Tag Archives: Somalia

The U.S.-Polish Alliance / Elections in Côte d’Ivoire / Soccer in Cyprus

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President Obama and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-Polish alliance. Alassane Ouattara has legitimately been elected president of Côte d’Ivoire and needs to be respected, says Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice. The U.S. urges calm after controversial elections in Haiti. China has a critical role to play in reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. is working with other nations to confront piracy off the coast of Somalia. Learn about the Iran Primer and the International Writing Program. And, finally, American soccer stars visit Cyprus.

The U.S.-Polish Alliance
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President Obama and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski meet in the Oval Office and reaffirm their commitment to expanding defense cooperation, supporting greater economic links and promoting democracy in Europe and globally. Additionally, they call for U.S. and Russian ratification of the New START arms reduction treaty, which Komorowski, left, says is “the investment in the better and safer future.”


The Vote in Côte d’Ivoire
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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice says a communiqué from the Economic Community of West African States backs Côte d’Ivoire’s Independent Electoral Commission’s declaration that Alassane Ouattara is the country’s legitimately elected president. Ouattara “has been elected,” she says, and “he needs to be respected.”

U.S. Urges Calm After Haiti Vote
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The Obama administration calls for calm in Haiti as irregularities and complaints stemming from the country’s November 28 presidential election are reviewed. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley says the United States and others in the international community “stand ready to support efforts to thoroughly review irregularities so that the final electoral results are consistent with the will of the Haitian people.”

U.S., China to Meet on North Korea
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Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg is leading a high-level team of officials to Beijing for talks with senior Chinese officials about Northeast Asian security and recent hostile acts by North Korea. “China has a critical role to play” in reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, says Steinberg.

Confronting Somali Pirates
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The United States is working with more than 60 nations and international organizations to confront piracy off the coast of Somalia, a problem that has threatened the development, peace, security and stability of eastern Africa.

The Iran Primer
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Journalist Robin Wright asked more than 50 experts from government, universities and think tanks, from the United States and the Middle East, to help her educate Americans about modern Iran. The resulting chapters became the Iran Primer.

When Writing Meets Dance
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An international group of writers had their words interpreted by the CityDance Ensemble of Washington as part of the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa. “We represent a united nations of writers,” says Christopher Merrill, director of the IWP, “and we are always looking for connections among readers, writers, audiences, and translators.”

American Soccer Stars in Cyprus
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Through the U.S. Department of State’s Sports Envoy program, former U.S. men’s national players Tony Sanneh and Sasha Victorine led soccer clinics for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot youths during a coaching trip to Cyprus. “Soccer is one of the universal languages that allow us to communicate with people from all over the world,” says Sanneh. At right, Victorine high-fives young players.

U.S. Pakistan Talks / A Cholera Outbreak in Haiti / The U.S. Vote

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The United States and Pakistan continue strategic talks. Health officials fear an outbreak of Cholera in Haiti could spread, read what the United States is doing to help. The rule of law in Latin America is on the agenda at a conference in California. The U.S. government is turning to American farms for fuel. Somalia needs more international help. And, we’ve got a pair of reports about the coming elections in the United States.

U.S.-Pakistan Dialogue
The latest round of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue demonstrates a commitment to strengthening the relationship between the two countries based on values, mutual respect, trust and interests, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. “We came together in this Strategic Dialogue to discuss how to help the Pakistani people in the areas that Pakistani people themselves had identified as their more important concerns,” Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said. Aat right, Clinton and Qureshi at an earlier meeting.

Fighting Cholera in Haiti
The U.S. government is working rapidly to respond to a cholera outbreak in northwestern Haiti that officials fear could lead to a country-wide epidemic.

Democracy in Latin America
In California, at a conference of Latin American leaders, the focus was not on past triumphs, but on the issues and challenges that many countries face today in strengthening democracy and the rule of law.

U.S. Calls for More Somalia Aid
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson says more countries need to contribute troops and assets to the African Union Mission in Somalia. He says allowing Somalis to simply fight amongst themselves “is in no one’s interest.”

From Fields to Fuel Tanks
The U.S. government plans to ramp up production and consumption of biofuels to help lessen the country’s dependence on foreign oil, and to create new jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

U.S. Prepping for Midterms
On November 2, Americans will cast their ballots in midterm elections that will determine who will represent them in the 112th Congress, scheduled to convene in January 2011. In electing a new Congress every two years, American voters decide who will speak for them in crafting legislation, determining government spending and overseeing the activities of the executive branch.

U.S. Voters as Decision Makers
When Americans vote in the midterm elections, they will select their future leaders and decide a wide range of ballot issues, including how their taxes are spent or what rights their state constitutions guarantee.

