Barack Obama last night forced his bitterly fought healthcare reform bill through Congress, bringing near-universal coverage to Americans and delivering the first major triumph of his presidency. Guardian
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
2010/03/22
2010/01/23
Contra a banca marchar, marchar!
Na Suécia, por exemplo, a aplicação de um imposto de 0,036% sobre o valor do passivo anual de cada banco fez com que o governo conseguisse arrecadar o equivalente a 1% do PIB. Nem o estado das contas públicas nacionais o comove para admitir a introdução deste imposto?
Não comove nem deixa de comover. Estes problemas não se podem enfrentar com estados de alma. Qualquer imposto criado sobre a actividade da banca vai-se reflectir nas condições com que a banca oferece os seus produtos.
Quando o ouço dizer isso, não posso deixar de sentir que a banca está a fazer chantagem permanente. "Não nos podem taxar porque depois vamos repercutir isso nos clientes"...
Se você aumentar o IVA quem é que paga o IVA?
É verdade. Mas por que é que a banca não há-de suportar um esforço que é partilhado pela sociedade inteira? Como é que um poder político convence as pessoas que é preciso haver medidas sociais duras se depois não espalha esse sacrifício por toda a gente? ionline.pt, da entrevista a Vitor Bento (SIBS), 23 de Janeiro de 2010
Nota 1: Obama nos EUA quer acabar com esta chantagem escandalosa e permanente da banca. A banca, nos EUA, devido a especificidades típicas daquele país, vai provavelmente acabar por derrotar Obama, mas na Europa a batalha será ganha pelos cidadãos e os bancos americanos, se quiserem continuar a operar na Europa, terão de se sujeitar (senão que vão para a China, pois ficaremos para ver porque vai ser muito divertido). Estamos com Obama!
Nota 2: a banca mundial acabou de patrocinar a compra de uma companhia boa e prestigida (a ex-inglesa Cadbury) por uma companhia que não presta (a americana Kraft). Porquê? Porque (a banca e todos os intervenientes na negociata, incluindo os administradores da Cadbury) teve centenas de milhões de lucro, estando-se, como sempre, nas tintas para a qualidade e a eventual sobrevivencia no longo prazo de uma empresa com grande história e prestígio mundiais, assim como para os milhares de postos de trabalho que serão suprimidos. Tratou-se de uma mera jogada financeira de mais de 12 mil milhões de libras inglesas e a Cadbury acabará sacrificada pois com esta jogada financeira ficou detida maioritariamente pelos hedge funds que somente buscam o lucro rápido. Os bancos privados (praticamente todos) são o grande cancro das sociedades modernas.
Privatizar: vai-se o activo e o dinheiro
O facto de termos as contas públicas como estão não é um argumento para privatizar parte da CGD?
Eu não sou favorável a privatizações para resolver o problema das finanças públicas. Diz-me a experiência que se vai o activo e o dinheiro. Quanto mais dinheiro o Estado tiver mais gasta. idem
Na Suécia, por exemplo, a aplicação de um imposto de 0,036% sobre o valor do passivo anual de cada banco fez com que o governo conseguisse arrecadar o equivalente a 1% do PIB. Nem o estado das contas públicas nacionais o comove para admitir a introdução deste imposto?
Não comove nem deixa de comover. Estes problemas não se podem enfrentar com estados de alma. Qualquer imposto criado sobre a actividade da banca vai-se reflectir nas condições com que a banca oferece os seus produtos.
Quando o ouço dizer isso, não posso deixar de sentir que a banca está a fazer chantagem permanente. "Não nos podem taxar porque depois vamos repercutir isso nos clientes"...
Se você aumentar o IVA quem é que paga o IVA?
É verdade. Mas por que é que a banca não há-de suportar um esforço que é partilhado pela sociedade inteira? Como é que um poder político convence as pessoas que é preciso haver medidas sociais duras se depois não espalha esse sacrifício por toda a gente? ionline.pt, da entrevista a Vitor Bento (SIBS), 23 de Janeiro de 2010
Nota 1: Obama nos EUA quer acabar com esta chantagem escandalosa e permanente da banca. A banca, nos EUA, devido a especificidades típicas daquele país, vai provavelmente acabar por derrotar Obama, mas na Europa a batalha será ganha pelos cidadãos e os bancos americanos, se quiserem continuar a operar na Europa, terão de se sujeitar (senão que vão para a China, pois ficaremos para ver porque vai ser muito divertido). Estamos com Obama!
