Mixed signals
July 07, 2003 Edition -1
By the Editor
The significance of US President George Bush's visit to the continent this week cannot be overstated. The US is indisputably the major political and economic force on the globe.
However, quite predictably in the aftermath of the Iraq war, the Bush visit has aroused considerable hostility. Even before it got under way, it provoked threats of marches and other protests.
It is important, however, for opponents of Bush's tour to exercise some restraint and sobriety. It is foolish to castigate and vilify the US yet, in the same breath, demand that the US increase its aid to Africa.
Just this weekend, there was an appeal to the US to send troops to Liberia to lead a peacekeeping force there. Bush has already agreed to send military experts to assess the necessity for such assistance.
The African Union, which meets in Mozambique later this week, has also called on the US and other G8 countries to provide aid to the New Partnership for Africa's Development.
At its meeting, the AU will discuss 11 conflicts on the continent, including those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Burundi and the Ivory Coast.
There is no way the AU can achieve lasting peace in those areas without support from the much-maligned US for its planned Peace and Security Council.
While much of the criticism directed at the US is indeed valid, we must also be mindful of the fact that we cannot have it both ways.
We need to identify a middle ground, where parties with differing viewpoints and agendas can still engage each other and work together productively.
Such are the ways of realpolitik in a globalised world. We may not always like the rules, nor all the players, but we are all part of the same game.
The Bush visit can be used as an opportunity to convey our views profitably to his administration. Protesting is one thing; screaming and shouting just for the sake of it is quite another.
