Take Your Counterterrorism Aid to Ethiopia and Shove It!
Today, Africa is a Continent of COMPETING BEGGAR NATIONS. We vie with one another for favours from our former colonial masters; and we deliberately fall over one another to invite neocolonialists to come to our different territories to preside over our economic fortunes…
… We may continue and indeed we will be right to continue to use the power and influence which sovereignty confers, as well as the tactics and manoeuvres which international diplomacy legitimatises, to extract more and more alms from our benefactors. But the inherent evil remains—and it remains with us and with no one else: unless a beggar shakes off and irrevocably turns his back on, his begging habit, he will forever remain a beggar. For, the more he begs the more he develops the beggar characteristics of lack of initiative, courage, drive and self-reliance. — Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Nigerian nationalist, author and statesman in 1967, at the 4th Summit meeting of the Organization of African Unity.
“I have said it before but it bears repeating: Aid is not a gift. The United States provides foreign assistance because it serves OUR interests.”– U.S. Representative Howard Berman (D-CA), September 8, 2011
Foreign aid is a method by which the United States maintains a position of influence and control around the world. John F. Kennedy
USD130 million in counterterrorism/security assistance to Ethiopia cancelled (“temporary pause”) by Trump administration
Last week, Foreign Policy reported, “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has approved a plan to halt U.S. foreign assistance to Ethiopia as the Trump administration attempts to mediate a dispute with Egypt and Sudan over the East African country’s construction of a massive dam on the Nile River. The decision could affect up to nearly $130 million in U.S. foreign assistance to Ethiopia.”
The State Department subsequently explained the decision is merely a “temporary pause” and reflects the Trump administration’s “concern about Ethiopia’s unilateral decision to begin to fill the dam before an agreement and all necessary dam safety measures were in place.”
“Temporary pause” is diplomatic circumlocution (sugar coating) for scrubbed, cancelled!
Whoopty doo!
The “programs that are on the chopping block include security assistance, counterterrorism and military education and training, anti-human trafficking programs, and broader development assistance funding.”
What does all this security and counterterrorism support do?
These programs allegedly “help partner nations build critical capabilities across a wide spectrum of counterterrorism skills and training courses, consultations, mentorships, seminars, and equipment relevant to investigations, border security, protection of critical targets, leadership and management, regional coordination and cooperation, critical incident response and management, and cyber security.”
What does this program do for Ethiopia specifically?
Not much.
What does it do for the U.S.?
Well! All of the training courses, consultations, mentorships, seminars, equipment, etc., are provided by U.S. military institutions and American companies.
They get the lion’s share of the $130 million.
Ethiopia gets crumbs off the $130 million table.
What is Ethiopia’s loss from the cancellation of the so-called $130 million aid?
No much!
The U.S. Army providing the training will be the loser.
The Department of Defense providing the equipment will be the loser.
American security consultants will be the losers!
The fact of the matter is the Antiterrorism Assistance program is an ineffective, disorganized and little scrutinized program. It is a hot mess.
It is administered haphazardly with few monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
The program lacks policies and standards and is applied to all partner countries on the basis of one-size-fit-all approach.
In short, the Antiterrorism Assistance Program is an American taxpayer money pit!
In its May 2020 report, the State Department Inspector General identified there major problems with the Antiterrorism Assistance program in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand: 1) lack of diligence to ensure the monitoring and evaluation process conforms with Department policy; 2) lack of baseline data and performance targets; and 3) lack of sustainability measures and timelines to ensure partner countries could sustain their antiterrorism programs without U.S. Government support.
A 2019 Antiterrorism Assistance Explosive Detection Canine Program identified a range of problems including “an overall lack of policies and standards governing the program.”
A 2016 “Comprehensive Evaluation of the Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) Program” revealed significant problems, including: 1) “Training courses support programmatic goals that feed into regional goals.” 2) There is lack of “prioritization of what goals are fundamental to success (which needs to be specifically defined from country to country) and then refine and correct that analysis based on resources – including the political will of the partner nation – and the tools (courses) available to achieve them. 3) There is lack of “critical analysis necessary to effectively demonstrate how long-term policy goals are being met. 4) “There is very little coordination done by the program. 4) There is lack of engagement between and among agencies involved in the counterterrorism program.
An expert analysis published in May 2020 by the highly influential Center for Strategic and International Studies concluded, “The biggest investments in countering terrorism—underscrutinized security assistance and targeted strikes—have not proved effective at stemming the growth of terror networks across Africa. If the United States wants to reduce the threat of terrorism in Africa, partnerships need to mean much more than just limited counterterrorism objectives.” (Emphasis added.)
What is the loss to American interests in the fight against global terrorism, and especially in the Horn?
What is Ethiopia’s role in the West’s global anti-terrorism agenda?
“Ethiopia’s role as a vital security partner to the West has ensured its continued place on the global counterterrorism agenda.”
Without Ethiopia’s participation in anti-terrorism efforts in the Horn of Africa, America will have to commit tens of thousands of boots to counter Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab and ISIS and the rest of the terrorist groups.