Nota 2: a banca mundial acabou de patrocinar a compra de uma companhia boa e prestigida (a ex-inglesa Cadbury) por uma companhia que não presta (a americana Kraft). Porquê? Porque (a banca e todos os intervenientes na negociata, incluindo os administradores da Cadbury) teve centenas de milhões de lucro, estando-se, como sempre, nas tintas para a qualidade e a eventual sobrevivencia no longo prazo de uma empresa com grande história e prestígio mundiais, assim como para os milhares de postos de trabalho que serão suprimidos. Tratou-se de uma mera jogada financeira de mais de 12 mil milhões de libras inglesas e a Cadbury acabará sacrificada pois com esta jogada financeira ficou detida maioritariamente pelos hedge funds que somente buscam o lucro rápido. Os bancos privados (praticamente todos) são o grande cancro das sociedades modernas.
Privatizar: vai-se o activo e o dinheiro
O facto de termos as contas públicas como estão não é um argumento para privatizar parte da CGD?
Eu não sou favorável a privatizações para resolver o problema das finanças públicas. Diz-me a experiência que se vai o activo e o dinheiro. Quanto mais dinheiro o Estado tiver mais gasta. idem
Que os Estados Unidos não venham dizer-nos o que fazer
«Que os Estados Unidos não venham dizer-nos com que países devemos ou não relacionar-nos», advertiu Evo Morales na Assembleia Legislativa Plurinacional da Paz, antigo Congresso Nacional, após dizer que pretende, no entanto, manter também boas relações com o governo de Barack Obama.
Fiel à sua posição anti-imperialista, Morales deu outras alfinetadas nos EUA, recordando ter sido expulso do Congresso Nacional em 2002 por ordem da embaixada norte-americana e assegurando que, durante a sua gestão, a luta contra o narcotráfico teve mais êxito do que quando a agência anti-droga dos EUA (DEA) operava na Bolívia.
No final de 2008, a DEA e o então embaixador dos Estados Unidos, Philip Goldberg, foram expulsos da Bolívia, acusados de participarem numa conspiração para desestabilizar o governo de Morales, o que lesou as relações entre os dois países.
Relativamente ao vizinho Chile, Morales disse esperar que o novo governo de Sebastián Piñera respeite o diálogo aberto em 2006 com a presidente Michelle Bachelet com base numa agenda de 13 pontos.
Ao longo de duas horas, o presidente evocou verbas, metas e percentagens para ilustrar o que classificou de «recordes históricos» da sua anterior gestão em áreas como saúde, educação, emprego, energia e macroeconomia.
Quanto aos objectivos para o novo mandato (2010-2015), o chefe de Estado boliviano referiu a necessidade de «uma revolução profunda no poder judicial», a industrialização de recursos naturais como o gás e o lítio, a articulação territorial do país através das comunicações e o acesso de toda a população aos serviços básicos.
Evo Morales revelou também que a Bolívia tem 13 milhões de hectares para distribuir pelos emigrantes que queiram regressar ao país para trabalhar na agricultura e entre os camponeses e indígenas sem terra.
O presidente reeleito adiantou que, este ano, começará igualmente a ser aplicado um plano para repatriar famílias bolivianas residentes na Argentina e no Chile, as quais deverão também dedicar-se a cultivar a terra.
A iniciativa insere-se na «reforma agrária» boliviana, ao abrigo da qual o governo tem averiguado se os detentores de terras cumprem a Função Económica Social estabelecida nas leis do país e que tem suscitado acusações de «perseguição política» a alguns empresários.
Morales fez o juramento do seu cargo com o punho esquerdo erguido e a mão direita sobre o coração, sinal que identifica o seu partido, Movimento ao Socialismo (MAS), perante os chefes de Estado da Venezuela, Equador, Chile e Paraguai e o herdeiro da coroa espanhola, o príncipe Felipe de Borbón, entre outros convidados.
Na Praça Murillo, onde fica a Assembleia Legislativa, concentraram-se milhares de seguidores de Morales, entre os quais indígenas de vários pontos da Bolívia, que acolheram com júbilo o novo mandato do presidente. Sol.pt, 22 janeiro
Nota: Morales deve aproveitar para dialogar com os EUA agora, porque devido à "natureza do povo americano", Obama, ou outro parecido, não vai continuar a presidir os EUA ad aeternum.
«Que os Estados Unidos não venham dizer-nos com que países devemos ou não relacionar-nos», advertiu Evo Morales na Assembleia Legislativa Plurinacional da Paz, antigo Congresso Nacional, após dizer que pretende, no entanto, manter também boas relações com o governo de Barack Obama.
Fiel à sua posição anti-imperialista, Morales deu outras alfinetadas nos EUA, recordando ter sido expulso do Congresso Nacional em 2002 por ordem da embaixada norte-americana e assegurando que, durante a sua gestão, a luta contra o narcotráfico teve mais êxito do que quando a agência anti-droga dos EUA (DEA) operava na Bolívia.
