Campus, News

Continent at a crossroads

U.S. Army Gen. William Ward shot down accusations of American imperialism and promoted a positive outlook for the future of Africa during a videoconference address to four different colleges Wednesday night.
The Boston University African Presidential Archives and Research Center hosted the forum in which Ward, commander of the U.S. Africa Command, spoke to about 140 attendees at the Photonics Center as well as students from Morehouse College in Georgia, Morgan State University in Maryland and Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, which were participating via videoconference.
Established in October 2007, Africom is a U.S. military command working to provide for a stable and secure African political environment, Ward said.
Starting this month, Africom will act as a unified regional command instead of three separate units, as it was in its first year, and now reports to the U.S. Secretary of Defense. It was not established in response to the civil war in Somalia and genocide in Darfur, but these are indicative of the threats to Africa’s ‘regional stability and security’ that Africom is working to combat, according to its website.
‘Prior to this command, our involvement was episodic,’ Ward said. ‘Instead of being the second priority of multiple, unified commands, there’s now a sole focus on Africa.’
Africa is the poorest continent in the world and is plagued by piracy, terrorism, conflicts, trafficking and natural disasters, Ward said.
‘Africa’s size alone poses a unique challenge,’ Ward said. ‘Ethnic politics blend with or overtake national politics.’
Ward said he thinks there is a distinct link between security and development in Africa, and to solve its problems, Africom is and must be a ‘listening and learning organization.’
‘Security is a holistic function,’ he said. ‘There needs to be a combined effort between civilians, police and customs.’
During a question-and-answer session, Ward rejected the notion that Africom could lead to a modern imperialism. The command is based in Stuttgart, Germany, and has no foreseeable plans to establish any new military bases on the African continent, but not because Africom is unwelcome there, he said.
African Presidential Archives Research Center spokesman Alex Taylor said that, given the uproar over President Bush’s foreign policy in Iraq, it is important to highlight Africom’s recent foreign policy successes to prevent the next president from trying to alter U.S. policy in Africa in an effort to distance himself from the Bush administration’s perceived failures.
College of Arts and Sciences senior Morgan Sacco, who attended the speech, said she thinks the American public needs to educate itself about Africa.
‘Once people gain a better understanding of Africa’s culture and position in the world, they can make more informed foreign policy decisions,’ she said.
By promoting better diplomatic relations between African nations and the United States, the American public can achieve consciousness of another part of the world, Ward told The Daily Free Press after his speech.
‘There is always room for more understanding, awareness and knowledge,’ he said.

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