April 21, 2011

AFRICA: IT CAN’T BE IGNORED – With various conflicts in Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Cote D’Ivoire and elsewhere, Africa presents as major a policy challenge as an area of critical importance for the United States and the world. “Africa has emerged as a region that can no longer be ignored in the global quest for peace and security,” said Dr. Jean Ping, the head of the African Union Commission, who was a featured guest April 20 at USIP’s Washington headquarters. Ping was in Washington as part of a series of meetings with top American government officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Attorney General Eric Holder, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, Deputy National Security Adviser Denis McDonough and others.

PING ON RANGE OF ISSUES – At USIP, Ping talked about the Ivory Coast, Libya and Kenya. He touched on the breadth of African Union (AU) engagement in Africa and the peacekeeping roles and other missions the AU has taken on, like attempts to negotiate a ceasefire in Libya. He is particularly critical of the International Criminal Court’s work in Kenya, saying the AU would like a deferral of the ongoing investigations. Ping noted that many Africans believe the ICC targets them.

JON TEMIN’S TAKEAWAY ON AU, LIBYA – Libya remains the biggest area of concern in Africa, even if the country is seen more as Arab than African. And it’s unclear if the AU can play a significant role in Libya. “One of the AU’s principal challenges in Libya is that the major powers, including NATO members, are deeply involved in the situation, so the AU may not be regarded as a significant player,” USIP’s Jon Temin says. “Another challenge is that Libya is often regarded as more Arab than African, and more a part of the Middle East than part of Africa, so the relevance of AU engagement may be questioned.”

BUT THAT SAID... “If the AU is able to broker a meaningful ceasefire in Libya that is accepted by the international community, it would be a major feather in their cap,” Temin says.