No final de 2008, a DEA e o então embaixador dos Estados Unidos, Philip Goldberg, foram expulsos da Bolívia, acusados de participarem numa conspiração para desestabilizar o governo de Morales, o que lesou as relações entre os dois países.
Relativamente ao vizinho Chile, Morales disse esperar que o novo governo de Sebastián Piñera respeite o diálogo aberto em 2006 com a presidente Michelle Bachelet com base numa agenda de 13 pontos.
Ao longo de duas horas, o presidente evocou verbas, metas e percentagens para ilustrar o que classificou de «recordes históricos» da sua anterior gestão em áreas como saúde, educação, emprego, energia e macroeconomia.
Quanto aos objectivos para o novo mandato (2010-2015), o chefe de Estado boliviano referiu a necessidade de «uma revolução profunda no poder judicial», a industrialização de recursos naturais como o gás e o lítio, a articulação territorial do país através das comunicações e o acesso de toda a população aos serviços básicos.
Evo Morales revelou também que a Bolívia tem 13 milhões de hectares para distribuir pelos emigrantes que queiram regressar ao país para trabalhar na agricultura e entre os camponeses e indígenas sem terra.
O presidente reeleito adiantou que, este ano, começará igualmente a ser aplicado um plano para repatriar famílias bolivianas residentes na Argentina e no Chile, as quais deverão também dedicar-se a cultivar a terra.
A iniciativa insere-se na «reforma agrária» boliviana, ao abrigo da qual o governo tem averiguado se os detentores de terras cumprem a Função Económica Social estabelecida nas leis do país e que tem suscitado acusações de «perseguição política» a alguns empresários.
Morales fez o juramento do seu cargo com o punho esquerdo erguido e a mão direita sobre o coração, sinal que identifica o seu partido, Movimento ao Socialismo (MAS), perante os chefes de Estado da Venezuela, Equador, Chile e Paraguai e o herdeiro da coroa espanhola, o príncipe Felipe de Borbón, entre outros convidados.
Na Praça Murillo, onde fica a Assembleia Legislativa, concentraram-se milhares de seguidores de Morales, entre os quais indígenas de vários pontos da Bolívia, que acolheram com júbilo o novo mandato do presidente. Sol.pt, 22 janeiro
Nota: Morales deve aproveitar para dialogar com os EUA agora, porque devido à "natureza do povo americano", Obama, ou outro parecido, não vai continuar a presidir os EUA ad aeternum.
2009/10/10
O Tratado
O Presidente polaco, Lech Kaczynski, já assinou o Tratado de Lisboa, noticiou a AFP. Numa cerimónia no palácio presidencial em Varsóvia, Kaczynski concluiu assim a ratificação polaca.
“A mudança de opinião do povo irlandês fez com que o Tratado ressuscitasse e que já não haja mais obstáculos à sua ratificação”, afirmou o euro-céptico Kaczynski. O Presidente afirmara que assinaria o acto de conclusão da ratificação do Tratado logo que os irlandeses dessem, em referendo, o seu acordo ao texto, o que aconteceu há uma semana. “Hoje é um dia muito importante para a história da Polónia e da União Europeia”, adiantou. 10.10.2009 - 11h34 PÚBLICO
Nota: a Constituição Europeia foi chumbada em França e Holanda. Depois inventou-se o Tratado para não ter de ser referendado nos países que chumbaram a Constituição. A Irlanda, depois de muito apaparicada, lá acabou por aprovar o Tratado. Agora os outros, um a um, lá o vão assinando porque ninguém quer ficar com a responsabilidade de o matar em cima dos ombros. Mas todos sabemos que se o Tratado fosse referendado em todos os países não passaria do primeiro round. E viva a democracia...
Rica liderança
O Presidente Barack Obama afirmou-se “surpreendido” e disse ter recebido com “profunda humildade” o Prémio Nobel da Paz. Este prémio não é um reconhecimento dos seus “próprios sucessos”, declarou, mas uma “afirmação da liderança americana em nome das expectativas de pessoas em todo o mundo”.
O líder norte-americano adiantou que estava longe de esperar ser galardoado com o Nobel. “Estou ao mesmo tempo surpreendido e sinto-me profundamente humilde com a decisão do comité Nobel”, disse aos jornalistas reunidos na Casa Branca. “Não olho para isto como um reconhecimento dos meus próprios sucessos, mas sim como uma afirmação da liderança americana em nome da aspirações das pessoas em todo o mundo”, cita a Reuters. Público, 09.10.2009, 16h48
Nota: que se saiba, pelo menos até ao momento, a liderança americana só tem conduzido a guerras sangrentas e ineficazes. E que falta de gosto, tentar condicionar um presidente dando-lhe um prémio pecuniário...
