The Obamas meet The Maduekwes

With his boss skipping the UN General Assembly for another year, the Nigerian foreign minister will get his chance to follow up last year's speech with another one today.

But before the address, he attended a dinner hosted by President & Mrs Obama for heads of most visiting delegations last week at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

I came across this compressed clip of the Obamas' shots with the foreign dignitaries by Eric Spiegelman.

It makes for very fascinating viewing (in all of it's 20 second glory), not least for the permanence of the fixed smile on Barack Obama's face.

The Era of Obama

After taking the presidential oath a few minutes past noon (Washington DC local time), Barack Hussein Obama in his inaugural address, summoned America to "a new era of responsibility."

On a day that in itself was historical and in a speech in which he laid out an outline of a key aspect of his foreign policy, the best lines for me were these - from more than halfway through his address:

"To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.
And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders, nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it"

UPDATE: FP Passport's scientific poll agrees with our choice on the highlight of the speech

Divining Obama's Africa Policy

A day after Hillary Clinton pledged to implement "smart power" diplomacy at her confirmation hearing, her husband and the former US President, Bill Clinton was in Abuja the Nigerian capital on what would be his third visit to Nigeria this decade and the 2nd since he left office.

This visit was his first foreign trip as the spouse of America's new top diplomat, and as such his words were being watched closely. He was in town to deliver the keynote speech at the Thisday Awards and he also paid a visit to President Yar A'dua.

While the media spotlight was on Clinton, the real action was elsewhere. At a panel discussion chaired by former Nigerian Foreign Minister, Bolaji Akinyemi in Abuja yesterday, political heavyweights from the outgoing Republican and incoming Democratic parties made the case for the Obama administration's Africa policy.

The Associated Press reports that panel member and outgoing Democratic party chair, Howard Dean said
"He will see an increased emphasis on Africa, not just because Barack Obama is an African American but because he hired some people in key positions who know and have worked on African issues."
Dean may be referring to people such as Susan Rice and Samantha Power, who are well known for their Africa expertise.

But this view was countered by another panelist, Karl Rove, a key player in the outgoing Bush administration once described by the Washington Post as "President Bush's eyes and ears." He was reported as saying "Africa was not at the center of American political dialogue this year."

He went on to say "Sure, Barack Obama talked about the genocide in Darfur but gave no indication of what he will do differently than the current administration. He, like the current administration, decried Mugabe, but he did not talk specifically what he will do differently," Rove said. "He talked about Somalia and the desire to have civil government, but again did not talk specifically about what he will do differently than the current administration."

So there you have what the old guard think. Old guard in that none of these panelists are seasoned Africa hands and more importantly, none will play any significant role in crafting or implementing Obama's policy towards Africa.

A better bet on defining what the future will look like would have been any of the 2 afore mentioned ladies who will play key roles in this area. An even better choice for the organizers whould have been Witney Schneidman, who is being touted as the man to suceed Jendayi Frazer as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

He advised the Obama campaign on Africa policy and laid out the framework for Obama's policy toward Africa in this September article.

Here's the executive summary:

"Barack Obama will pursue three fundamental objectives on the continent.
- One is to accelerate Africa's integration into the global economy.
- A second is to enhance the peace and security of African states.
- And a third is to strengthen relationships with those governments, institutions and civil society organizations committed to deepening democracy, accountability and reducing poverty in Africa."

If the conventional wisdom holds true, then we will certainly hear a lot more from Dr Schneidman in the coming years. Watch this space!

Obama's Foreign Policy and National Security Cast

I've refrained from commenting on Obama's victory on this blog since the epochal events of November 5. But that hasn't in any way diminished the extent of joy I felt on the day and the potential that his election holds for America's relations with the world and the worl'd perception of America. So a belated congrats to Barack Obama is still in order. Enjoy the moment, and now let the hard work begin.

Though the shape of his policies toward Africa can't be grasped as of now, it is obvious that events in Somalia and the Congo will for starters engage President Obama. He will need to learn the right lessons from US involvement in Africa so as not to repeat the mistakes of past administrations that have led both Somalia and the Congo to this present pass.

Two items of news that I came across today, put a spotlight on what the future might hold.

The Guardian in its headline today focused on the recently released 4-yearly report from the National Intelligence Council (which coordiantes the analyses from all US intelligence agencies). Titled - Global Trends 2025: A world transformed, it predicts among other things that:
1. The US will no longer be able to "call the shots" alone
2. "The western model of economic liberalism, democracy and secularism...may lose its lustre"
3. By 2025, the US will become "less dominant" in the world

I reckon that Obama has read this document and is shaping his response to the challenges posed therein. This might inform the reasoning behind the cast of characters that he is building to shape his policies in this regard. With talk of General Jim Jones (rtd) as his likely National Security adviser, Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State and Robert Gates staying on at the Pentagon, they are already being called the National Security Team of Rivals and there's even a suggestion that "it might be a good idea for Clinton, Gates, Jones, Obama and Biden to go off for a weekend retreat somewhere, have a few drinks and get to know each other"

Any venue suggestions?

Is Obama American, Kenyan or a Luo Tribal man?

Amid all the gloomy news from Kenya about shootings, tribal killings and genocide, there's news of a different kind coming thousands of miles from the Kibera slums of Nairobi.

It's the story of an American Dream about to fully come true ( and this story has got a Kenyan link) It's of none other than that of the Great Black Hope - Barack Hussien Obama!

Just before the Illinois Senator won the Iowa Caucus, Lynn Sweet wrote an interesting piece in his hometown paper about the direction his foreign policy experience (or lack of it) could take.

But while America and the rest of the world are savouring this moment with him, and contemplating what might be the beginiing of a long march to the White House, Ms. Sweet has situated Obama's first main diplomatic intervention within a tribal Kenyan context by saying : I understand Obama has to be careful because while he is one of the most credible figures the United States has to deal with Kenya, the dispute between Odinga and Kibaki is mired in tribal politics. Obama, very aware that Kenyans may see him as a Luo in this context, does not want to be seen as taking sides. (Raila Odinga is sitting in the photo above)
Obama has staked his identity as a plus over experience in burnishing his foreign policy credentials. Could this identity now prove to be his undoing in dealings with Kenya & Indonesia where he has family ties? Will he be seen as taking sides?
I wonder how Newsweek's Editor, Fareed Zakaria will respond to this seeming rebuttal of his expert claim that identity trumps experience in foreign policy dealings.