One must give it to the man; he has made it from the most humble background.
His list of achievements in the most powerful country in the world have not been
matched by most Americans from such a socio-economic background not to mention
someone with the additional disadvantage of being black in a white man’s world.
Powell had one more detracting factor, the son of immigrants from the West
Indies, not exactly a member of the black aristocracy, but a family stepping on
the first rung of the ladder towards the American dream.
First black Chief of Joint Staff and then first black Secretary of State. In the
event of the untimely demise of the President and Vice President, although the
US Constitution is rather vague on the issue, Colin Powell could be the next
President. Indeed if his family had not dissuaded him from standing, he could
have stood against Clinton and won, such was his appeal to middle America, the
African-American who has made the American dream. This progress must be seen in
the context of a unipolar world where as a result of the decline of the Soviet
Union and globalisation, the US has unprecedented sway over the entire globe, a
situation even the British did not achieve. Three quarters of the world may have
been painted red but the dictat of the British directly affected the daily lives
only a very small proportion of the indigenous populations governed. Co-opted
aristocrats did most of the work on behalf of their British masters through the
indirect rule policy. In this global village we now live in, US dominance,
militarily, politically, economically and culturally is evident even in the most
remote corner of the world. This is a scenario in which the 2nd most powerful
person in the world, Mr Powell, operates.
The issue is, is Colin Powell the embodiment of the African-American dream or
has he been put there to detract from a party whose principles and policies
invariable harm the African-American community. Republican policies favour the
rich whereas although a handful of African-Americans are included in this group,
the overwhelming proportion of the group tends to lose out to rich constituents,
mostly non-African-American. The party tends to attract gun toting, radical
right wing types who view the federal government and its programmes aimed at
alleviating centuries of neglect for disadvantaged groups as a meddling
interventionist behemoth. Certainly Colin does not have a political base in the
African-American community, he is no Reverend Jesse Jackson. He comes out as the
all-American hero, who has not made a significant effort to adhere himself to
his race or the continent where he hails from.
Among his colleagues Powell is viewed as the least unilateralist in a cabinet
dominated by right wing unilateralists who do want not take into account the
complexities of world politics. He has been described as a dove and the most
sensitive to the anxieties that countries have expressed on issues like “the
axis of evil” concept and the decision to complete an unfinished business,
namely, getting rid of the Tyrant, Saddam Hussein. In the Israeli/Palestinian
conflict, there was a sigh of relief among many world leaders when Powell was
sent to do Bush’s dirty work. Here was a statesman who was sensitive to the
position of many world leaders, namely, that the outside world must be seen to
be fair to both parties. Here was a man who comes from a race that has had its
fair share of persecution who would have some empathy with the Palestinian
underdog.
The question one must ask therefore is what does Powell stand for? Is he a dove?
Is he really a subscriber to the multilateral approach to world events? Can he
really empathise with the underdog? Is he doing anything to alleviate the dire
situation that most people from his original “homeland” live in? The answers to
this questions may never be known because the decision making process is never
transparent enough and the spin-doctors do there their utmost to neutralise on
and off record reports. The public face of Powell in the recent article with The
Guardian gives the impression that he is one of the boys, a true hawk, and a
unilateralist. Was that Powell for real, or had he been pumped and primed to do
the wishes of his master(s).
As an African I find it very disturbing that the second most powerful man in the
world can ally himself with the hard right, a group not known for its compassion
except under the Christian banner. Half a century ago Mr Secretary of State
would have been denied a seat at the front of the bus in Alabama, he would
probably have been lynched for being too “uppity” (intelligent and/or proud).
With all the strides made by African-Americans they still have some way to go,
centuries of oppression do not get wiped out in half a century. This is the main
reason why we expect Powell to empathise with the disadvantaged in the US and
with the oppressed people in the world.
I would like to see Powell be a real force of compassion in the cabinet, to have
an understanding of the underdog, My ideal Powell would fight for a diversion of
funds away from the overloaded military budget to programmes that alleviate
oppressive poverty in poor countries where the vast majority of the world
reside, in particular, in the land of his origin, Africa. A Secretary of State
that would encourage US companies to increase investment in the continent.
I realise that realpolitik suggests that he pays attention to the major trading
partners of the US, the countries and regions, which that country regards as its
strategic partners. But why should one of our own not do more for Africa. The US
has provided significant assistance to Europe thrice in this century, during the
first and second World Wars and the Marshall aid subsequent to the latter. Yes
it was because Europe was and is a major trading partner but I suspect it is
also because most Americans can trace their roots to Europe. Well it’s about
time that Africa received its Marshall aid, rather our Powell Plan Powell.
Detractors would say you cannot have a black Republican that rises to his level
without selling a bit of your shade, your soul. That’s what it takes to pass, to
make it in the big, bad, white world. Secretary of State, prove them wrong, that
you see the world beyond the prisms of US “interest” narrowly defined by the
hawks. In particular, make Africa a major US partner, you owe it to your race.
Boima Rogers
boima@logafrica.com
LogAfrica.com is a website that provides news and information on Africa as well
as having one of the most extensive databases on companies and organisations in
Africa and beyond, with an emphasis on travel, transport and general logistics.