E aqui está:
Com a atribuição do prémio Nobel da Paz, Barack Obama tem a obrigação de conseguir a paz na Palestina, obrigando Israel a aceitar a criação de um Estado palestiniano nos territórios ocupados e obrigando os palestinianos a aceitar a existência e a segurança de Israel.
O Presidente polaco, Lech Kaczynski, já assinou o Tratado de Lisboa, noticiou a AFP. Numa cerimónia no palácio presidencial em Varsóvia, Kaczynski concluiu assim a ratificação polaca.
“A mudança de opinião do povo irlandês fez com que o Tratado ressuscitasse e que já não haja mais obstáculos à sua ratificação”, afirmou o euro-céptico Kaczynski. O Presidente afirmara que assinaria o acto de conclusão da ratificação do Tratado logo que os irlandeses dessem, em referendo, o seu acordo ao texto, o que aconteceu há uma semana. “Hoje é um dia muito importante para a história da Polónia e da União Europeia”, adiantou. 10.10.2009 - 11h34 PÚBLICO
Nota: a Constituição Europeia foi chumbada em França e Holanda. Depois inventou-se o Tratado para não ter de ser referendado nos países que chumbaram a Constituição. A Irlanda, depois de muito apaparicada, lá acabou por aprovar o Tratado. Agora os outros, um a um, lá o vão assinando porque ninguém quer ficar com a responsabilidade de o matar em cima dos ombros. Mas todos sabemos que se o Tratado fosse referendado em todos os países não passaria do primeiro round. E viva a democracia...
Rica liderança
O Presidente Barack Obama afirmou-se “surpreendido” e disse ter recebido com “profunda humildade” o Prémio Nobel da Paz. Este prémio não é um reconhecimento dos seus “próprios sucessos”, declarou, mas uma “afirmação da liderança americana em nome das expectativas de pessoas em todo o mundo”.
O líder norte-americano adiantou que estava longe de esperar ser galardoado com o Nobel. “Estou ao mesmo tempo surpreendido e sinto-me profundamente humilde com a decisão do comité Nobel”, disse aos jornalistas reunidos na Casa Branca. “Não olho para isto como um reconhecimento dos meus próprios sucessos, mas sim como uma afirmação da liderança americana em nome da aspirações das pessoas em todo o mundo”, cita a Reuters. Público, 09.10.2009, 16h48
Nota: que se saiba, pelo menos até ao momento, a liderança americana só tem conduzido a guerras sangrentas e ineficazes. E que falta de gosto, tentar condicionar um presidente dando-lhe um prémio pecuniário...
E aqui está:
Com a atribuição do prémio Nobel da Paz, Barack Obama tem a obrigação de conseguir a paz na Palestina, obrigando Israel a aceitar a criação de um Estado palestiniano nos territórios ocupados e obrigando os palestinianos a aceitar a existência e a segurança de Israel.
2009/07/11
Development depends upon good governance
Fresh from a G8 summit where leaders agreed to spend $20 billion to improve food security in poor countries, Obama stressed that Africans must also take a leading role in sorting out their many problems.
"Development depends upon good governance," Obama said in a speech to Ghana's parliament. "That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans."
In an address that offered the most detailed view of Obama's Africa policy, he took aim at corruption and rights abuses on the continent, warning that growth and development would be retarded until such problems were tackled.
"No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top," Obama said. in nytimes.com, Reuters, Filed at 9:53 a.m. ET
Obama’s Ghana Visit Highlights Scarce Stability in Africa
NIAMEY, Niger — Amid the fever of excitement over President Obama’s first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, the debate over why he chose Ghana has been almost as prevalent as the many bars, stores and barbershops bearing his name across the region.
Was it a not-so-subtle snub of Kenya, his father’s homeland? Even more broadly, was he giving short shrift to other African governments and citizens by visiting a single country on such a diverse continent?
Mr. Obama says he chose Ghana to “highlight” its adherence to democratic principles and institutions, ensuring the kind of stability that brings prosperity. “This isn’t just some abstract notion that we’re trying to impose on Africa,” he told AllAfrica.com. He added: “The African continent is a place of extraordinary promise as well as challenges. We’re not going to be able to fulfill those promises unless we see better governance.”
With that as his objective, a harsh reality emerged: Mr. Obama did not have too many options. From one end of the continent to the other, the sort of peaceful, transparent election that Ghana held last December is still an exception rather than the norm, analysts said. The same is true for the country’s comparatively well-managed economy.