A Recovery Prescription || Afghan Refugees || Iranian Art

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Federal Reserve Chairman Benjamin Bernanke has a prescription for economic recovery. The Obama administration is offering new help for Afghan refugees. The U.S. Treasury Department delays a report on Chinese currency.  U.S. and Mexican authorities are taking new steps against methane, carbon’s evil cousin. Pirates present a threat to maritime enterprises worldwide. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon calls for cooperation on food security. And meet an American film maker with an eye for Iranian art.

Ingredients for Recovery
Sustained expansion of the U.S. economy must ultimately be driven by exports and growth in consumer spending and investments, says Federal Reserve Chairman Benjamin Bernanke. “Overall economic growth has been proceeding at a pace that is less vigorous than we would like,” says Bernanke, right.

Helping Afghan Refugees 
The Obama administration has pledged an additional $1 million dollars to help rehabilitate areas of Pakistan that have been affected by Afghan refugees. The funds will go to improve social services and infrastructure for both Afghan refugee and local Pakistani communities.

China Currency Report Delayed
The United States Treasury delayed publishing a report on China’s currency policies until after the Group of 20 advanced economies meets in Seoul November 11. The U.S. has been concerned that China may have been manipulating its currency, the renminbi or yuan, against the U.S. dollar to gain an unfair trade advantage.

The Other Greenhouse Gas
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has teamed with Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and 36 other countries to renew the push to rein in emissions of methane, a colorless hydrocarbon gas with a heat-trapping capacity 20 times that of carbon dioxide.

Piracy, a Global Threat
Maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia is a global challenge and the international community must step forward to help, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson says.

A Call to Ensure Food Security
At the 36th annual Committee on World Food Security, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon echoed a call by U.S. leaders for a comprehensive and cooperative approach to ensure food security for the 925 million hungry people in the world.

Exploring Iranian Women’s Art
American Filmmaker Robert Adanto says he is fascinated by the Iranian art featured in his new documentary Pearls on the Ocean Floor, but even more by the women who have created that art and their view of the Iranian society in which they live — or which they have left behind. Adanto, right, says, “For me, just the act of creating — of painting, of sculpting, of dancing — that’s humanity at its best. It’s our elevated self,” and that the female Iranian artists he features in his film are creating at great odds.

 

Death in Somalia, Environmentalists in Haiti and Iftars in Washington

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The U.S. condemns a deadly attack in Mogadishu. Aid workers are doing their best to protect the environment as they struggle to resettle Haiti. Unsafe water causes more deaths each year than wars; read what the U.S. and the United Nations are doing about it. There’s a new climate change center taking shape in Indonesia. And, finally, take a look inside Washington D.C.’s diverse Muslim community during the celebration of Ramadan.

An “Outrageous” Attack in Somalia
Obama administration officials condemn an attack on a Mogadishu hotel that reportedly left 30 dead, including six parliament members in Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government. The al-Shabaab militant group claims responsibility for the attack at the Muna Hotel, right. John Brennan, the president’s assistant for counterterrorism and homeland security, says U.S. officials “are saddened today by the loss of life” and said the United States will continue to partner with countries in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere against terrorism and violent extremists.

Considering the Environment as Haiti Resettles
As the U.S. Agency for International Development helps meet the tremendous demand for housing in Haiti after the January 12 earthquake, authorities are seeking resettlement sites that can offer improved living conditions with minimal impact on the environment.

Delivering Safe Drinking Water
The United States has boosted spending to help meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of cutting in half by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Droughts and floods affect more people than all other natural disasters combined, and unsafe water causes more deaths than wars, according to the World Health Organization. More than 1.7 million lives are lost each year from the consequences of living without potable water and having no place to dispose of waste.

A Climate Center for Indonesia
A center to help Indonesia meet its pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 26 percent by 2020 is taking shape with initial funding of $7 million from the United States under the U.S.-Indonesian Comprehensive Partnership announced in June.

An Iftar for Everyone
In Washington, D.C., the month of Ramadan is celebrated with evening iftars in homes, restaurants and mosques. The diversity of the area’s Muslim community means that regardless of personal traditions, there is an iftar for everyone. “In D.C., there’s stuff going on every single night,” says Mannal Bakhsh, who has lived in the area her entire life. “You don’t have to go to a mosque. You can go to a friend’s house; you can go to a restaurant.”

Telecom Business Makes Money, Brings Peace

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Nasra Malin is one of many entrepreneurs who recently attended the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in Washington. She is co-founder and chief financial officer of NationLink Telecom, a phone company in Somalia.

Jennifer Bunting-Graden works as an associate attorney with a multinational law firm in Atlanta. She was born in Sierra Leone, where she is trying to set up a joint venture.

