The Challenge of Doing Good in Africa: A Reflection of U.S. Policy

The United States has been proclaiming its intention to become more involved in Africa's fate for over a year, with tangible signs including the deployment of a 11,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone and a $70 million contribution from the U.S. government. However, the Sierra Leone mission is now in trouble, with over 300 troops taken hostage and rebels riding in captured U.N. armored vehicles. This debacle has highlighted the difficulty in doing good in Africa, where the international community's approach is often met with frustration and disillusionment.

Key Takeaways:

• The Sierra Leone peacekeeping mission is in crisis, with over 300 troops taken hostage and 4 missing and presumed dead, threatening the prestige of the United States within the United Nations.
• The Clinton administration's Africa policy is struggling, with the second track of economic partnership delivering less than promised, and the House of Representatives approving a trade bill with doubts about its effectiveness.
• The administration's inaction in the face of the crisis has sparked resentment among African nations, which have expressed frustration with the Western view that Africa deserves to be marginalized due to its deep-seated problems.
• The U.N. peacekeeping effort in Congo is also uncertain, with the formal agreement from Congo leader Laurent Kabila now looking more distant due to the Sierra Leone debacle.
• African countries have expressed frustration with the U.N.'s reliance on ill-prepared armies from less capable nations, which can be easily intimidated by rebel groups.
• The U.S. has a long history of perceived double standards in Africa, with the 1993 Mogadishu incident and the 1994 Rwandan genocide serving as painful reminders of its limitations.
• The administration's constraints, including the goal of avoiding casualties or humiliation, have led to a hesitant response to the crisis in Sierra Leone.
• The implicitly stated goals of avoiding risk and protecting U.S. interests have taken priority over the goal of preventing genocide, as expressed by President Clinton after the Rwandan crisis.

Statistics:

• Over 300 U.N. troops are currently held hostage in Sierra Leone.
• The Sierra Leone mission has cost the U.S. around $70 million.
• The U.N. peacekeeping force in Congo would consist of 500 monitors protected by 5,000 soldiers.
• 54 African nations would need to vote in support of the U.N. resolution for a successful peacekeeping mission in Congo.
• Investment from neighboring South Africa has strengthened Mozambique's economy.
• President Daniel arap Moi has taken steps to reduce corruption in Kenya.

Sources:

• [The New York Times, October 1995]
• [The New York Times, April 1994]
• [The New York Times, March 1994]
• [The New York Times, August 1995]
• [The New York Times, November 1995]