“The choice was, in fact, quite limited,” said Philippe Hugon, an Africa expert at the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques in Paris. “It wasn’t huge.”
Countries like Botswana, Namibia and South Africa have consistently received better-than-average global scores for their governance in recent years, according to rankings based on World Bank research.
But a cartoon in this week’s Jeune Afrique, the French magazine widely followed on the continent, seemed to sum up Mr. Obama’s dilemma: John Atta-Mills, Ghana’s president, is depicted holding back the door of a hut labeled “West Africa” from which blood, a grenade and explosions with the names of various countries in the region are bursting.
The list of exploding countries, unstable countries, corrupt countries, is long. Military coups still break out with regularity, as in Guinea and Mauritania within the last year. Journalists in a number of countries continue to be killed, jailed, tortured, forced into exile or otherwise muzzled. A day after Mr. Obama’s visit to Ghana, the Congo Republic will hold elections that have already been attacked as flawed, after the country’s constitutional court recently rejected the candidacies of opponents to incumbent Denis Sassou-Nguesso, leaving the president as a heavy favorite.
Mr. Obama seemed to acknowledge as much in his interview, saying that the democratic progress in recent years had been accompanied by “some backsliding.” He even singled out Kenya as a worrisome example, noting the political paralysis that had plagued the country since its bout of postelection violence last year.
Despite the obvious wincing such criticism may cause, many Kenyans not only seem to understand Mr. Obama’s choice to visit Ghana, but endorse it. Kenyans often follow politics like a sport, so it was not uncommon to hear them in recent weeks describing Mr. Obama’s choice as a savvy one, insulating him from any accusations that he was favoring his father’s country.
That said, the gulf separating the West and many African leaders on fundamental issues like human rights was on display just last week. The African Union announced that it would refuse to cooperate with the International Criminal Court in its attempt to prosecute the Sudanese president, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, for crimes against humanity, over the mass killings in Darfur. Even Mr. Atta-Mills was reported to back the refusal as “best for Africa.”
Human rights groups denounced the decision, as did some African leaders on Friday, when a smaller African Union panel headed by South Africa’s former president, Thabo Mbeki, backed the court’s indictment and called on the accused to appear in court, news agencies reported.
Despite the various rejections of the court, Mr. Obama’s top adviser for Africa, Michelle Gavin, praised for the African Union, telling reporters that it “has really been sort of forging ahead, commenting much more strongly than in the past on unconstitutional transfers of power.”
Yet some of the recent evidence from the continent only partly supports Ms. Gavin’s point. African leaders, for instance, flocked to the funeral of the recently deceased president of Gabon, Omar Bongo, lavishing praise and benedictions on a long-ruling autocrat widely seen in the West as having stolen his country’s oil wealth on the way to becoming immensely rich himself, while his country remained impoverished.
This region’s recent history underscores the extent to which Ghana is now an odd man out on the continent, after its own long history of dictatorship and coups: The election in December was extremely close, there was no violence, and the loser, the candidate of the party that had been in power, Nana Akufo-Addo, accepted his defeat without fuss.
Fresh from a G8 summit where leaders agreed to spend $20 billion to improve food security in poor countries, Obama stressed that Africans must also take a leading role in sorting out their many problems.
"Development depends upon good governance," Obama said in a speech to Ghana's parliament. "That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans."
In an address that offered the most detailed view of Obama's Africa policy, he took aim at corruption and rights abuses on the continent, warning that growth and development would be retarded until such problems were tackled.
"No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers. No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top," Obama said. in nytimes.com, Reuters, Filed at 9:53 a.m. ET
Obama’s Ghana Visit Highlights Scarce Stability in Africa
NIAMEY, Niger — Amid the fever of excitement over President Obama’s first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, the debate over why he chose Ghana has been almost as prevalent as the many bars, stores and barbershops bearing his name across the region.
Was it a not-so-subtle snub of Kenya, his father’s homeland? Even more broadly, was he giving short shrift to other African governments and citizens by visiting a single country on such a diverse continent?
Mr. Obama says he chose Ghana to “highlight” its adherence to democratic principles and institutions, ensuring the kind of stability that brings prosperity. “This isn’t just some abstract notion that we’re trying to impose on Africa,” he told AllAfrica.com. He added: “The African continent is a place of extraordinary promise as well as challenges. We’re not going to be able to fulfill those promises unless we see better governance.”
With that as his objective, a harsh reality emerged: Mr. Obama did not have too many options. From one end of the continent to the other, the sort of peaceful, transparent election that Ghana held last December is still an exception rather than the norm, analysts said. The same is true for the country’s comparatively well-managed economy.
