kenneth harrow
professor emeritus
dept of english
michigan state university
517 803-8839
harrow@msu.edu
Sent: Tuesday, August 1, 2023 12:20 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Coups
--Also, i wonder why france, ex-colonizer, maintained such strong neocolonial ties in africa, whereas england didn't. Or if it did, i didn't really see it or learn much about it.The germans seemed the least intrusive, of major european powers.Ken
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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jibrin Ibrahim <jibrinibrahim891@gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2023 7:51:41 AM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - CoupsI think we agree in substance.
Professor Jibrin IbrahimSenior FellowCentre for Democracy and Development, AbujaFollow me on twitter @jibrinibrahim17
--On Mon, 31 Jul 2023 at 10:14, Harrow, Kenneth <harrow@msu.edu> wrote:
--hi jibrini didn't say neocolonial control ended; i said neocolonialism changed, and that change gradually became important with imf world bank loans in the 80s and then with france becoming incorporated into the EU and so on.i also gave an example of the continuation of french economic and military presence in the sahel down till now.i certainly agree with your statement that they were gradually losing their grip; though how much, i can't say with certainty.i do not agree with any perception that replacing the french with wagner represents any improvement; but the question of the wars in the sahel is complex, and isn't reductible to simple claims re islamism.maybe we can discuss that later.what struck me was the Monde piece on russian trolls actively trying to shape public opinion in the region. on top of wagner's colonialist rapacity i found the russian entry into africa really despicable.that has nothing to do with excusing french attempts to sustain control over food production, etc; or with chinese dealmaking either.ken
kenneth harrow
professor emeritus
dept of english
michigan state university
517 803-8839
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jibrin Ibrahim <jibrinibrahim891@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 30, 2023 2:21 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Cc: Ogedi Ohajekwe <gedyged@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - CoupsI do not agree that French neo-colonial control ended in the seventies. Recall the recent agreement between Cote d'Ivoire and France to confiscate the ECO from ECOWAS and keep under French control, the massive numbers of French forces in Chad and Niger after they were chased out of Mali and Burkina. France has been losing its grip over time but they are not yet out.
Professor Jibrin IbrahimSenior FellowCentre for Democracy and Development, AbujaFollow me on twitter @jibrinibrahim17
--On Sun, 30 Jul 2023 at 19:07, 'Emeagwali, Gloria (History)' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
--"France was once the neocolonial power you describe in the 1960s and 1970s. but that changed, and changed again. At this point all the players mentioned above are collectively less significantly invested in africa than is china.
as for the use of french troops, they were not alone, and were unable to stop the collective fighting in the sahel, some of which concerned jihadists, some of which concerned local power struggles having nothing to do with islam. france and the u.s. were interested in islam, and thus in propping up the various failed regimes."
So are we to equate military and politicalmanipulation with economicinvestment ? Is the situation in theSahel totally identical with that of otherregions of Africa? The last statementsounds like a lame concession - a pieceof carrot pulled from a magician'shat - after a failed Francophile cover -up attempt.
Vietnam was part of the French Indo-China empire until the ignominousFrench defeat at the Battle ofĐiện Biên Phủ in 1954 .Uncle Samdecided to join the fray - beforesuffering its own tragic losses.The battles were sequential in
the case of Vietnam.In the Sahel, the battle is againsta hydra-headed creature joined atthe neck but whose main anatomybelow the neck is France.That would change of course, anda reconfiguration is in themaking.
Professor Gloria Emeagwali
Prof. of History/African Studies, CCSU
africahistory.net; vimeo.com/ gloriaemeagwali
Recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Research
Excellence Award, Univ. of Texas at Austin;
2019 Distinguished Africanist Award
New York African Studies Association
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Ogedi Ohajekwe <gedyged@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2023 8:43 AM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - CoupsEXTERNAL EMAIL: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click any links or open any attachments unless you trust the sender and know the content is safe.
While agreeing that the owners of the house "are not (completely) that helpless", what if the house was designed, the materials selected and built by the "intruders", on cracked stones?And they have relentlessly been supervising?--
—-Ogedi
On Jul 29, 2023, at 4:07 AM, 'Michael Afolayan' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Ken -
I wouldn't say France is totally absolved from the political imbroglios ever-present in Francophone African nations, as Jibrin alluded. But my own position is, so what? If anyone would be blamed on such neocolonial interventions, the blame should go to the leaderships of those African nations. The Yoruba often say, "Without a cracked wall the lizard cannot infiltrate the house." France cannot crash into the walls of African nations today if some folks in the leadership did not open the doors, windows, or even crack the walls of their own nations themselves, inviting the intruders directly or indirectly. We are not that helpless!
It's my novice viewpoint and I stand corrected.
MOA
--On Friday, July 28, 2023, 10:48:48 PM GMT+1, Harrow, Kenneth <harrow@msu.edu> wrote:
dear jibrini believe this description is 40-50 years out of date: you wrote:
The problem with France's ruthless neo-colonial control of its African colonies is the lack of any redeeming features. It's a long litany of narratives about removing and often killing successive presidents who have sought to liberate their countries from the neo-colonial stranglehold and replacing them with puppets. France would not even allow their neo-colonies pretend to be independent by running their national currencies and public treasuries. Key ministries would often be run directly by French technocrats.
at one time it was true. i don't see it as accurate for today, or for franco-african relations since maybe the 1980s.
further, i believe you ignore the larger sway of the U.S. who had bases in Niger, and the much larger sway of the WOrld Bank and IMF, again with U.S. interests, but also EU interests.france was once the neocolonial power you describe in the 1960s and 1970s. but that changed, and changed again. At this point all the players mentioned above are collectively less significantly invested in africa than is china.