In the July 16, 2020 report, the U.S. Lead Inspector General for East Africa And North And West Africa Counterterrorism Operations reported, “Across the continent, VEO [violent extremist organizations] activity appears to be outpacing U.S., European, and African efforts to counter it.”
Today, the U.S. has at least 29 military bases in Africa, a fact it wants to underplay by claiming the U.S. has “a light footprint in Africa.”
In 2018, Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the AFRICOM commander, told the House Armed Services Committee, “Our posture network allows forward staging of forces to provide operational flexibility and timely response to crises involving U. S. personnel or interests without creating the optic that U. S. Africa Command is militarizing Africa.”
So, Donald Trump can cut his “counterterrorism aid to Ethiopia”. Sooner or later, America will need to expand its military presence in the Horn, build dozens of more bases and fight real and imaginary terrorists. (No worries! Donald Trump will be history on November 3, 2020.)
Trump’s audacity: Punish Ethiopia because it will not lick Egypt’s boots or kiss its behind?
For Trump, all Africans live in “s**thole” countries.
In January 2018 Trump asked, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”
In December 2017, Trump complained Nigerian immigrants would never “go back to their huts”.
Of course, the “s**thole” countries pumped nearly $50 billion into the U.S. economy in 2018, a fact unbeknown to Ignoramus Trump.
I am absolutely convinced Trump believes Ethiopia is a “s**thole” African country he can kick around as he pleases.
What Ignoramus Trump does not know is that for thousands of years Ethiopians are known the world over for kicking the asses of anyone who tries to mess with them.
Ignoramus Trump has no idea no European or white colonial power ever succeeded in breaking Ethiopia’s back, bring her to her knees and colonize her.
Egypt, Trump’s pet in the Middle East, tried it in 1875-76 and was wiped out.
The Italians tried it in 1896 and 1935. They too were wiped clean off the face of the Ethiopian earth!
If Trump thinks Ethiopia is a “s**thole” country he can break by withholding a paltry $130 million that will largely serve U.S. interests in the Horn of Africa, I have a blunt answer for him: “Donald Trump, take you $130 million and shove it!”
I knew Trump’s game plan from Day 1 in November 2019 when his Treasury Secretary announced the so-called “Washington Talks on the GERD”.
The game plan was simple: Snooker Ethiopia into a “meeting” and put a double barrel on her head and say, “Sign the agreement we have prepared and let Egypt become your neocolonial water master or we will cut off aid and deny you loans by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.”
In my March 1, 2020 commentary, I wrote US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and World Bank Group President David Malpass believe they can break Ethiopia’s back and force her to her knees and sign their “agreement” because they thought Ethiopia was looking straight into a triple-barrel shot gun they are holding to her face: Cutoff foreign aid, block foreign aid and loans and stop investments.
I also explained the U.S. was putting its thumb on the scale in favor of Egypt in the GERD talks because the price Egypt had demanded to support Trump’s bogus Middle East peace plan was to break Ethiopia’s back in the GERD negotiations.
In my March 8, 2020 commentary, I called like it is: “The U.S. set up the ‘Washington GERD talks’ in bad faith and colluded with Egypt to trap Ethiopia and force her to sign an “agreement” under duress and threat of foreign aid and World Bank loan cut-offs.”
In my March 16, 2020 commentary, I likened what Secretary Mnuchin was doing to Ethiopia to a Mafia shakedown. In demanding Ethiopia to sign their agreement, Mnuchin thought he was making Ethiopia an offer she cannot refuse: “Quid pro quo. No sign agreement, no aid, no loan.” Ethiopia would be another Ukraine.
In my June 5, 2020 commentary, I argued Egypt for decades had succeeded in preventing the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund from extending loans for the GERD or other construction projects and other economic development efforts on the Nile.
In my June 15, 2020 Letter I warned Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin:
The specter of US of aid cutoff, obstruction of access to multilateral loans to Ethiopia and deferment from participation in bilateral trade and investment opportunities which, according to some observers, hangs over Ethiopia if she refuses to sign the so-called February 28 agreement is counterproductive and will exacerbate the existing situation and must not be contemplated.
It comes as no surprise to me that Trump decided to cutoff (“temporary pause”) to security and counterterrorism aid.
Truth be told, I am glad Trump cutoff the “aid”.
In May 2017, I wrote an op ed in The Hill arguing, “US doesn’t need Ethiopia in its war on terror in the Horn of Africa.”
The cutoff of $130 million is an affirmation of what I have always believed.
America’s national interest in the Horn of Africa should be protected by Americans not Ethiopians.
Let Trump use his $130 million to send American troops, bombers and tanks to the Horn to fight Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab and ISIS.
It is a fair deal. Let the Ethiopians take care of their business and Trump his own in the Horn of Africa.
Ethiopia’s “Aha! Ghana Moment”?: Ethiopia and the whole of Africa, like Ghana, should go through a three-stage aid addiction recovery program
In December 2017, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo at a joint press conference in Accra with the visiting French president Emmanuel Macron said something that shocked all Africa.