“The choice was, in fact, quite limited,” said Philippe Hugon, an Africa expert at the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques in Paris. “It wasn’t huge.”
Countries like Botswana, Namibia and South Africa have consistently received better-than-average global scores for their governance in recent years, according to rankings based on World Bank research.
But a cartoon in this week’s Jeune Afrique, the French magazine widely followed on the continent, seemed to sum up Mr. Obama’s dilemma: John Atta-Mills, Ghana’s president, is depicted holding back the door of a hut labeled “West Africa” from which blood, a grenade and explosions with the names of various countries in the region are bursting.
The list of exploding countries, unstable countries, corrupt countries, is long. Military coups still break out with regularity, as in Guinea and Mauritania within the last year. Journalists in a number of countries continue to be killed, jailed, tortured, forced into exile or otherwise muzzled. A day after Mr. Obama’s visit to Ghana, the Congo Republic will hold elections that have already been attacked as flawed, after the country’s constitutional court recently rejected the candidacies of opponents to incumbent Denis Sassou-Nguesso, leaving the president as a heavy favorite.
Mr. Obama seemed to acknowledge as much in his interview, saying that the democratic progress in recent years had been accompanied by “some backsliding.” He even singled out Kenya as a worrisome example, noting the political paralysis that had plagued the country since its bout of postelection violence last year.
Despite the obvious wincing such criticism may cause, many Kenyans not only seem to understand Mr. Obama’s choice to visit Ghana, but endorse it. Kenyans often follow politics like a sport, so it was not uncommon to hear them in recent weeks describing Mr. Obama’s choice as a savvy one, insulating him from any accusations that he was favoring his father’s country.
That said, the gulf separating the West and many African leaders on fundamental issues like human rights was on display just last week. The African Union announced that it would refuse to cooperate with the International Criminal Court in its attempt to prosecute the Sudanese president, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, for crimes against humanity, over the mass killings in Darfur. Even Mr. Atta-Mills was reported to back the refusal as “best for Africa.”
Human rights groups denounced the decision, as did some African leaders on Friday, when a smaller African Union panel headed by South Africa’s former president, Thabo Mbeki, backed the court’s indictment and called on the accused to appear in court, news agencies reported.
Despite the various rejections of the court, Mr. Obama’s top adviser for Africa, Michelle Gavin, praised for the African Union, telling reporters that it “has really been sort of forging ahead, commenting much more strongly than in the past on unconstitutional transfers of power.”
Yet some of the recent evidence from the continent only partly supports Ms. Gavin’s point. African leaders, for instance, flocked to the funeral of the recently deceased president of Gabon, Omar Bongo, lavishing praise and benedictions on a long-ruling autocrat widely seen in the West as having stolen his country’s oil wealth on the way to becoming immensely rich himself, while his country remained impoverished.
This region’s recent history underscores the extent to which Ghana is now an odd man out on the continent, after its own long history of dictatorship and coups: The election in December was extremely close, there was no violence, and the loser, the candidate of the party that had been in power, Nana Akufo-Addo, accepted his defeat without fuss.
2009/07/10
Obama Presses Africa on Corruption
President Obama told African countries on Friday that the legacy of colonialism was not an excuse for failing to build prosperous, democratic societies even as he unveiled a $20 billion program financed by the United States and other countries to help developing nations grow more food to feed their people.
Just hours before his scheduled departure for his first trip as president to sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Obama made a personal appeal to other leaders of the Group of 8 powers to donate more money for the effort, citing his own family’s experiences in Kenya. As a result, the initiative grew from the $15 billion over three years that had been pledged coming into the summit meeting to $20 billion.
At a news conference afterward, Mr. Obama repeated some of the arguments he used in the private session on the initiative, noting that when his father came to the United States, his home country of Kenya had an economy as large as that of South Korea per capita. Today, he noted, Kenya remains impoverished and politically unstable, while South Korea has become an economic powerhouse.
“There had been some talk about the legacies of colonialism and other policies by wealthier nations,” he said, “and without in any way diminishing that history, the point I made was that the South Korean government, working with the private sector and civil society, was able to create a set of institutions that provided transparency and accountability and efficiency that allowed for extraordinary economic progress and that there was no reason why African countries could not do the same.”
He continued, “And yet, in many African countries, if you want to start a business or get a job you still have to pay a bribe.” While wealthier nations have an obligation to help Africa, he said, African nations “have a responsibility” to build transparent, efficient institutions.
...