as for the use of french troops, they were not alone, and were unable to stop the collective fighting in the sahel, some of which concerned jihadists, some of which concerned local power struggles having nothing to do with islam. france and the u.s. were interested in islam, and thus in propping up the various failed regimes.
ken
kenneth harrow
professor emeritus
dept of english
michigan state university
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu>
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2023 2:20 PM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - CoupsDear Jibrin:You have been on writing on the Sahel, like a prophet.Get Outlook for iOS
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jibrin Ibrahim <jibrinibrahim891@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2023 7:43:24 AM
To: 'chidi opara reports' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Coups----Coup in Niger: Not Again
Jibrin Ibrahim, Deepening Democracy Column, Daily Trust, 28 July 2023
The Wednesday coup in Niger finally succeeded at midnight with soldiers announcing on national TV the dissolution of the Constitution, Parliament and Government. Sigh…. This makes it the sixth country in the West Africa region to experience a coup since August 2020. Adding Chad makes it the seventh. Early on Wednesday morning, it had been reported that President Mohammed Bazoum had been held in the presidential palace by his own presidential guard. It appeared the guard then had to negotiate with the regular army while shooting in the air to keep anti coup protesters at bay. President Bola Tinubu sent a strong message to the putschists warning them that West Africa was no longer willing to tolerate coups. He also consulted with President Patrice Talon of Benin Republic who is acting as mediator with the military. The US, France, UN, ECOWAS and African Union also condemned the coup calling for a return to status quo.
The coup might be much more about the new battle for geopolitical control of world politics than about Niger and democracy per se. The tradition of French (and Western) political control of Francophone Africa has been under bombardment in the last three years. The French army has been thrown out of Mali and Burkina Faso and have moved into Niger and of course Chad as the last stronghold of France's neo-colonial military presence in the zone. Meanwhile, public opinion has turned very strongly against France in the Sahel. The people of Niger have been demonstrating, demanding for the expulsion of the French forces but both former President Mahamadou Issoufou and the current Bazoum have remained resolutely with France, against the trend of popular opinion. The military in Niger would be aware about the possible temporary legitimacy they could get by sending France out of Niger. In that sense, the coup was always on the cards. There is no surprise therefore to hear from the coup plotters that a plane load of French paratroopers arrived in Niamey yesterday morning in spite of the announced border closure but have been contained in the airport.
The problem with France's ruthless neo-colonial control of its African colonies is the lack of any redeeming features. It's a long litany of narratives about removing and often killing successive presidents who have sought to liberate their countries from the neo-colonial stranglehold and replacing them with puppets. France would not even allow their neo-colonies pretend to be independent by running their national currencies and public treasuries. Key ministries would often be run directly by French technocrats.
Then Russia came in from the cold and realised that with minimal propaganda efforts and a use of a few social media influencers, they could turn the tide of public opinion against France and dangle Wagner aa a viable mercenary force that could do exactly what a new anti-French leadership wants. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. The geo-politics of the Russia-Ukraine war and the battle between the old regressive hegemonists – the United States and its allies and the emerging hegemonists – Russia, China and their allies is being fought out in West Africa and therein lies the challenge; Africa must learn to play its own strategic game rather than play second fiddle to the game of thrones of the others.
Yesterday, a number of citizens of ECOWAS, drawn from civil society organizations, the private sector, political parties, unions, religious and lay movements, women and youth associations met in Abuja to review the overall state of affairs in the ECOWAS Region and the prospects of realization of the collective vision of democracy and integration for "an ECOWAS of peoples". The forum noted that after the wave of democratization of the 1990s that raised a lot of hope, the West African region is undergoing democratic regression with an erosion of individual and collective freedoms in a context of growing instability in relation to recurrent socio-political crises and violent extremism. The forum called upon ECOWAS to carry out reforms, including the reform of its Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance to save the democratic gains made in the 1990s and put a stop to growing instability.
If the geopolitics of others is taking over our region, it's partly because we have been allowing our democracy to rot from within. Indeed, in West Africa, the desire for tenure elongation is increasingly marked among incumbent presidents and democratic alternation of power is an increasingly distant prospect in many countries, thus erasing the democratic norms and standards as prescribed by the Supplementary Protocol and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
Although 80% of the peoples of the region are opposed to the confiscation of political power by third termers; in Togo the President is currently exercising his 4th term in power and preparing for a fifth term next year – 25 years in power by the end of his fifth term. In Côte d'Ivoire, 81-year-old President Alasane Ouattara is exercising his 3rd term and will achieve 15 years at the head of the state. In Guinea, it required a coup d'état to disrupt the regime of the 85-year-old Alpha Conde during his 3rd term. In Senegal, the President has just given up his third term bid after massive mobilisation against him. Let us not forget that the rigging of elections precipitated the Malian coup while third term was the reason for the coup in Guinea. When the political class debases democracy, the open doors for coup plotters.
West Africa must close its doors to the three coups – military takeover, constitutional coups for third term and electoral coup based on massive electoral fraud. The democratic culture of periodic alternation at the head of States promotes accountability and better management of public finances. In 2015 and 2022, ECOWAS had almost succeeded in the reform to make the principle of two-term limit an intangible rule of governance. Each time, the process was stopped by a few Heads of State with anti-democratic agendas - those of Togo and Gambia in 2015 and Togo, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal in 2022. As we head towards its 50th anniversary, it is time for ECOWAS to make the decision that term limits must be enshrined in golden letters in the ECOWAS Supplementary Protocol and imposed on all, including gerontocrats who want to rule forever.
Professor Jibrin IbrahimSenior FellowCentre for Democracy and Development, AbujaFollow me on twitter @jibrinibrahim17
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