Commentary: North Africa “Al-Qaeda has been working hard to gain a foothold in every country that has a significant Muslim population, and to destabilize the region, and attack Western interests. The attacks on September 11, 2012 were well planned and executed. To believe they were spontaneous is beyond naïve” The White House does not want […]
Read MoreThe Malian Diaspora: A Product of the Arab Spring
Commentary: Sub-Saharan Africa “Over 400,000 refugees from Mali have fled to Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Algeria” On September 10, 2012 Yeah Samake, the mayor of Ouéléssébougou in Mali, and I visited the Mintao Refugee Camp located in the northern Burkina Faso town of Djibo. We left the capital city of Ouagadougou early that morning, […]
Read MoreCaptain Amadou Sanogo: A Hero or Mutineer?
“Corrupt Mali government did not intend to hold elections on April 29, 2012” On September 7, 2012 Yeah Samake, a friend and mayor of the town of Ouelessebougou, arranged for a meeting with Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo. As we weaved through the busy traffic of the capital Bamako, we circuitously reached the nearby foothills, above […]
Read MoreMy Mission to the Republic of Mali
Commentary: Sub-Saharan Africa My Mission to the Republic of Mali Yeah Samake, the mayor of Ouelessebougou and I had become acquainted over a year ago. Since then we had met on a number of occasions. I was impressed with him — a breath of fresh air in Africa’s young up-and-coming political leaders. In the presidential […]
Read MoreMali: Not on Clinton’s Farewell Agenda
Commentary: Sub-Saharan Africa “Swan Song did not include a solution for the destabilized democracy” On August 10, 2012 Secretary Hillary Clinton ended her ten day trip to nine sub-Saharan African countries: Senegal, Uganda, South Sudan, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Benin. The trip was publicized as her last to the continent, as Secretary […]
Read MoreSpeed Week: Bonneville Racing Tradition
“Racing on a Ribbon of Salt” On August 11, 2012, I visited the Bonneville Salt Flats during the beginning of Speed Week. Approaching the turnoff to the famous salt beds, I noticed much of the area had been under water from the previous day’s torrential rain. Some of the areas drying up had become a […]
Read MoreChina May Trump the U.S. in Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Commentary “China is winning the hearts, minds and resources in sub-Saharan Africa” The United States needs to actively engage sub-Saharan Africa in a more meaningful way, not just in dialogue. Our “start-and-stop” foreign policy since the end of the Cold War in 1991 does not sit well with governments, already suspicious of our […]
Read MoreObama’s Policy Directive on sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Commentary On July 30, 2012 the White House Office of Public Engagement hosted a panel discussion on President Obama’s Policy Directive on sub-Saharan Africa. The panel members included Grant Harris, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs; Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs; Florizelle Liser, […]
Read MoreArtistic Endeavor: Can Change the Face of Africa
On Wednesday evening July 25th, Marcia and I attended the 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab production of the play “Africa Kills Her Sun”, or “Afrika Inaua Mwangaza Wake” in Kiswahili. The play had a cast of three African actors and one American actor, who passionately expressed the plight of the Ogoni people in Nigeria, under the dictator Sani Abacha whose ruthless regime was noted for widespread corruption, human rights abuses, and the suppression of free speech.
Read MoreMali: Democracy Hangs in the Balance
Sub-Saharan Africa Mali: Democracy Hangs in the Balance “Unless action is taken immediately Sharia will rule” In my July 10, 2012 Commentary “Mali: A Democracy Destabilized by the Arab Spring”, I noted that the country was in deep trouble, and on the verge of being overrun by Islamists wanting to institute Sharia, the brutal Islamic […]
Read MoreSAFE – Two New Schools Under Construction
I support SAFE: The Somali and American Fund for Education. In their most recent newsletter they discuss the construction of two new classrooms. Please read their newsletter which you can view by visiting this link:
SAFE Newsletter PDF.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Obama’s Focus on Agriculture
Commentary on Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa: Obama’s Focus on Agriculture “Sustainable development, key to Africa’s food supply” I have visited over twenty-three sub-Saharan African countries since 1970, and just returned from another trip Kenya. Regardless of reports otherwise, food shortages and child malnutrition are still important issues in most of the villages. Sub-Saharan Africa has […]
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