subSahara AFRICA

HR 2269 bipartisan McKinney- Rohrabacher Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers takes U.S. weapons out of the hands of dictators & human rights abusers
HR 2415 HRts commitments

subSahara_AFRICAGrands Lacs

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"One other new front for fruitful agitation was opened this summer. Two members of Congress, Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Bernie Sanders, introduced parallel measures to impose new standards on the global system and accountability on US multinationals in their behavior overseas. McKinney's HR 4596, with Sanders and a handful of others as co-sponsors, describes a "corporate code of conduct" that would be enforceable by US law and through civil-damage lawsuits in federal courts. Sanders's "Global Sustainable Development Resolution" H.Res. 479 speaks more broadly to reforming the international institutions and trade agreements, as well as to corporate accountability. Naturally, it's a long slog ahead for either proposal to be taken seriously in Washington, but both represent a promising starting point. The next time you hear a US Representative uttering the usual bromides about globalization, interrupt to ask where he or she stands on McKinney-Sanders.": "Waking up the global elite" Wm Greider The Nation 9/18/00
Activism in the streets led to platitudes in the suites

Ever since Kwame Nkrumah advocated an African High Command to implement conflict resolution, the Organization of African Unity has been wrestling with the question of whether conflict has to be a recurring fact of life in Africa. South Africa's military and economic strength could be the engine for promoting stability and growth in the region.: da Costa, Peter. "Keeping the peace." Africa Report May 1995, v40n3, p. 26- 29

Q. "You wrote about Doug Wilder and Louis Sullivan and Jesse Jackson and Ben Chavis. Why ? "
Mr. RICHBURG: "I was writing about black American leaders, prominent people, people I admire and respect, who, basically, rose to prominence in this country because they were the champions of civil rights. They were the champions of democracy. They were the champion of expanding Americans' rights and liberties to the downtrodden and standing up against repression. I was disillusioned and depressed and angry to see these same prominent figures when they go to Africa not standing up on the side of the people being repressed, standing up on the side of expanding democracy, standing up on the side of liberty, but instead, dining with dictators.

That's not their place. That's not where I wanted to see them. I remember these were the people who largely pushed American policy in favor of the black majority in South Africa. These were people whose demonstrations in front of the South African Embassy largely mobilized American opinion against that horrible apartheid regime in South Africa. Yet, when the repression was on the other side, when it was black govts repressing black people, I didn't see the outrage from these great moral leaders. I didn't see the indignity. I didn't see them out standing up against this kind of repression. And that angered me because I wanted to see them on the correct side, and they were on the wrong side. I wanted to point it out. I asked them when they came out to Africa, `Where is the outrage? Why aren't you out here pushing for more democracy?' I wasn't satisfied with the answers I got, and I quoted them in the book. " Q: "Why do you think they do it, then ? "
Mr. RICHBURG: "A variety of reasons. In some cases, there's not a lot of knowledge about the internal workings of a lot of these African countries. I was on the ground there, could spend some time, figure out there are opposition movements here; this president is actually controlling the media repressing free speech. On the other hand, I also think that there's a feeling that you don't want to talk about these things publicly; you want to keep it in the family. Black people, obviously, would like to see black government succeed. It's a source of pride.

I think there is a feeling blacks have an obligation to support, not condemn, black govts. With some black dictatorships, it's embarrassing to talk about this stuff, to air dirty laundry. But I think that's wrong and I think black American leaders would find that there is a constituency in the U.S. and a constituency among the black community if they stand up for what's right, if they stand up against repression, if they stand up for fairness, if they stand up for free press in Africa, independent judiciaries, and if they get on the right side, if they get on the side of these people power movements springing up now. "
Keith Richburg, author Out Of America