November 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 MoreForeign Policy Needs More Focus on Security
November 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 MoreThe Diplomatic Security Service Failed to Protect
October 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 […]
Read MoreRegime Change: Salafi Islamists may gain political control (Part II)
October 22, 2012 Commentary Part II: North Africa and Arabian Peninsula Regime Change: Salafi Islamists may gain political control “Combining differing ethnic and religious cultures into a democratic political structure is most difficult. The principles of power sharing in such a platform are alien in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.” In the Arab Spring […]
Read MoreRegime Change: Salafi Islamists may gain political control (Part I)
October 19, 2012 Commentary Part I: North Africa and Arabian Peninsula Regime Change: Salafi Islamists may gain political control “Combining differing ethnic and religious cultures into a democratic political structure is most difficult. The principles of power sharing in such a platform are alien in North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.” The Arab Spring started […]
Read MoreBenghazi Brutal Battle: AQIM terrorists had their roots in Mali
Commentary: Africa Benghazi Brutal Battle: AQIM terrorists had their roots in Mali “Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) was born in Algeria, moved to Mali in 2003, and today has tentacles spread across the vast Sahel, including Mauritania, Niger, and Chad; North Africa in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt”. On July 5, 2012 the UN Security Council passed […]
Read MoreAnsar al-Sharia:New Salafist Terrorist Group in North Africa
Commentary: Africa October 5, 2012 Ansar al-Sharia: A New Salafi Jihadist Movement “In the aftermath of the Arab Spring in Libya, radical Islamists looking for a new leader united with Ansar al-Sharia, an ultraconservative Salafist movement. Inflicting their brand of terrorism, they are bent on instituting strict Islamic law into the governing process.” If the […]
Read MoreBenghazi Consulate Attacks: The Global War on Terror Continues
Commentary: Africa “It was known within 24 hours that al-Qaeda linked Islamists were responsible for attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, but the information was withheld from the public.” Senators said they were misled regarding the attacks on September 11, 2012, in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. According […]
Read MoreU.S. Consulate in Benghazi: Attacked by Terrorists
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 […]
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