Abstracts

Title:
“Africa Command Center (AFRICOM) and U.S. Foreign Policy of Militarization of Africa under the Obama Administration”
Presenter:
Dr. Olayiwola Abegunrin, Professor of International Relations, Howard University, Washington, D.C.
Abstract:
United States’ foreign policy towards Africa since the twentieth century has been based on its interest in the strategic importance of the continent’s natural resources. For instance, due to the political uncertainties surrounding oil supply from the Middle East, U.S. interest in Africa’s oil increased significantly. However, the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks on America brought about a major post-Cold War shift in its policy towards Africa. Since that event, officials of the Pentagon and the State Department have identified some African countries as a significant potential threat to U.S. national security interest. This has resulted, from the period of the Bush administration, in a U.S. policy geared toward the militarization of the continent. Indeed, on February 6, 2007, President Bush formally announced the establishment of a U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), with a mission, essentially, to promote America’s strategic interests on the continent.

The U.S. policy of militarizing Africa has continued under the Obama administration as could be seen in the president’s unwavering support for AFRICOM. The justification for this policy has often been seen primarily as a function of America’s counterterrorism project in Africa. While this and other factors such as promotion of democracy and economic development in Africa are important in the evolution of the American policy, this presentation will argue that Washington’s interest in the continent’s strategic natural resources, particularly oil, is fundamental to the policy.

Title:
“The Spring Revolutions in North Africa: Gaddafi’s Sins, Cold War Politics, and the New Imperialism”
Presenter:
Dr. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde, Alabama State University, Montgomery, Alabama.
Abstract:
For much of the twentieth century, the Middle East was home to several authoritarian regimes. A decade into the twenty-first century, western-style democracy and political liberalization was still alien to many of these governments that perpetuated themselves by a combination of force and survival strategies, and by doing the bidding of the Cold War superpowers. Even after the end of the Cold War, much of the region remained the same until the Arab Spring took effect in Tunisia, and which quickly spread to other parts of the Middle East. The Arab Spring, it seems, has impacted the traditional understanding of the region. There seems to be a shift in the psychology of these governments and their citizens. Nothing seems certain; and nothing, it seems, can be taken for granted anymore; not the omnipotence and omnipresence of governments, the acquiescence of the middle class, or the near timidity of the underclass. In North Africa (where the Arab spring began), the cascading movement toppled the Hosni Mubarak government; and some have argued, also toppled the Mohammar Gaddafi regime in Libya.

Although Mubarak and Gaddafi were both authoritarians, both men were vastly different in style and substance. Their domestic agendas were also different; so also were their foreign policy thrust. But most importantly, both men played different roles and aligned with different hegemony during and after the Cold War. As a result, western nations and western economic interests viewed and related to both men differently. Furthermore, in a region with the likes of Bashar al-Assad, Ismail Haniyeh, Hasan Nasrallah , and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Gaddafi, according to western political arithmetic, ought to be one less headache. Hence, this paper argues that while the Arab Spring may have been responsible for recent changes in the region’s political landscape—it is not responsible for the uprising, and the eventual toppling of Gaddafi. The contagion were planted in Libya by external forces for five reasons: to punish Gaddafi for his Cold War sins and post-Cold War excesses; sanctions for his Pan-African and Pan-Arab zeal; for refusing the West’s unlimited access to his country’s vast oil holding; and punishment for the Lockerbie affair.

Title:
“U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa and Conflict Resolution: A Case Study of the Crisis in Darfur, Sudan”
Presenter:
Fatai Ajao, U.S. Army, FT. Campbell, KY.
Abstract:
The U.S. had for a long time seen the African continent as an appendage of Europe. The status quo remained even after World War II. This soon changed however, after President John F. Kennedy became the U.S. president in 1961. Unlike his predecessors, Kennedy did not view Africa with indifference but from its strategic, economic, and ideological importance to America. The Congo Crisis of 1960-1964 provided the United States the first opportunity to intervene in African affairs. During the Cold War, the superpower competition that characterized the period ensured that Washington would continue to interfere in African affairs, particularly via its numerous conflicts.

