Despite the fact that Barack Obama spent much of his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia most Americans (black and white) make connections between the Illinois Senator’s race (his father, in the picture with a young Barack, was a Kenyan economist) and Africa. Because of shallow race politics it is assumed he would naturally sympathise with the continent. On Friday Obama embarked on his first major foreign policy trip as the presumptive democratic nominee. His current trip, mainly centered on European countries and a number of African countries. But two years ago, just before he announced his candidacy, Obama (as a freshly minted Illinois Senator) visited four African countries on an official trip — up to now his most significant foreign policy trip. I did an op-ed piece for the UK Guardian’s ‘Comment is Free’ website recapping that trip to also get a grasp on what a President Obama or a President John McCain would mean for the African continent and its people. You can read the full piece here.
So what would President Barack Obama mean for Africa?
July 19, 2008 · 3 Comments
Categories: Not just about Africa · US presidential elections 2008
Tagged: South Africa, Barack Obama, United States, United States and Africa, Sean Jacobs, US presidential elections 2008, Foreign Policy, AIDS, opinion, John McCain and Africa, African Union, Barack Obama foreign tour, Obama Foreign Tour
3 responses so far ↓
what it mean to be an american // July 21, 2008 at 6:57 am
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larap // July 22, 2008 at 6:44 am
There was a debate, here, at Wits, on precisely this subject, last night. What Obama might mean for Africa, and vice versa. It was extremely depressing. Tony Leon, I realised, is a revoltingly arrogant man who judges American foreign policy to Africa by the numbers of dollars it ‘gives’ (gives!) in aid. Hence, George W Bush ain’t so bad. Amazing.
But what depressed me most was the Democrat representative, a woman called Monica, who was unable to respond to a question I put to her, which went more or less like this:
‘I hope Obama becomes the next President of America. I’m sorry, as a British citizen, I cannot vote for him. However, in terms of his interest in Africa, I think we need to look at a couple of elements. First, this is a man too frightened to challenge the Israeli-Jewish vote in the States, a man who has said he wants to see Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. Anyone who is prepared to sacrifice the Palestinian interest so readily, surely cannot be trusted in Africa.
‘Secondly, I’m amazed that none of the panel have mentioned ‘oil’. North of South Africa, in the Gulf of Guinea, there are several major oil producing states that supply the USA with 15% of its oil imports. One of them - Angola - is also the leading exporter to China in terms of Chinese oil imports. Bigger, in other words, than Saudi Arabia. Given the American love affair with the car, the American obsession with cheap petrol, I would like to learn what Obama’s policy is on oil, and what his policy might be towards Africa’s oil-producing states. And I’d be interested to hear what you think about the fact that several of the oil producing states - Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Angola - have authoritarian leaders who’ve been around a lot longer than Mugabe and are just as authoritarian - even if they exercise that power in an apparently more sophisticated way. Don’t think their people don’t live in fear.’
She ummed and ahhed, and spluttered, and then muttered something about this being a matter for several nations.
Oh dear oh dear oh dear.
Dammy // August 3, 2008 at 7:59 am
SENATOR, WE THE YOUTH OF AFRICA SUPPORTS YOU IN OUR PRAYERS AND EVERY THING WE THINK WE COULD EXCEPT THROUGH VOILENCE, IN WHICH I JNOW YOU ARE NOT ALSO FOR THAT. YOU ARE THE WINNER, VICTORY IS YOURS.THOUGH I KNOW I DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE, BUT I BELIEVE ALL THE BLACKS IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO VOTE WILL SURELY VOTE FOR YOU.
GOD BLESS AMERICA
GOD BLESS AFRICA
GOD BLESS THE WORLD.
AMEN
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