Editor’s note – The success of the pro-democracy Ethiopian Diaspora, particularly that of the Ethiopian American community – will be measured by how close it has come to convince the US administration to distance itself from the Meles Zenawi regime – a ruling group that has mastered the art of charming the West while deliberately setting up Ethiopia on the course of ethnic conflict and eventual breakup.
ADDIS ABABA — Opening ceremonies were held August 18, 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa for the second U.S. Africa Command Academic Symposium.
Thirty-seven academics from Africa, Europe and the United States have come together to enhance their understanding of U.S. Africa Command and offer their input on how the command can best support peace and stability in Africa.
Co-hosted by U.S. Africa Command and the Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS), the symposium seeks to engage academics with expertise in subject matter areas including history, political science, security studies, civil-military relations, and conflict management.
For four days, participants will assess the ways that Africa Command can best support democratic civil-military relations in Africa and discuss the command’s efforts to assist building security sector capacity in Africa. They also will identify areas of further cooperation between U.S. Africa Command and the academic community.
Celebrating this year the 10th Anniversary of its founding, ACSS is one of five U.S. Department of Defense regional centers that provide strategic-level education to international civilian and military personnel through a combination of multi-week courses, short-term conferences, seminars and workshops, and outreach.
Editor’s note: Is the following message from Gen Willima “Kip” Ward, chief of the United States Africa Command, compatible with Mr. Zenawi’s state-sponsored terrorism?
From Gen William “Kip” Ward
As we build U.S. Africa Command, we want to talk to people about what the U.S. military is doing in Africa. Just as importantly, I want everyone on the staff to also listen and learn. So we have launched a new forum called AFRICOM Dialogue as a way for members of the Africa Command staff to describe what we’re doing.
In the weeks and months ahead, I have told the staff to focus on a few important points:
1. We are building the team. We have the opportunity, vision, and determination to redefine how the U.S. military cooperates with and complements the efforts of its U.S., international, and non governmental partners in Africa.
2. AFRICOM will add value and do no harm to the collective and substantial on going efforts on the Continent.
3. AFRICOM seeks to build partnerships to enable the work of Africans in providing for their own security. Our intent is to build mutual trust, respect, and Confidence with our partners on the Continent and our international friends.
For me, commanding AFRICOM is an honor and privilege. I realize the U.S. military plays only a very small role in the international, inter generational work taking place on the Continent and its island nations. But we want our work to matter, and we want to do our work well. Years from now we want Africans and Americans to be able to say AFRICOM made a difference — a positive difference.
Thank you for visiting the Africa Command website,
General William Kip Ward
Commander, United States Africa Command