With the end of the Cold War, the world was inclined to think that the period of perpetual tension was over, and that a new period of peace would be ushered in. But conflicts soon broke out in Sudan, Somalia, Congo, Liberia, and Ethiopia. These conflicts not only broke accepted rules of war, they targeted civilians and massacred non-combatants, men, women and children alike. The proliferation of conflicts and their devastation threatened American interests in the continent, altering its foreign policy. This presentation will examine one of Africa’s contemporary intractable conflicts—the war in Darfur, Sudan, and America’s role in dealing with it.

Title:
“The Role of the African Diaspora in America in Africa's Development and U.S.-Africa Relations”
Presenter:
Dr. Gashawbeza Bekele, Assistant Professor of Geography, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN.
Abstract:
The African Union recognizes the African Diaspora as the sixth region of Africa and urges nation states to put a concerted effort to building a strong and sustainable partnership between Africa and its Diaspora. The African Diaspora constitutes people of African heritage who involuntarily migrated to North America, the Caribbean, South America, and Europe (the “old” African Diaspora) and the recent migrants, primarily of highly educated individuals, who voluntarily migrated to Developed countries mainly in search of better opportunities (the “new” African Diaspora). By taking the African Diaspora in the United States as a case in point, the present study argues that both the “old” and “new” African Diaspora community can become an integral part of Africa’s development and an important source of support in strengthening and reframing US-Africa relations. The study critically examines the nature of Africa-Diasporic relationships from a historical perspective and discusses the ways in which the Diaspora community can be mobilized in building a prosperous and democratic Africa by transferring skills, technology, and capital, strengthening civil society institutions, and lobbying western donors and governments on behalf of African countries.

Title:
“Improving Africa’s Tertiary Education Efforts: Proposing an African Community College System Model”
Presenter:
Dr. Clifford F. Buttram, Jr., Campus Director, National College of Business and Technology, Fort Wayne, IN.
Abstract:
Africa possesses great wealth and capacities in natural resources such as oil, natural gas, and tourism opportunities. More critically, the continent also possesses the human capital to economically and educationally prosper and compete globally. Unfortunately, the continent has not placed the requisite level of commitment to post-secondary education. The assurance that African citizens have access to higher education is paramount in maintaining an individual, collective, and African community competitive global edge. Increasing African tertiary education, especially in conjunction with U.S. foreign policy goals, is paramount to achieving African global economic parity.

Additionally, the benefits of a college education impact immeasurably and positively on the African citizen and community. As a continent, Africa’s true wealth lies in its people; and with the accessibility, affordability, and cooperative community input of African and American educators, Africa can justly prosper. An African community college system can assist in building African and American partnership. It will also provide core foundational guidance and advice in improving tertiary education, organizational efficiency and effectiveness, and in supporting collegiate marketing and scholarship programs for African students. This presentation will discuss the African Community College System Model.

Title:
“U.S. and Africa: Reflecting on U.S./Nigeria Relations under President Barack Obama”
Presenter:
Bona Chizea, Department of Political Science, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria.
Abstract:
The Nigerian foreign policy elite was highly expectant when Barack Obama was elected the president of the United States of America. The idea was canvassed with enthusiasm that the United States under Obama would be more benevolent in addressing Africa’s intractable socio-political and economic problems. They were convinced that the president, who is of African descent, is likely to pay more attention to the needs of Africa.

Prior to Obama’s coming, the United States perceived Africa as a continent riddled with poverty and ruled by dictators. Thus, America did not consider Africa as a serious strategic partner. Whatever interest America expressed in Africa was basically to exploit its huge natural resources and to incorporate it into its strategic objectives of fighting terrorism through the promotion of America’s brand of democracy. The objective of this presentation is to examine president Obama’s policy toward Nigeria against the background of a ground swell of enthusiasm that his presidency elicited in Nigeria. The presentation will argue that there was no significant change in America’s policy towards Africa and Nigeria, in particular, during the Obama presidency. It recommends that a basis for a new relationship should be explored and established in order to foster better and mutually beneficial relations between the two states.

