10 December 2002
Senate Hosts Discussion of Countering Causes of Terrorism in Africa
(CSIS panel looks at stability through health, economic and political
prisms) (900)
By Jessica Lawrence
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Senator Russell Feingold (Democrat of Wisconsin) set the
tone for a discussion on U.S.-African security policy and the war on
global terrorism, stating, "We must develop policies to help bring
lasting stability to these terribly unstable places, to build solid
relationships and gain access to solid information."
Senator Feingold chaired a panel discussion December 5 sponsored by
the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a research
institute dedicated to expanding knowledge of international and
current affairs.
Greg Engle, director of Africa Regional and Security Affairs at the
State Department, told the panel, "Africa is a frontline in the war
against terrorism." Citing the continuing fight against HIV/AIDS, the
many ongoing civil conflicts, and the general difficulties in building
economic infrastructure, he stressed that, "we have to look at the
causes of terrorism" in order to fight it effectively.
Dr. Richard Feachem, executive director of The Global Fund to Fight
HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis, sees the stability of the
continent dependent on the battle against the many incurable diseases
that plague the populace. "We don't know how bad the HIV/AIDS pandemic
is," he said as he began to quote the staggering statistics of the
disease that has become the terror of Africa.
The epidemic will not peak until between 2050 and 2060, he said, and
Africa is the current epicenter of the pandemic with rates of
infection in southern Africa around 40%, but also reaching as high as
70% in some areas. "Africa will get much worse if we continue to do
what we are doing," said Feachem. "We have done far too little, far
too late.
"Small pilot projects don't do anything," the physician asserted. "We
must take the evidence from those projects and scale up." By February
2003, he pointed out, various non-governmental and faith-based
organizations in 35 African countries will be utilizing Global Fund
grants not only to provide HIV/AIDS prevention programming, but also
to give treatment and antiretroviral drugs to people living with the
disease.
Stephen Morrison, director of Africa programs at the Center for
Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) agreed with Dr. Feachem's
emphasis on battling AIDS. He stated that the increase in poverty,
combined with poor health and the rise of HIV/AIDS, have all
undermined political and social progress in many African nations,
which after September 11, 2001 made it easier for them to become
"boltholes for terrorists."
The recent terrorist attacks in Mombasa, Kenya, he said, "dramatically
demonstrate the need for enhanced U.S. engagement with Africa on
counter-terrorism and security issues. At the same time, policymakers
will need to honor previous commitments to democracy, human rights,
economic development and the fight against HIV/AIDS."
Morrison explained, "There needs to be much more aggressive" U.S.
military and diplomatic engagement with the continent. He cited the
"Joint Task Force, Horn of Africa" based in Djibouti, with its focus
on battling terrorism in the Horn and Yemen, as a perfect example of
new U.S. military engagement with the continent. Kenya and Ethiopia
are regional partners for the command in Djibouti, "both are at very
difficult transitional moments," with Kenya facing an election of a
new president (following the stepping down of President Moi) and
Ethiopia beginning to address a famine that will touch as many as 15
million people.
The strategic thinking, Morrison said, has been for countries like
Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and South Africa to serve as anchor states
of stability on the continent. However, he said, "the regional
partnerships are more a hope than a reality.it requires a high level
of mentoring" even in regard to the more stable nations.
In that regard, Morrison believes Angola will be a new country to
watch as it enters the United Nations Security Council, where "it will
become a much bigger player [in Africa]."
Jerry Kepes, managing director of the Petroleum Finance Company (PFC),
also sees potential for Angola in African and world markets. He added
that U.S. oil companies such as Exxon-Mobil and Chevron-Texaco already
have "substantial investments" in deep-water crude oil productions off
the Angolan coast.
On a broader front, Kepes noted African crude oil had become an
important natural resource, which over time will give some economic
security to Africa, helping countries counter the root causes of
terrorism while at the same time helping the U.S. diversify its energy
imports away from the Middle East.
The Bush Administration stated in its national security strategy,
released this September, that Africa was an important player in
securing energy for the U.S. Kepes, however, argues that "African oil
will not lessen the dependence of U.S. energy security on the Persian
Gulf," he said. Although bringing new exporters of crude oil into the
world market, the increased competition among consumers may well
create higher prices.
"This is a world oil market" and it is almost impossible for a
consumer nation to secure its needs through just a single [such as
Africa or Saudi Arabia]. Kepes pointed out that because Saudi Arabia
has tapped into oil reserves that remain unused until a time of
crisis, it has secured a high place in U.S. security thinking.
Even if African crude oil does not hold all the answers to U.S. energy
security, investors still see the continent as full of promising
partnerships. Oil investments appear to be a positive step in creating
economic stability that will help to reduce the causes of terrorism in
formerly weak African nations.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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