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ThisWeekGhana.com becomes the D-O-T
before the dot com
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Commentary Page
We invite commentaries from writers all over. The subject is about
Ghana and the world. We reserve the right to accept or reject
submissions, but we are not necessarily responsible for the opinions
expressed in articles we publish......MORE
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The 2008 State of America’s
Union
E. Ablorh-Odjidja, Ghanadot
President Bush delivered yesterday his State of the Nation
address that some regard as one of the best in the history of
his nation.
Days and hours before the speech, there was some apprehension as
to what the tone of it would be. This being his last year in
office, it could be as tame as in “lame duck” some thought. As
it turned out, however, it was bolder than many had anticipated.
This was true with regard to what he had to say about Africa and
the rest of the Third World.
“Protecting our nation from the dangers of a new century
requires more than good intelligence and a strong military.”
President Bush said.
The understanding was he should know more than most about the
threats that America faced during his tenure at the White House
and would continue to face after he had left office.
But Bush, in his speech, responded to these threats in a manner
that was novel; at least so it would seem to those who see him
as a “cowboy”, ready to shoot from the hip instead of
appreciating or understanding the nuances imbedded in these
threats.
His proposal to Congress called for a peaceful approach to a
particular aspect of America's foreign policy that has been
overshadowed by the turmoil in Iraq; one of compassion for the
afflicted and the down-trodden, an approach that, consequently,
should deserve a hearty applause from those whom it would
benefit.
But be sure to hear soon from the “nuanced” community that this
new approach "is still vintage Bush"; a simplistic, silly policy
rather than something that should require years of reading and
thinking before implementation.
In reality, the policy behind it could be described as hard
ball, something akin to the Bush we should know. The only
difference this time was that he was not proposing to use
America’s military might only.
The philosophy behind the new Bush policy could be described as
simple only in the sense that it “requires changing the
conditions that breed resentment and allow extremists to prey on
despair," as he said. And, of course, an approach that
consequentially, he hoped, would free America from the wrath of
suicide-bomber recruiters.
All the same, this proposal should carry huge benefits for many
in Africa.
One aspect of the benefits would be Bush’s Millennium Challenge
Account (MCA), an account aimed to aid needy countries and from
which Ghana gained over half a billion US dollars for
developmental projects in 2005 alone. To put this in
perspective, the Clinton administration’s grant to fight global
HIV/AIDS in the 90s amounted to a paltry $200 million.
As Bush appealed to Congress, the MCA “strengthens democracy,
transparency, and the rule of law in developing nations, and I
ask you to fully fund this important initiative.”
Would those who were vocal against his use America’s military
might in Iraq be silent about this benevolent intent now?
Expect some to describe Bush’s stance on foreign policy so far
as a classic “carrot and stick” approach; or something more
sinister. But considering the problems he delineated in his
speech, what would be the best alternatives and who was it that
was offering them?
"America is leading the fight against global hunger. Today, more
than half the world's food aid comes from the United States. And
tonight, I ask Congress to support an innovative proposal to
provide food assistance by purchasing crops directly from
farmers in the developing world, so we can build up local
agriculture and help break the cycle of famine,” Bush said.
A very huge proposal considering the possible impact it could
have on farmers in places like Africa; a highly innovative way
to help farmers in Africa and the Third World compete fairly in
a global market that has so far not treated them fairly. It
could also mean that America would not be subsidizing her own
farmers to produce crops that others in Ghana or Africa could
grow cheaply.
Frankly, this “crop purchase approach” could mean the unraveling
of subsidies to farmers in Europe and America.
Bush used his speech to call on America to exercise her
“influence to build a freer, more hopeful, and more
compassionate world” because doing so would be a “reflection of
our national interest; it is the calling of our conscience.”
Hence, he asked Congress to double the “initial commitment to
fighting HIV/AIDS by approving an additional $30 billion over
the next five years.” His administration has already spent 18
billion on the same project between 2003 and 2008.
Of course, Bush’s detractors also heard in his speech something
that would exercise their angst when he called on Americans to
oppose “genocide in Sudan….support freedom in countries from
Cuba and Zimbabwe to Belarus and Burma.”
But the boldest part of his speech came with the appeal for $30
billion to fight HIV/AIDS and Malaria, two harbingers of misery
and death in Africa. The pleasant part was that the fund would
target 17 hard hit countries in the world, eleven of which could
be found in Africa.
E.
Ablorh-Odjidja,Publsiher
www.ghanadot.com, Washington, DC, January 29, 2008
Permission to publish: Please feel free to publish or
reproduce, with credits, unedited. If posted at a website,
email a copy of the web page to
publisher@ghanadot.com . Or don't publish at all.
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The 2008 State of America’s Union
Commentary, Ghanadot - President Bush delivered yesterday
his State of the Nation address that some regard as one of the
best in the history of his nation.......More |
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Civil engineering company says Job 600
is still solid
Accra, Jan 29, Ghanadot/GNA- Mr
Addo Abedi, Managing Director of Twum Boafo and Partners, a
civil engineering company, said the tower block of the State
House, popularly called Job 600, was solid ......More |
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Supreme Court adjourns Tsatsu's case sine
die
Accra, Jan 29, Ghanadot/GNA - The
Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned sine die the appeal
application brought before it by Tsatsu Tsikata, former Chief
Executive of Ghana National Petroleum Company..... ....More |
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Ministry of Finance signs MOU with contractors
Accra, Jan. 29, Ghanadot/GNA- The Ministry of Finance
and Economic Planning in collaboration with the Ghana Cocoa
Board on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with 31 contractors.. ...More |
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