Much has been made of the
arrest of 5 lawmakers at the gates of the Sudan embassy. While entirely commendable, I believe it's a fool's errand. Africa's problems must be solved by Africans. There is a solution.
More below the fold.....
Power varies as square of distance. What is true for electrons and planets is true of political influence. We're learning this lesson the hard way, as every empire before us has learned. America's no empire, to our credit, we're giving away our greatness, and the world is a better place for it.
I've been to refugee camps in Chad, about a decade ago. I do not know what's going on there now, in any depth, but I can speak to what I did see, and I don't believe too much has changed.
The curse of Africa is tribalism. We've seen racism in this country, but here, one group has been completely dominant and the various oppressed groups have been largely unable to defend themselves. I lived through the Biafran War. I've seen coup after coup, I've been involved with an assessment for rebuilding a radio station in Liberia, ( decision: abandon in place ), I've been in and out of West Africa since I was a little boy. Americans want to help, but how can we undo the ghastly Realpolitik of tribalism?
I am pessimistic. I watched my parents work their butts off, putting the best years of their lives into Africa, it didn't change a thing. Africa is a Planck Body, absorbing every last dollar and drop of sweat, re-radiating all energy and money into Swiss bank accounts.
An old joke of my father's: An Asian dictator has his cronies on the deck of his mansion on the hill, drinking good scotch and looking over a valley. A six-lane highway full of traffic winds through the valley, offramps lead to prosperous malls and suburbs. `See that highway?" the dictator asks his cronies. "I stole 30% of the budget."
An African dictator sits with his friends on his deck, drinking palm wine. In the valley below, a dirt trail winds past thorn trees, a few donkeys carrying firewood trudge slowly along. "See that highway?" he asks his cronies. "Well, I don't either. I stole 100% of the budget."
What? You're not laughing? I'm not laughing, either. That's Africa, La vérité
The problem isn't overthrowing the likes of Saddam. We helped get rid of Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia's version of Saddam. Since then, Somalia has never had a working government. There is no military solution to Sudan's problems. Who the hell will replace it? Niger: the same tired story. Nigeria is going to hell in a handbasket. The underlying irritant, the only accurate diagnosis of Africa's ills is the irrelevant national borders, the lasting legacy of colonialism and the Treaty of Berlin.
Does anyone have a solution which might work? Yes. Nelson Mandela and (of all people!) Muhammar Khadafy both propose a United States of Africa, and a dissolving of the colonial borders. Africa can solve its problems, must solve its own problems Tribes become roughly equivalent to political parties. Large-scale alliances replace the nation states.
Africa would field its own peacekeeping forces, we see the early manifestations of these political entities in ECOWAS and the AU.
As much as I'd like to commend the protesters, I would urge them to take their complaints to the other African nation-states, and demand some action on their part. We simply cannot solve Africa's problems. Africa must solve its own problems.