Excerpt: "For example, Ms Jendayi Frazer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President George W. Bush, has become a consummate PR mercenary for the autocratic regime of Yoweri Museveni of Uganda..." Uganda: Dictatorship is good for lobbyists
Tuesday, 24 November 2009 17:24
Past their sell-by-date, African dictators are getting a chance at
respectability and creature comforts, thanks to former government
officials, and ex-diplomats, turned savvy PR mercenaries.
African strongmen and their hatchet men have realised that they have a
fighting chance of holding onto power, by simply spending billions on
aid and other scarce state resources, to hire the services of the best
lobbyists money can buy in influential western capitals. As hired-hands,
lobbyists and PR agents make their fortunes by burnishing the images of
these dictatorships and advancing their undemocratic interests against
those of their own countries.
For example, Ms Jendayi Frazer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon
University, who was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
under President George W. Bush, has become a consummate PR mercenary for
the autocratic regime of Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. In her Op-ed in 'The
Wall Street Journal' "Four Ways to Help Africa", she urged the White
House to move beyond rhetoric and deepen Washington's engagement with
African leaders, along the lines espoused by the former Bush White House
Administration (see 'Wall Street Journal' August 25, 2009).
Ms Frazer declared that: "U.S. policy in Africa is not about love. It's
about advancing America's core interests: promoting economic growth and
development, combating terrorism, and fostering well-governed, stable
countries."
"Mr Obama needs to spend more time meeting and engaging African leaders
to address the continent's challenges."
She also argued that Bush had helped reduce "interstate wars" between
Uganda, Rwanda and DRC by holding bilateral and tri-lateral meetings.
"Now Mr Obama needs to galvanise US efforts to end the militia violence
of Rwandan and Ugandan rebel groups still operating in the Congo," she
wrote. Frazer's article was crafted to help advance specific interests
of African governments like Uganda. This is because Frazer is now a
lobbyist.
Since they were booted out of the White House, Frazer has taken up a
position as a "strategic advisor" to Rosa Whitaker of the Whitaker
Group, contracted to look after Yoweri Museveni's interests in
Washington. According to reliable sources, the Ministry of Finance
recently signed a contract for "International Presidential Advisory
Services in the political, social and economic fields" with the group
for Shs 2 billion, about one million dollars.
Although there are distinct limits to what they can achieve, lobbyists
remain the undemocratic, unofficial means through which pariah regimes
advance their interests in Washington.
The US State Department's Bureau of African Affairs Report released in
August 2009 by the Department's Office of the Inspector General cited
Frazer's incompetence and mismanagement as one of the many problems that
plagued that office. (See: SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED OIG Report No.
ISP-I-09-63, Inspection of the Bureau of African Affairs - August 2009)
To think that as a lecturer Frazer is polluting the minds of America's
future policy makers with her vindictive demeanour coupled with her
total lack of knowledge about Africa and its people is a wonder to
behold.
Frazer epitomizes the general sheer incompetence of the Bush
administration. She exhibits poor policy assessment skills and also
lacks diplomatic etiquette. So how can she discuss US foreign policy in
Africa and fail to mention the tectonic shift in policy emphasis after
9/11, from focus on 'promotion of democracy' towards focus on the "war
on terrorism"; better still "security and counter-terrorism".
This is what ultimately affected Africa's move towards eradicating
dictatorship. And its why 5.7 million people perished in eastern DR
Congo, 350,000 perished in Darfur, and over 600,000 perished in northern
Uganda. This is why constitutions are changed and elections rigged at
will.
Indeed the only serious chance that the region ever had of ending war
with the LRA was destroyed by Ms Frazer. This was disclosed in an
interview given to Aljazeera recently by the vice-president of Southern
Sudan, Dr Riek Machar, who said that "Museveni and Kabila were
pressurised into Operation Lightning Thunder by the US through Jendayi
Frazer." The end result is that thousands continue to die and suffer
needlessly.
The hallmark of Bush's presidency was disdain for technocratic
competence and prudence. Whether because of politics or ideology or mere
incuriosity, little attention was paid to conventional professional
expertise. There was complete lack of policy apparatus in Capitol Hill
thanks to amateurism, irresponsibility and corruption than substantive
policy choices made by Ms Frazer and her staff.
Barack Obama on the other hand, is characterised above all by
disciplined intelligence. From his painstaking organisation during the
primaries, to his selection and management of highly capable
subordinates, to his sobriety and judiciousness throughout, he displayed
precisely the qualities the Bush administration had lacked. Like no
other American president before him, Obama knows more about Africa than
what the Frazers of this world take him for.
In his Ghana Africa Policy speech, President Obama pledged support for
those African countries that showed commitment to the rule of law and
democratic practice. Countries that demonstrated the fundamentals of
good governance - defined in the policy as stability and leadership
accountability - would also be supported by the US government. African
governments that are successful in these directions will be supported
with better trade opportunities, given help in strengthening their
internal development capacity and engaged in stronger bilateral and
multilateral relations.
Obama emphasised the need for Africans themselves to take charge of
Africa, and his desire to reconfigure America's approach to Africa,
changing it from that of a "patron" to a partner.
However, given that the continent is wobbling with the combined colossal
weight of poverty, civil wars, genocide, famine, the scourge of
HIV/AIDS, religious extremism, economic mismanagement, rapid population
growth, and a dearth of benign, democratic leadership, Ms Frazer's
future prospects are rosy. After all, murder and mayhem are good for
business. So, too, is a lack of conscience.