Akufo-Addo in no uncertain terms told Macron to take his aid and shove it:
We can no longer continue to make policy for ourselves and for our country and our region and our continent on the basis of whatever support the Western world or France or the European Union can give us. It will not work. It has not worked, and it will not work. Our responsibility is to charter a path which is about how we can develop our nation’s ourselves. It is not right for a country like Ghana 60 years after independence to still have its health and education budgets being financed on the basis of the generosity and charity of European taxpayers. By now, we should be able to finance our basic needs ourselves.
I was so ecstatic by what Akufo-Addo said, I wrote him a personal letter congratulating him and telling him how proud he made me feel.
Akufo-Addo said what every African leader should say in the 21st century.
Africa is no longer a “continent of beggars”. Africans are not panhandlers. Ethiopia is not a beggar nation.
Africans should rally around the slogan, “The West, take your aid and shove it!”
In 1961, President John Kennedy pledged “our best efforts” to help “peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery for whatever period is required.”
Yet, after seven decades and tens of billions of dollars in aid and loans from the U.S. and other Western countries, Africa remains a “beggar continent” hopelessly addicted to handouts and alms.
Almost a decade ago, I argued U.S. aid in Africa has become a “moral hazard” absolving African regimes from responsibility to care and provide for their own people.
African regimes that are heavily dependent on the safety net of foreign aid, receive sustained infusions of multilateral loans and a perpetual supply of humanitarian assistance will behave differently if they were left to their own devices to deal with the consequences of a mismanaged economy, debilitating corruption and proliferating grinding poverty.
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are always under the thumbs of the U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has leaned heavily on the World Bank and IMF to withhold $2.9 billion in loans over three years already pledged.
On June 17, 2020, the “World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved $250 million ($125 million grant and $125 million credit) in supplemental financing.”
But the $2.9 billion pledged in December 2019 remains a pipe dream.
Truth be told, Ethiopia does not need more loans and debt. Ethiopia’s Public Debt is skyrocketing. The data on Ethiopia’s debt is shocking
2012/13= $37.4 billion
2013/14= $46.8 billion
2014/15= $54.0 billion
2015/16= $55.4 billion
2016/17= $56.9 billion
2017/18= $59 billion
2018/19= $58.1 billion
Complete the GERD and become a beggar no more!
Once Ethiopia completes the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), she will never have to beg for aid or loans.
Not from the USA, the European Union or anybody else.
Ethiopia will be a giver!
Ethiopia will be known for giving a hand up and not accepting a handout.
The GERD will be a boon for the Horn region and beyond.
Here is the scientific evidence provided by Egyptian engineers and experts:
“The GERD can benefit Sudan and Egypt by removing up to 86%of silt and sedimentation. It will regulate the steady water flow throughout the year and it will avoid unexpected flooding to downstream countries.
“The 6-year filling period for the GERD is sufficient to fill the reservoir with little impact on the current irrigation water demands from Aswan High Dam in Egypt without additional management investment.
“Egypt needs to acknowledge that Ethiopia has a right to develop its water resources infrastructure for the benefit of its people based on the principle of equitable use, and agree not to block the power trade agreements that Ethiopia needs with Sudan.”
Those who want to contribute to completion of the GERD very easily, click HERE.
Donald Trump, take your aid and shove it!
In the paraphrased lyrics and song of Johnny Paycheck, I say to Donald Trump, “Take your aid and shove it!”
Donald Trump
Take your aid and shove it
Ethiopians don’t need it no more
We been getting your handouts
For nigh over fifty years
Watched our people
Drownin’ in a pool of tears
And we’ve seen a lot of good folks die
Waiting for your doggone aid to come by
Finally we got the guts to say
We got the nerve to say
Take your doggone aid shove it
We don’t need it no more!
Dump, stump, thump, plump Trump on November 3, 2020!
One of the truly amazing facts about American politics is the lack of awareness of immigrants from Africa of their potential political power.
According to one study, “Black immigrants are significant contributors to the U.S. economy. In 2018 alone, they earned more than $133 billion, paid almost $36 billion in taxes, and had a spending power of nearly $98 billion.” Texas has the largest population of immigrants from Africa (221,700) in the United States.
The number of Black immigrant population in the U.S. is increasing.
In 2018, Florida had the largest number of Black immigrants (863,90); Pennsylvania (138,398) and Ohio (92,828). In Florida, the number of eligible Black immigrant voters is almost four times the size of the state’s margin of victory in the 2016 presidential election (112,911).
The potentially decisive impact of the Black immigrant vote cannot be underestimated. Of the more than 120 million votes cast in the 2016 election, 107,000 votes in three states effectively decided the election.
Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania accounted for 46 electoral votes. If Hilary Clinton had won these states, there would have been no Donald Trump.
What Ethiopians and other African immigrants need to realize it that they can decide the outcome of the 2020 presidential election if they exercise their constitutional right to vote.
African immigrants in general need to organize and toil like worker ants and prove to Donald Trump that the people who came from “s**hole African countries” will kick the s**t out of him and dump him out of office on November 3, 2020! 
Donald Trump, take your doggone aid shove it. Ethiopians don’t need it no more!
