Would a Barack Obama Presidency be good for Africa?

The American presidential election is about a year away from the national conventions where the Republicans and Democrats nominate their candidates. This takes place in the summer before elections.

As things stand, analysts are predicting a Democratic president, namely Hillary Clinton.

If, however, the Democrats nominate Obama at their Denver Convention, would that be in Africa’s best interests?

Barack Hussein Obama is the son of a black Kenyan father and white American mother, who spent a good deal of his childhood in Indonesia. He is a bestselling author and topped his class at Harvard Law.

He visited Africa, including South Africa, in 2006.

Once described by British columnist Gary Younge as a black man who doesn’t scare white people, Obama is considered brilliant by both friend and foe.

The Washington Post‘s influential journalist David Ignatius is highly impressed by the young hopeful. In yesterday’s article in the Post he contends that Obama has been shaping the Democrats’ foreign policy in the last month.

The article, titled “The pragmatic Obama”, describes the black Democrat as a pragmatist who is currently outflanking his rivals.

On occasion this pragmatism may not find favour in Africa. During his visit to Kenya he attacked corruption and ongoing ethnic rivalry, which drew both condemnation and a measure of support:

http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php ?articleid=1143957666

http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php ?articleid=1143957752

Yet his speech in March this year on Zimbabwe is something that all South Africans can relate to:

http://obama.senate.gov/speech/070315-statement_of_se_8/

He condemns the actions of Robert Mugabe’s government in no uncertain terms and offers hope to all Zimbabweans that here is a president who would understand their predicament.

In his extensive essay on foreign policy, he also confirms the need for the United States to build partnerships by convincing them of the desirability thereof, as opposed to bullying them into ratifying policies adopted in isolation:

ForeignAffairs.org (See page four, at the bottom.)

Obama voted against the Iraqi invasion and this approach may go a long way to reversing the animosity many countries feel towards the US.

He confirms that in Africa the US has allowed genocide to persist in Darfur for more than four years and failed to answer the African Union’s call for more support to stop the killing. He also confirms his intention to strengthen the partnerships with Africa.

As the son of a Kenyan father, he may well feel compelled to assist a continent that is fast becoming marginalised when the big decisions are taken regarding trade and other world affairs.

And for me, as a South African and an African, herein lies the rub. We need a president who will give careful consideration to the problems of Africa because he has African blood in his veins.

This is opposed to a president like Bill Clinton who fiddled while Rwandans burned. Africa and its intracicies were very low on his list of priorities.

It is inconceivable that Obama would allow this to happen or continue to happen in Darfur.

The finer points concerning his economic policies relating to Africa I’m leaving to the bean counters. For my part, I believe the Democrats will win and if that be so I’d rather have Barack Obama than Hillary Clinton in so far as we are concerned.

The last thing the planet needs is Hillary going on about: “I did not have sexual relations with that man!”

Spare us.