Title:
“U.S. Policy in the Creation of a Special Post-Primary School Education in Nigeria: A Pilot Project”
Presenter:
Dr. S. Adele Doherty, D-Wellness Center, pc, Goodlettsville, TN.
Abstract:
Nigeria, the size of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma combined, obtained its independence from Britain on October 1, 1960, with a population of 36 million representing 80% illiteracy level and 9 million registered voters. Though US interest in Africa as a continent, and Nigeria as a potential awakening giant of Africa, was rooted in Cold War mentality, a visit to the White House by Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa in 1961 might have served to ignite US’ interest, at least, in empowerment of Nigerians via education. Education was one of the most cost-effective ways to nurture democracy and develop a civil society. Both the U.S. and Nigeria understood that education was the foundation on which any development intervention could be built. Realizing the high rate of illetracy among Nigerians, the US was eager to ameliorate a deficiency in education, viewing secondary education as one way to do this.

An element of US initiative in Africa is to collaborate with and assist African nations in the area of educational development. Through the United States Agency for International Development ( USAID), the U.S. sponsored a pilot project on education in 1963 at Aiyetoro, in the then Western region of Nigeria. Through capital and capacity development, the project aided the first “Comprehensive School” in Africa. Asides from emphasis on applied-science, technology, and innovation, central to the establishment of this school were the American ideals of gender equality and female empowerment.

Title:
“International Health Intervention as Foreign Policy: Case study of United States’ Global Health Initiative’s HIV/AIDS Program in Sub-Saharan Africa”
Presenter:
Dr. Victor Eno, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, Tallahassee, Florida.
Abstract:
The U.S. has been involved in global health for more than a century. But in the last decade it has become very proactive in international health development and plays a leading role in interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of people around the world. The Global Health Initiative (GHI) is a government program launched by the Obama Administration in May 2009. It seeks to integrate all of America’s global health efforts as a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach that focuses on broad substantive improvements, not only in the population’s health, but also in health care systems in the developing world.

The initiative is implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and its programmatic work is in the following areas: HIV/AIDS; tuberculosis; malaria and other neglected tropical diseases; maternal, newborn and child health; family planning and reproductive health; nutrition; and the strengthening of health systems. Most of the initiative’s energies and resources are devoted to HIV/AIDS work, building on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The focus of this presentation is the role of the initiative in combating the HIV pandemic in Africa. It examines the extent to which U.S. effort in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment has improved health outcomes and social well-being of people in sub-Saharan Africa. It interrogates whether there is a correlation between U.S. efforts in HIV/AIDS prevention in the region and the promotion of U.S. foreign policy and national security interests.

Title:
“The Obama Administration and American Foreign Policy in Africa through the Lens of Uganda”
Presenter:
Jon Horler, Graduate Student, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Abstract:
With arguably the most sophisticated ongoing protest movement against a longstanding sub-Saharan African leader, Uganda has profound influence on, and is greatly influenced by, U.S. foreign policy in the region. The flawed February 2011 elections and resulting government crackdown, combined with the rapidly deteriorating economic situation, led to nationwide protests coinciding with the beginning of the spring revolutions in North Africa that have deeply shaken the controversial government of President Yoweri Museveni, currently one of the United States’ most important strategic allies on the continent. This partnership has only increased in significance of late, given direct American military and financial support of the Ugandan military’s lead role in Somalia; the recently deployed U.S. boots on the ground in search of LRA rebels in central Africa; rising unrest in neighboring DRC; a fragile South Sudan to the north; and the recent discovery of significant oil reserves in the Lake Albert region of western Uganda. Like that of the four other previous American presidents who dealt with the Museveni government which has been in power since 1986, the Obama administration’s partnership with this regional power is central to its current conception of its African policy. However, it remains to be seen just how long the Museveni government will survive either the rising unrest or deepening internal rivalries within the ruling party; and moreover, what effect the current political, economic, and demographic changes taking place will have on U.S. policy in East Africa/Great Lakes region, and Africa as a whole.

