By John Price, Friday July 19, 2013 By U.S. standards there are few free, fair and transparent elections that take place in Africa. Cries of foul-play, or a boycott by candidates should not mar the election process. If every time there is a request to postpone an election very few would be held. The first […]
Read MorePresident Obama must keep the promises he made in Africa
COMMENTARY/OPINION: By John Price, Monday July 15, 2013 “Poverty’s companion is hopelessness” As most Africans continue to eke-out a living, surviving on $1.25 a day, President Obama and his family are preparing for their August vacation at a $20 million estate on the Massachusetts seashore. This comes on the heels of the first family’s $100 […]
Read MoreObama’s miscues in Egypt
“U.S. support for religious zealots disserved the cause of democracy“ By John Price – SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Wednesday, July 10, 2013 OPINION/COMMENTARY: The 2011 Arab Spring demonstrations in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya mushroomed into a revolution, with thousands of people taking to the streets. In Egypt, the economy was faltering and people had […]
Read MoreObama missing chance to promote trade in Africa
By John Price – SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Monday, July 1, 2013 ANALYSIS/OPINION: Africans anxiously awaited President Obama’s return to sub-Saharan Africa, but they may be disappointed when he leaves Wednesday unless he announces a major initiative to promote trade. Many remember his first trip — a 24-hour visit to Ghana in 2009. During […]
Read MoreMali elections need to be free, fair and transparent
By John Price, Special to The Washington Times, Sunday, June 30, 2013 ANALYSIS/OPINION: Mali’s interim government and ethnic Tuareg rebels last month signed a peace accord that will allow elections to proceed this month in the war-torn West African nation. International donors have committed $2.6 billion in aid to help rebuild Mali on the condition […]
Read MoreAfricans question purpose of Obama’s visit
By John Price – SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Sunday, June 23, 2013 ANALYSIS/OPINION: During my visits to Kenya, Mali, Ethiopia and Somalia over the past 12 months, I was told that U.S. influence is becoming less relevant because of our inconsistent foreign policy. African countries are depending more on China and other nations for […]
Read MoreReadying outpost in Djibouti for ‘rapid response’
By John Price – SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Sunday, June 16, 2013 ANALYSIS/OPINION: On May 30, Army Brig. Gen. Kimberly Field announced the formation of a new “rapid response force” to be established at Camp Lemonnier in the East African nation of Djibouti. It will be a force “specifically trained and ready to respond […]
Read MoreFrench president says Mali rebels will not mar July elections
By John Price – SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Wednesday, June 12, 2013 ANALYSIS/OPINION: French President Francois Hollande last week expressed confidence that Mali’s elections will be held in July despite the West African nation’s shaky security. The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), which controls Mali’s northern town of Kidal, has not […]
Read MoreU.S. unwisely ignores sub-Saharan Africa
The Washington Times ANALYSIS/OPINION African leaders are skeptical about President Obama’s engagement of sub-Saharan Africa, in part, because he has been there only once since becoming president, visiting Ghana in 2009 for less than 24 hours. What’s more, when Mali’s government called out for help to subdue Islamist extremists who had overrun the northern part […]
Read MoreState Department ‘must protect’ diplomats — and didn’t
State Department ‘must protect’ diplomats — and didn’t By John Price and The Washington Times, Monday, May 13, 2013 ANALYSIS/OPINION: Always unarmed, ambassadors often are protected only by the goodwill of the countries in which they serve. But when hostilities arise, when governments fall, when their very lives are threatened, ambassadors and their staffs can rely only […]
Read MoreEmbassy Row: Former ambassador says Benghazi debacle will hurt ability to recruit diplomats
The Washington Times By James Morrison, Thursday, May 9, 2013 A former U.S. ambassador with extensive knowledge of terrorist operations in North Africa warned Thursday that the Benghazi debacle will hurt the State Department’s ability to recruit diplomats for dangerous duty if they fear Washington will ignore their concerns about security. “It is dereliction, incompetence, […]
Read MoreAncient art in Somaliland in diplomatic limbo
Country’s unique status prohibits U.N. heritage protection for its caves The Washington Times ANALYSIS/OPINION By John Price, Wednesday, May 1, 2013 HARGEISA, Somaliland — The world’s most famous prehistoric art is in caverns in Europe, but the most recently discovered ancient cave paintings are in a country no other nation recognizes in a region of […]
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