Islamists– spurred on by ultraconservative imams who had been muzzled for years. The Salafi Islamist movement wants to control the governing [...]
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Ambassador John Price will be a featured guest on Republicans Abroad Radio on November 14, 2012 at 10:15 a.m. ET (8:15 a.m. MT) Listen to the live online broadcast here: http://asx.abacast.com/wsradio-studiob-32.asx. (Note: this will download a file “wsradio-studiob-32.asx” to your computer. Simply double click the file, and your media player should open the stream and [...]
Read MoreNovember 13, 2012 Commentary: Africa Africa Needs a New Approach “In sub-Saharan Africa the United States has been considered a fair-weather friend. We need a more consistent Foreign Policy to engage Africa, as it struggles with good governance, economic growth, peace and security.” In August 2012, Secretary Hillary Clinton made a ten day visit to [...]
Read MoreNovember 8, 2012 Commentary: Africa Foreign Policy for Somalia Needs Boost “In 1991 we ceased in-country diplomatic relations with Somalia, which opened the door to Islamic extremists. Now twenty years later the State Department wants to embrace Somalia. Let us do it with meaningful programs—not just promote our democratic principles.” On November 4, 2012 Under Secretary [...]
Read MoreNovember 2, 2012 Commentary: Africa Foreign Policy Needs More Focus on Security “The U.S. needs a more consistent Foreign Policy to engage the African countries at risk of being taken over by Islamists—with Mali at top of the list.” On October 29, 2012 the State Department gave a briefing on Secretary Hillary Clinton’s visit to Algeria. The focus of [...]
Read MoreOctober 29, 2012 Commentary: Africa and Arabian Peninsula The Diplomatic Security Service Failed to Protect “After the U.S. Embassy in Beirut was attacked in 1983, the Inman Advisory Panel on Overseas Security issued a report in 1985, which led to the establishment of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.” We are living in the most crucial [...]
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