Title:
“The United States and Libya: The Evolution of a Complex Relationship”
Presenter:
Dr. John Miglietta, Professor of Political Science, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN.
Abstract:
This presentation analyzes the U.S. relationship with Libya from independence to the present. The paper traces the U.S. relationship with Libya in several stages. Stage one is the U.S. relationship with the monarchy from independence until the revolution of 1969. Libya was a key component of U.S. strategic calculations in the region given the large U.S. airbase in the country. Stage two consists of a period of active hostility between the revolutionary government and the U.S. The emphasis on this relationship is looking at Libya’s support for terrorism as well as radical states and movements globally. Stage three focuses on the reestablishment of relations, the surrendering of Tripoli’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program, and cooperation in anti-terrorist activities. Stage four deals with the uprising against the government and the U.S. role in supporting the rebels. The presentation concludes by discussing the possible future relationship between the two countries and the impact for the region.

Title:
“America in the Eyes of Northern Nigerian Tourists, 1955-59”
Presenter:
Dr. Moses Ochonu, Associate Professor of History, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.
Abstract:
In May 1955, Alhaji Ado Sanusi, a holder of the prestigious royal title of Dan Iya in Kano emirate of Northern Nigeria, along with two other prominent political figures in the government and politics of Northern Nigeria, traveled to the United States and Canada on a sightseeing and goodwill tour. On his return to Nigeria, he dictated his experiences and observations about North American society and politics to Philip Ohiare, a reporter with the Nigerian Citizen, at the time Northern Nigeria’s most influential and widely read newspaper. The travel account, with minor reportorial interventions, was later published under the title “Hospitable but Curious,” a headline that aptly summed up Sanusi’s nuanced impressions about America. Sanusi saw America as a political giant held back by the sociopolitical baggage of racism. Four years later, Malam J.H Cindo, the Editor of the Nigerian Citizen was among a group of foreign journalists given a tour of America and the Island of Puerto Rico as part of a program conducted by the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University. Mr. Cindo’s elaborate narrative of his American experience was published in his newspaper under the title “My Impressions of America.” Complex and at times self-referential, his observations broadly mirrored those of Sanusi four years earlier. But he also compared race relations and racial politics in Puerto Rico and the United States, a comparison with insightful internationalist significance. This paper explores these two travel narratives. It contends that they are simultaneously a window into a complex, emergent elite culture in Northern Nigeria and a pointer to how overseas travel and its retelling came to constitute a marker and enhancer of organic intellectualism and political prestige in late colonial Northern Nigerian society. It also analyzes the narratives as a unique gaze into Northern Nigerian elites’ rendering of America’s political and social challenges as the country convulsed with the problem of race-based discrimination and struggled with a nascent civil rights movement.

Title:
“Africa’s Agricultural Potential and its Implication for U.S. Foreign Policy”
Presenters:
Dr. Israel Ogunlade, Associate Professor of Agricultural Extension & Rural Development, University of Ilorin, Nigeria; Kemi Funmilayo Omotesho, Accountant, University of Ilorin Resort; Mathew A. Adewumi, Associate Professor of Agricultural Economics; and Sarah Nicholas Oden, Associate Professor of Curriculum Development.
Abstract:
Agriculture is the occupation of the rural majority in Africa. African farmers struggle with low productivity, high subsistence need, low input use, low income, poor infrastructure, and high risk. Any policy that attempts to promote agricultural development must have the potential of alleviating poverty and reducing conflicts. It is against this background that this presentation will assess U.S. foreign policies under the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations as related to agricultural development and food security in Africa. It will examine Africa’s agricultural potentials and draw implications for U.S. aid program on the continent.

