“You know, my people told me I should never meet with you,” Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir told Richard Williamson, former U.S. special envoy to Sudan, during the Bush Administration. Clearly, it’s no easy task conducting diplomatic relations with Khartoum’s government. Yet two days from the referendum that will likely split north and south, the international community has flocked to Sudan, working to establish security and stability and preparing for the aftermath This is where the hard work begins. The south possesses the near insurmountable task of building a new state. …
Last November, President Obama made Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir an offer: Allow southern Sudan to secede peacefully in the upcoming referendum and the United States will remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terror. Ironically enough, President Obama admonished President Bush when he made a similar offer two years ago. The Obama Administration gave Bashir, a man responsible for mass genocide, an opportunity to save face. While this offer will be rescinded should Bashir fail to live up to his promise, the label “state sponsor of terror” should …
In the months leading up to the referendum in southern Sudan, scheduled for January 9, the United States and its international partners have been scrambling to prepare for the challenges a divided Sudan might bring. The referendum, born from the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), presents an opportunity for the south to achieve independence following years of brutal repression and violence perpetrated by the government in Khartoum headlined by a decades-long civil war. The Obama Administration has expressed cautious optimism in the lead-up to the referendum. “We believe that the …
Contributing to the peace and development of Africa, Sudan in particular, was a major priority for the Bush Administration and now looms as the single largest African issue on the Obama White House’s agenda. On January 9, 2011, the final and most significant step of the peace agreement will occur when an estimated 4 million southern Sudanese will vote to decide whether to remain part of a unified Sudan or establish a new, independent country. With one of the most diverse populations on the continent, Sudan has suffered near constant …
Was it wise for the Obama administration to reverse the Bush administration’s policy of distancing the U.S. from the United Nations Human Rights Council? With the Council’s 15th session underway, it’s a question worth asking. The Council has been receiving more attention than unusual lately because the administration recently submitted a report on the U.S. human rights record for the Council’s Universal Periodic Review process. The report has led many to question what America gets out of membership on that body. In response, the U.S. ambassador to the Council, Eileen …
While candidate Obama spoke out fiercely against genocide in Darfur, President Obama extended a hand to the architects of the killing in Khartoum. The Administration’s policy review on Sudan, completed late last year, promised a new strategy of engagement with Sudan, spearheaded by Sudanese envoy, General Scott Gration. For the moment, that policy, Gration claims, is on the verge of yielding positive results. “We have had agreements in the past; most have failed. I think this is different.” Gration’s optimism is powered by the signing by President Omar al-Bashir of …
The election of President Barack Obama resonated loudly throughout Africa. His victory raised expectations that Africa would assume a more prominent place in U.S. foreign policy. This was not in 2009 to be the case. To its credit, the Obama Administration has in its first year done a good job reminding Africans of the challenges they face. In July, the President spent a day in Ghana and delivered strong messages in his Africa policy speech. He talked about importance of good governance, stronger institutions, and ending festering conflicts. The future, …
Diplomacy and development have been major administration priorities as illustrated by the State Department’s first ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) intended to provide the short-, medium-, and long-term blueprint for our diplomatic and development efforts. On December 14, 2009, Secretary Clinton gave democracy its due in a lecture at Georgetown University which stressed the parallels between democracy promotion and human rights: Our human rights agenda for the 21st century is to make human rights a realist, and the first step is to see human rights in a broad …
It seems that every week the administration tries to find a new excuse cut and run in Afghanistan. This week the line is that without a stable government and a clear winner in the elections sending more troops to the country would be unwise. On the other hand, Secretary Clinton is about ready to roll out a new strategy on the Sudan that calls for greater US engagement with Khartoum –offering the its leaders “incentives” for good behavior. So apparently in the Obama era, US foreign policy means being overly …
On this 8th Anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attack, we are without question safer today than we were on that crisp, clear September morning in 2001. With each passing year, the challenge to remain vigilant grows harder as many Americans struggle to make ends meet after losing their jobs, large percentages of their retirement funds, and, in some cases, their homes. The cacophony of noise surrounding America’s debate on health care drowns out the unity of purpose we all felt as the sun set just eight years ago. After …
