January 26, 2010

Dear IDEA editors:

I am grateful to the very informative and analytical IDEA editorial entitled ‘The United States African Command: Meanings for Africa’. I just want to share some of my thoughts that I think are important for your readers.

African Standby Force sounds like the old Rapid Deployment Force (RDF), and if Africom’s objectives are translated into action, these forces will be dispatched to conflict zones within the Continent, or to places suspected as hideouts or operation zones of “terrorists”. Furthermore, if African states approve Africom’s mission and objectives, the military command may very well use Africa as a springboard or even a permanent base to monitor, and if necessary attack, “terrorists” in the Middle East, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. I believe this is the main objective of Africom and not economic development for Africa, really.

It seems to me there are two major concerns in relation to the establishment of Africom: 1) Africa would become a chessboard between major powers (say the U. S. and China) as during the Cold War; 2) the majority of African leaders, excepting some, may acquiesce to the U. S. demand in spite of the negative impact Africom could have on the continent. In the long run, as the IDEA editorial rightly put it, the Continent’s depends on foreign powers will continue and its development agenda will be systematically arrested as during the colonial and post-colonial periods. History may repeat itself unless and until Africans determine their own fate and I am not sure whether that is feasible and reality is in favor of Africans.

Kaleb Gebremeskel