Title:
“United States’ Global Health Initiative for a Sustainable Economic Development in Africa: A Case Study of Nigeria”
Presenter:
Dr. C.I. Ogunleye-Adetona, Visiting Senior Lecturer, Department of Geography & Regional Planning, University of Cape-Coast, Ghana.
Abstract:
Nigeria faces the major challenge of deterioration health care services. It has the world’s second-lowest rate of immunization; the world’s second-highest maternal mortality rate; low contraceptive prevalence rate; and high fertility rate. Not only is the proportion of its population below fifteen years high, the youth, particularly adolescents, now give birth before the age of twenty thus contributing to an annual population growth rate of 3.2%. This scenario imposes an unsustainable burden on the health care delivery and fosters slow economic development.

In 2006, the Global Health Initiative (GHI) was created as an instrument through which the United States would contribute to the improvement of developing countries’ health systems. The initiative aims, among other things, to strengthening national capacity to lead, manage, and oversee health programs. Given Nigeria’s importance to the U.S. economy and its role in regional peacekeeping in the sub-region of West Africa, the U.S. government established in April 2010 under GHI, a bilateral relationship with Nigeria aimed at improving its health care services, especially maternal health. Though GHI is designed to complement and strengthen the efforts of government policies on maternal health, this presentation will argue that there is a need to make adolescents one of the targets populations that would benefit from the initiative.

Title:
“Evaluating the Role of the United States in the Democratization Process in Africa”
Presenter:
Dr. Felix Omoh Okokhere, Department of Political Science, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo state, Nigeria.
Abstract:
African states model their democratic experiments on the United States’ model. However, the democratization process in Africa is generally built on weak institutional frameworks, corrupt bureaucracies, and crisis ridden electoral process. It is often expected that the United States, the most powerful democracy, would assist African states achieve democratic governance, help establish civil society, and assist in the attainment of sustainable development. Unfortunately, this high expectation on the part of the United States has not been realized. Apart from the African Growth and Opportunity Act, (AGOA) instituted by the Bill Clinton presidency and continued under the presidencies of George Walker Bush and Barrack Obama, there is no other tangible American policy towards Africa which can be said to have contributed to the democratization process on the continent. This presentation will evaluate the United States’ role in the democratization process in Africa and its contribution towards resolving the numerous crises emanating from the failure of the African democratic experience. Further, it will recommend strategies towards better United States-Africa relations, particularly in the areas of socio-political and economic development.

Title:
“Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy: A Normative Assessment of Humanitarian (Non)Intervention in Africa”
Presenter:
Faith Okpotor, Ph.D. candidate, Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Delaware, Newark.
Abstract:
This paper is a normative assessment of contemporary U.S. policy of humanitarian intervention, especially as it applies to Africa.  I drew upon the normative views on humanitarian intervention found in the political theories of John Rawls, Martha Nussbaum and Peter Singer, to assess contemporary U.S. policy of (non)intervention in Africa. Then I make policy prescriptions that combine the best that these theorists have to offer. While they all agree that there is a responsibility to protect any peoples facing the threat of genocide, they differ on how to do it. Combining their best ideas I argue is the best way forward for U.S. policy on humanitarian intervention.

Title:
"The School Counselor's Roles in Preventing the Spread of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria and the United States”
Presenter:
Dr. Ayoka Mopelola Olusakin, Professor of Counseling Psychology and Head, Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Abstract:
The impact of HIV/AIDS on school children all over the world is very severe. About 15 million children have lost one or both parents due to the disease. Over the past 30 years, more than 25 million people have died from the disease. Further, HIV/AIDS has complicated efforts to fight poverty, improve health, and promote development.