Mr. Obama’s comments on Africa may carry special resonance as the son of a Kenyan father. Other presidents have called on African countries to take more responsibility or fight corruption before, but Mr. Obama’s background gives him a connection and credibility that none of his predecessors could command. Just one generation removed from Africa himself, Mr. Obama occupies a powerful place in the African consciousness, and he has chosen to use his first trip in office there to push a dual message aimed at rich and poor.
...
The United States under Mr. Bush and now Mr. Obama has poured more money into development aid, but Italy and France have not fulfilled their vows.
The new food security initiative is designed to transform the traditional aid to poorer countries beyond simply donated produce, grains and meats to assistance in building infrastructure and training farmers to grow their own food and get it to market more efficiently.
The $20 billion pledged by the Group of 8 countries and several others represented here amounts to a substantial commitment if carried out, but it remains unclear how much of it is actually new money. The American share of $3.5 billion over three years represents a doubling of previous spending levels.
...
Oliver Buston, the Europe director for One, the advocacy group co-founded by the singer Bono, said the Group of 8 must do more than make promises. “All governments should now come forward and prove the amounts they pledged here are new. They need to make clear what they will do, by when. Some countries have done this; others have not.” in nytimes.com, July 10
G-8 + 5 + 1 + 5
Eventually, the so-called Group of 8 started what might be considered auxiliary clubs. And that was how they ended up with a meeting on Thursday that was actually dubbed the G-8 + 5 + 1 + 5. Seriously.
The group’s 35th gathering is such a sprawling event that the leaders of about 40 countries traveled here for it. No longer can just eight powers drive every decision. President Obama headed one meeting with 17 leaders for what he called a Major Economies Forum because there would be no point grappling with climate change without, say, China and India. idem, July 9
Africans are in love with him
Africans are in love with him (Obama) because he has an African pedigree: a Kenyan father and a humble, poor background. He is very well liked in Nigeria. You see people wearing t-shirts with his name and photograph, and some call their children Obama. When George Bush invaded Iraq people were very angry, but for the first time ever people are now in love with America. Obama is a saviour.
Africa has bad rule by presidents in countries where the governments are corrupt. Obama should talk to them about the issue. The corrupt leaders will feel they can relate to him, but he won't be tricked.
I would like him to address the oil-based economy in the Niger Delta. The government is not caring for the people in that region. They are drafting in soldiers to rape women and kill innocent people. There is hunger and poverty in the land. George Esri, 50, photographer from Lagos, Nigeria in guardian.co.uk, Friday 10 July 2009 16.02 BST
You should have seen the celebrations
You should have seen the celebrations here when Obama was elected. People are really hoping that he's going to come up with something. He has African roots and an instinct for Africa that he's shown by going to Kenya before. He'll come to Africa more than any other US president.
What worries me is that there is still corruption in our governments. It's not easy to put money in and be sure that it will get to the poorest of the poor. It ends up being used by the ministers. I would love Obama to say this is his major concern and it is a reason not to invest in African countries. The African Union is playing hide and seek and we need people like Obama say he is not going to invest in Zimbabwe.
If it can come from his mouth, people will be happy, because Obama is the Messiah of Africa. Sfiso Buthelezi, 26, customer services assistant from Soweto, South Africa idem
We'll listen
The American election was like watching soccer of Pop Idol. You ran home to it and asked, is he going to win? It meant hope for change and the beginning of a new world order. The whole of Africa stood up and said we have an African president. But he's only human, so let give him space to make decisions.
I bought his book and was amazed at his honesty, background and experiences. That somebody like that could rise to be president gives a lot of hope. He has so many cultures within him that wherever you're from, you can find yourself there.
I want him to encourage Africans to do it for themselves. I want him to say, "If I can do these things, anything's possible. I want you to find a way of leadership that works for you in an African context. Where I can support you in this, I will."
If George Bush had said "Africa arise", we'd have said, "What?" But Obama is like the Messiah. We're in awe and we'll listen. Mbali Kgosidintsi, 26, actress from Mogoditshane, Botswana ibidem
President Obama told African countries on Friday that the legacy of colonialism was not an excuse for failing to build prosperous, democratic societies even as he unveiled a $20 billion program financed by the United States and other countries to help developing nations grow more food to feed their people.
Just hours before his scheduled departure for his first trip as president to sub-Saharan Africa, Mr. Obama made a personal appeal to other leaders of the Group of 8 powers to donate more money for the effort, citing his own family’s experiences in Kenya. As a result, the initiative grew from the $15 billion over three years that had been pledged coming into the summit meeting to $20 billion.
At a news conference afterward, Mr. Obama repeated some of the arguments he used in the private session on the initiative, noting that when his father came to the United States, his home country of Kenya had an economy as large as that of South Korea per capita. Today, he noted, Kenya remains impoverished and politically unstable, while South Korea has become an economic powerhouse.