Nasra Malin

Nasra Malin

Nasra Malin:
I was one of six entrepreneurs who, in 1997, founded NationLink Telecom in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia… and the center of violence in our country. We were not sure if we would survive, first because there were three established telecom companies and, second, because the security challenge was tremendous.

But we invested in the business hoping to make profits and bring stability to our country.

NationLink has become a major telecom operator in Somalia, offering wireless and fixed-line services to 300,000 customers. It employs 1,500 people. With two other companies, we formed Global Internet Company, to provide Internet access.

Still, the fast-growing telecom industry in Somalia is fiercely competitive — competitors are hostile at times. Also, in a country with no strong central authority, we must protect our business. We have more than 600 security people, which is not the ideal solution. We know that someone somewhere will try to extort money if we need work done. We usually pay, because if we fight them, someone may get killed and, at the end of the day, the work may still not be done.

As the only woman among company executives, I face unique challenges. (In Somalia, women are rarely in business circles; you hardly see them at the executive level.) I was prepared though, because, when young, I worked at my family’s businesses and learned to think independently. At NationLink, I have tried to achieve the same or better results than my male co-workers. I led a middle-management team with little difficulty. This helped me to bring more educated women into the company.

I and other successful women want to be role models. We hope girls and young women in schools and universities, seeing us succeed, dare to search for new opportunities and feel empowered to seize them.

Jennifer Bunting-Graden

Jennifer Bunting-Graden

Jennifer Bunting-Graden:
Ms. Malin and other founders of NationLink Telecom have it exactly right that entrepreneurship, investment and job opportunities within a community can serve as a catalyst for peace and development. NationLink is an example of the new breed of homegrown entrepreneurial ventures in developing countries, which not only seek profits, but also embrace the responsibility for driving the development of their respective economies. Although NationLink has a profit-making purpose, its business by its nature helps facilitate peace by creating jobs, providing access to information and improving the quality of life. And just by being there in the middle of a chaotic environment in which the company operates may provide some measure of stability.

But dealing with challenges of security and poor infrastructure in countries affected by conflicts is no small feat, and adds to business ventures the dimension unknown to entrepreneurs in our country. As Ms. Malin indicates, basic institutions and processes vital to the success of any business such as the rule of law are less often the norm in countries that lack stability.

Ms. Malin’s personal story of success in a male-dominated environment and the positive impact her career has had on other women in her country illustrate another value of homegrown entrepreneurship. Women generally form the backbone of society in developing countries, and it follows that developing countries will be successful when local women are given the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Pirate to Reporter: “Arghhhh! Next Question.”

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The importance of good media relations has long been understood by politicians, corporate leaders and philanthropists, but it seems pirates, even from an impoverished country like Somalia, are becoming media-savvy in the 21st century, with prepared talking points and authorized spokesmen (spokespirates?).

After the Ukrainian vessel Faina and its crew were hijacked in Somali waters on September 25, the New York Times’ Nairobi-based reporter Jeffrey Gettleman obtained the pirates’ satellite telephone number from a high-level Kenyan contact involved with efforts to bring the incident to a peaceful end.

Gettleman recalled, “It was probably my 50th call. The line had always been busy. Or the phone had been shut off.  But on Tuesday [September 30] morning, someone actually picked up.”  The reporter asked, “Can I speak to the pirate spokesman, please?”

He was actually able to talk to several pirates but was told “in no uncertain terms” that Sugule Ali “was the only pirate allowed to be quoted. Or else.”

For everything Gettleman asked, Sugule seemed to have a ready answer, comparing his band of pirates to a sort of Somali “coast guard,” whose goal is simply $20 million in cash which they claim would be used to buy themselves food.  “[W]e have a lot of men and it will be divided amongst all of us,” Sugule said.

Piracy has been a growing problem off the Somali coast for years, with nearly 30 hijackings in 2008.  But the Faina incident has heightened international attention and prompted the intervention of both the U.S. and Russian navies because the vessel is loaded with armaments, including tanks and grenade launchers.  Sugule was able to turn the cargo into a talking point by claiming the hijacking aimed to inhibit arms trafficking and prevent the weapons from reaching war-torn Somalia.  (See transcript.)

Mark Fitzgerald of Editor and Publisher said the notion that pirates now have public relations flacks who can set the rules over who can and can’t be quoted “deserves a place in the history of journalism.”

“And just what are the ethics of dealing with a pirate? … Aren’t the rules turned upside down?” he asked.   But Gettleman “played fair, and that’s probably all to the good for next journalists who have to deal with, you know, pirates.”

The situation certainly says something about the power of the press, but where do journalists draw the line between informing the public and providing a public platform for criminal activity?