Counseling is both a science and an art. It is a science because to offer counsel, advice or assistance, the counselor must have the knowledge of the basic principles and techniques of counseling. The counselor must know the art of counseling because it is not just enough to know the basic principles and techniques but the practical application in order to effectively address both the physical as well as the emotional dimensions. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA)’s position is for the professional Counselor to focus on HIV/AIDS as a disease and not as a moral issue. The professional school counselor’s role is to provide counseling, support and collaboration with school health personnel to provide HIV/AIDS educational programs for students, staff, and parents with the curriculum developed in conjunction with groups associated with the school and officially approved by the board of education. Professional school counselors collaborate with others to promote healthy living and confront issues threatening human lives. They encourage the development of policies supporting good health, and they provide leadership to the school by assisting in the design and implementation of school-wide HIV/AIDS prevention activities and programs. The professional school counselor includes HIV/AIDS prevention programs as a part of the comprehensive school counseling program and ensures that HIV/AIDS prevention programs include training in decision-making skills; recognition of early signs of HIV; prevention/intervention services; community support and parent education. This presentation will provide a comparative analysis of the role of American and Nigerian school counselors in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Title:
"The Obama Administration and US Security Cooperation with African Countries"
Presenter:
Mrs. Diane Orefo, Independent Research Analyst, formally with Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) Abuja, Nigeria.
Abstract:
The terrorist attack on the United States in September 2001 fundamentally transformed US policy on Africa. Since then, the United States has recognized that it has many security interests in Africa. Ungoverned or poorly governed territories in Africa are seen as potential breeding grounds or launching pads for terrorists. Similarly, the US is now aware that its economic interests could be threatened if terrorists disrupt oil production and oil shipment in Africa. In addition, it became clear to the United States that its embassies and other interests in Africa could be easy targets for terrorist attacks. Piracy in Somalia and Islamic radicalism in other parts of Africa are considered by the US as significant security threats. In recognition of these new realities, the Bush Administration took a number of measures to strengthen its security interests in Africa. Among these were the establishment of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), the provision of security training for African military personnel, the creation of Trans-Saharan Security Symposium, and the signing of military cooperation agreements with several African countries.

This paper will examine the Obama Administration’s security policy on Africa. It will analyze continuities and discontinuities between the Bush and Obama administrations’ security cooperation with African countries. The paper will also analyze US military operations in Africa such as increased drone attacks in Somalia and the ouster of Moummar Khaddafy of Libya that have been carried out under the Obama Administration.

Title:
“Evaluating America’s Perception of Threat of Islamist Terrorism in Nigeria”
Presenter:
Dr. Adebayo Oyebade, Professor of History, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN.
Abstract:
In the prevailing age of transnational terrorism, Africa has increasingly emerged as an important front in the American-led global counterterrorism campaign. Terrorist threats to Western interests are endemic particularly in East and North Africa as well as in the Sahel region of West Africa. Al-Qaida affiliated terrorist organizations have been active in these regions and constitute a threat to Western interests. But Nigeria is also increasingly being perceived by the United States as an emerging threat to its interests. Lately, an Islamist movement, the Boko Haram, has become a major and formidable terrorist group in the country with a professed anti-Western ideology.

Nigeria has always been a major factor in America’s relations with Africa. The most populous nation in Africa, a fledgling democracy, a regional power in the West Africa sub-continent, and a big player in continental affairs, Nigeria is of major strategic value to the United States. Indicative of this, perhaps most glaringly, is bilateral trade: the oil-rich nation is America’s largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa. But in recent times there has been a growing unease in Washington over the possibility of Nigeria becoming a home to al-Qaida terrorist cells. Nigeria first appeared on the front page of global terrorism on Christmas day in 2009 when a Nigerian man, allegedly trained by an al-Qaida group in Yemen, attempted to blow up an American airline as it approached the Detroit airport. This botched act of terrorism prompted Washington to place Nigeria on a terrorist watch-list, a response that fomented diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Since 2010, concern within the American intelligence community has heightened over a likely possibility of Boko Haram striking at western targets in Nigeria. More ominous is the trepidation over the sect’s seemingly growing ability to be a potential threat to American homeland security. The justification for America’s apprehension is mainly two-fold. First, there have been escalated violent terrorist attacks by the sect, once against the United Nations headquarters in Abuja, the country’s capital. That the Nigerian government has been unable to effectively deal with the group and curb its spate of violent terrorist attacks is particularly worrisome to Washington. Second, Boko Haram has, in recent times, acquired more advanced operational capability than it hitherto possessed. Its methods are increasingly more sophisticated, bearing the imprint of al-Qaida. It is generally believed in intelligence circles that Boko Haram is armed, at least partially, by al-Qaida franchise groups in the Islamic Maghreb, and that its fighters receive training in al-Qaida camps in the region. This presentation will discuss the dynamics of U.S.-Nigeria relations in the age of transnational terrorism. It will focus on Boko Haram within the framework of the perception in Washington that the terrorist group may pose a threat to American interests abroad and at home.