“There had been some talk about the legacies of colonialism and other policies by wealthier nations,” he said, “and without in any way diminishing that history, the point I made was that the South Korean government, working with the private sector and civil society, was able to create a set of institutions that provided transparency and accountability and efficiency that allowed for extraordinary economic progress and that there was no reason why African countries could not do the same.”
He continued, “And yet, in many African countries, if you want to start a business or get a job you still have to pay a bribe.” While wealthier nations have an obligation to help Africa, he said, African nations “have a responsibility” to build transparent, efficient institutions.
...
Mr. Obama’s comments on Africa may carry special resonance as the son of a Kenyan father. Other presidents have called on African countries to take more responsibility or fight corruption before, but Mr. Obama’s background gives him a connection and credibility that none of his predecessors could command. Just one generation removed from Africa himself, Mr. Obama occupies a powerful place in the African consciousness, and he has chosen to use his first trip in office there to push a dual message aimed at rich and poor.
...
The United States under Mr. Bush and now Mr. Obama has poured more money into development aid, but Italy and France have not fulfilled their vows.
The new food security initiative is designed to transform the traditional aid to poorer countries beyond simply donated produce, grains and meats to assistance in building infrastructure and training farmers to grow their own food and get it to market more efficiently.
The $20 billion pledged by the Group of 8 countries and several others represented here amounts to a substantial commitment if carried out, but it remains unclear how much of it is actually new money. The American share of $3.5 billion over three years represents a doubling of previous spending levels.
...
Oliver Buston, the Europe director for One, the advocacy group co-founded by the singer Bono, said the Group of 8 must do more than make promises. “All governments should now come forward and prove the amounts they pledged here are new. They need to make clear what they will do, by when. Some countries have done this; others have not.” in nytimes.com, July 10
G-8 + 5 + 1 + 5
Eventually, the so-called Group of 8 started what might be considered auxiliary clubs. And that was how they ended up with a meeting on Thursday that was actually dubbed the G-8 + 5 + 1 + 5. Seriously.
The group’s 35th gathering is such a sprawling event that the leaders of about 40 countries traveled here for it. No longer can just eight powers drive every decision. President Obama headed one meeting with 17 leaders for what he called a Major Economies Forum because there would be no point grappling with climate change without, say, China and India. idem, July 9
Africans are in love with him
Africans are in love with him (Obama) because he has an African pedigree: a Kenyan father and a humble, poor background. He is very well liked in Nigeria. You see people wearing t-shirts with his name and photograph, and some call their children Obama. When George Bush invaded Iraq people were very angry, but for the first time ever people are now in love with America. Obama is a saviour.
Africa has bad rule by presidents in countries where the governments are corrupt. Obama should talk to them about the issue. The corrupt leaders will feel they can relate to him, but he won't be tricked.
I would like him to address the oil-based economy in the Niger Delta. The government is not caring for the people in that region. They are drafting in soldiers to rape women and kill innocent people. There is hunger and poverty in the land. George Esri, 50, photographer from Lagos, Nigeria in guardian.co.uk, Friday 10 July 2009 16.02 BST
You should have seen the celebrations
You should have seen the celebrations here when Obama was elected. People are really hoping that he's going to come up with something. He has African roots and an instinct for Africa that he's shown by going to Kenya before. He'll come to Africa more than any other US president.
What worries me is that there is still corruption in our governments. It's not easy to put money in and be sure that it will get to the poorest of the poor. It ends up being used by the ministers. I would love Obama to say this is his major concern and it is a reason not to invest in African countries. The African Union is playing hide and seek and we need people like Obama say he is not going to invest in Zimbabwe.
If it can come from his mouth, people will be happy, because Obama is the Messiah of Africa. Sfiso Buthelezi, 26, customer services assistant from Soweto, South Africa idem
We'll listen
The American election was like watching soccer of Pop Idol. You ran home to it and asked, is he going to win? It meant hope for change and the beginning of a new world order. The whole of Africa stood up and said we have an African president. But he's only human, so let give him space to make decisions.
I bought his book and was amazed at his honesty, background and experiences. That somebody like that could rise to be president gives a lot of hope. He has so many cultures within him that wherever you're from, you can find yourself there.
I want him to encourage Africans to do it for themselves. I want him to say, "If I can do these things, anything's possible. I want you to find a way of leadership that works for you in an African context. Where I can support you in this, I will."
If George Bush had said "Africa arise", we'd have said, "What?" But Obama is like the Messiah. We're in awe and we'll listen. Mbali Kgosidintsi, 26, actress from Mogoditshane, Botswana ibidem
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