Mr Olara is a human rights advocate.
olarasamuel@hotmail.com
Dictatorship is good for lobbyists
Tuesday, 24 November 2009 17:24
Past their sell-by-date, African dictators are getting a chance at
respectability and creature comforts, thanks to former government
officials, and ex-diplomats, turned savvy PR mercenaries.
African strongmen and their hatchet men have realised that they have a
fighting chance of holding onto power, by simply spending billions on
aid and other scarce state resources, to hire the services of the best
lobbyists money can buy in influential western capitals. As hired-hands,
lobbyists and PR agents make their fortunes by burnishing the images of
these dictatorships and advancing their undemocratic interests against
those of their own countries.
For example, Ms Jendayi Frazer, a professor at Carnegie Mellon
University, who was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
under President George W. Bush, has become a consummate PR mercenary for
the autocratic regime of Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. In her Op-ed in 'The
Wall Street Journal' "Four Ways to Help Africa", she urged the White
House to move beyond rhetoric and deepen Washington's engagement with
African leaders, along the lines espoused by the former Bush White House
Administration (see 'Wall Street Journal' August 25, 2009).
Ms Frazer declared that: "U.S. policy in Africa is not about love. It's
about advancing America's core interests: promoting economic growth and
development, combating terrorism, and fostering well-governed, stable
countries."
"Mr Obama needs to spend more time meeting and engaging African leaders
to address the continent's challenges."
She also argued that Bush had helped reduce "interstate wars" between
Uganda, Rwanda and DRC by holding bilateral and tri-lateral meetings.
"Now Mr Obama needs to galvanise US efforts to end the militia violence
of Rwandan and Ugandan rebel groups still operating in the Congo," she
wrote. Frazer's article was crafted to help advance specific interests
of African governments like Uganda. This is because Frazer is now a
lobbyist.
Since they were booted out of the White House, Frazer has taken up a
position as a "strategic advisor" to Rosa Whitaker of the Whitaker
Group, contracted to look after Yoweri Museveni's interests in
Washington. According to reliable sources, the Ministry of Finance
recently signed a contract for "International Presidential Advisory
Services in the political, social and economic fields" with the group
for Shs 2 billion, about one million dollars.
Although there are distinct limits to what they can achieve, lobbyists
remain the undemocratic, unofficial means through which pariah regimes
advance their interests in Washington.
The US State Department's Bureau of African Affairs Report released in
August 2009 by the Department's Office of the Inspector General cited
Frazer's incompetence and mismanagement as one of the many problems that
plagued that office. (See: SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED OIG Report No.
ISP-I-09-63, Inspection of the Bureau of African Affairs - August 2009)
To think that as a lecturer Frazer is polluting the minds of America's
future policy makers with her vindictive demeanour coupled with her
total lack of knowledge about Africa and its people is a wonder to
behold.
Frazer epitomizes the general sheer incompetence of the Bush
administration. She exhibits poor policy assessment skills and also
lacks diplomatic etiquette. So how can she discuss US foreign policy in
Africa and fail to mention the tectonic shift in policy emphasis after
9/11, from focus on 'promotion of democracy' towards focus on the "war
on terrorism"; better still "security and counter-terrorism".
This is what ultimately affected Africa's move towards eradicating
dictatorship. And its why 5.7 million people perished in eastern DR
Congo, 350,000 perished in Darfur, and over 600,000 perished in northern
Uganda. This is why constitutions are changed and elections rigged at
will.
Indeed the only serious chance that the region ever had of ending war
with the LRA was destroyed by Ms Frazer. This was disclosed in an
interview given to Aljazeera recently by the vice-president of Southern
Sudan, Dr Riek Machar, who said that "Museveni and Kabila were
pressurised into Operation Lightning Thunder by the US through Jendayi
Frazer." The end result is that thousands continue to die and suffer
needlessly.
The hallmark of Bush's presidency was disdain for technocratic
competence and prudence. Whether because of politics or ideology or mere
incuriosity, little attention was paid to conventional professional
expertise. There was complete lack of policy apparatus in Capitol Hill
thanks to amateurism, irresponsibility and corruption than substantive
policy choices made by Ms Frazer and her staff.
Barack Obama on the other hand, is characterised above all by
disciplined intelligence. From his painstaking organisation during the
primaries, to his selection and management of highly capable
subordinates, to his sobriety and judiciousness throughout, he displayed
precisely the qualities the Bush administration had lacked. Like no
other American president before him, Obama knows more about Africa than
what the Frazers of this world take him for.
In his Ghana Africa Policy speech, President Obama pledged support for
those African countries that showed commitment to the rule of law and
democratic practice. Countries that demonstrated the fundamentals of
good governance - defined in the policy as stability and leadership
accountability - would also be supported by the US government. African
governments that are successful in these directions will be supported
with better trade opportunities, given help in strengthening their
internal development capacity and engaged in stronger bilateral and
multilateral relations.
Obama emphasised the need for Africans themselves to take charge of
Africa, and his desire to reconfigure America's approach to Africa,
changing it from that of a "patron" to a partner.
However, given that the continent is wobbling with the combined colossal
weight of poverty, civil wars, genocide, famine, the scourge of
HIV/AIDS, religious extremism, economic mismanagement, rapid population
growth, and a dearth of benign, democratic leadership, Ms Frazer's
future prospects are rosy. After all, murder and mayhem are good for
business. So, too, is a lack of conscience.
Mr Olara is a human rights advocate.
olarasamuel@hotmail.com
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