Title:
“The Nixon Administration’s Policy towards Ugandan-Indian Refugees in the United States”
Presenter:
Dr. Jyotsna Paruchuri, Professor of Political Science, Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN.
Abstract:
The gruesome acts of Idi Amin are already etched in history as one of the most cruel dictatorships. Indeed Idi Amin likened himself to Adolf Hitler. True to such description of the self, his actions were brutal. Thousands of Ugandans were tortured and executed during his dictatorship. Idi Amin was more of a soldier breed than a politician. However, his ordering of the Asian community to leave Uganda in a relatively short time was a move to play the ‘ethnic card’ to gain popularity among his people.

Most of Africa was under colonial rule until 1960s and 70s. No sooner had these countries gained their independence from European powers than they fell to brutal dictatorships. During this period US interests were centered on Vietnam; consequently, there was little interest in African issues. In Uganda, the Asian minorities comprised of Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis, who were ordered by Idi Amin to leave the country within a short span of time. Many of them were long-time settlers in the country, considering themselves Ugandans. While many held British passports, others had no state to claim as their own. For the US, the immediate problem with regard to the situation in Uganda was to evacuate US citizens. As for the soon to be refugees, this was not an American priority. In the case of Africa, did the U.S. renege on Miss Liberty’s ideal of ‘give me your tired and poor’?

Title:
“Strange Bedfellows: The Violence of Ordering and Othering in US Foreign Policy and African Landscapes”
Presenter:
Dr. Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, Associate Professor, Department of Politics, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY.
Abstract:
Some of the contemporary social (dis)orders with which we wrestle in Africa are obviously closely connected to the imperial authority and contradictions embedded for instance, in Euro-American discursive claims to the use of interventional violence for the installation of democracy, development, anti-terror securitization and human rights. The continental landscape certainly bears the religious, racial, economic and socio-cultural imprints of the policies and interests of the US, Europe, the Middle East and now China. These extremely significant foreign interests and influences however are not the main focus of this piece. I am more concerned here with excavating the ways in which certain other critical domestic sociopolitical and historical frameworks in Africa intersect with these external influences to shape the emergent turbulent landscapes in the continent. Consequently, I argue that the local transmutative politics of collective memory, power and identity, functioning in tandem with the in-pressing violence of a hierarchical global system that is structured around the othering and ordering of economic, social and political reality, will generate seismic shifts along national fracture lines of culture, religion and other webs of collective self-identification in several African countries including Nigeria. Caught in its own contradictory impulses and interests in the African continent, current US foreign policy is likely to evoke greater volatility because of this uneasy intersection of global and local hierarchies, interests, identities and alliances.

Title:
“Broadcasting and the Cold War: The Establishment of U.S. Monitoring Stations in Nigeria on the eve of Independence”
Presenter:
Dr. Ibikunle H. Tijani, Professor of History and Dean, Faculty of Arts and Education, Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, Nigeria.
Abstract:
The Cold War was fought without a major or global war. Rather, it was largely a war of words, verbal, print, and proactive efforts to win hearts and minds on both sides of the ideological spectrum. In British West Africa, the United States pursued constructive verbal and propagandist rhetoric through the media, particularly the broadcasting network. The Voice of America (VOA) was actively engaged in winning hearts and minds of West Africans in the ideological battle with the Soviet Union. This presentation is an analysis of the events leading to the establishment of VOA stations in Nigeria on the eve of independence in 1960. It is an analytical narrative of the politics and process, and the significance of the venture as seen by senior Anglo-American officials and Nigerian politicians before independence. The presentation will fill the gap in the study of Anglo-American anticommunism before 1960 in Nigeria in particular, and in British West Africa in general.