sudan coup

[Harrow, Kenneth]

i have this simplistic notion that the militaries in many parts of the world profit from their power by taking control of the money, of the economy, of the land. they are predators. in sudan the general leading the coup said it was necessary to "protect our interests." i get that point. here's what the bbc said: "Not only was the army commanding a vast - and still-increasing - share of the national budget, but military-owned companies operate with tax exemptions and often allegedly corrupt contracting procedures."

the interests of the people vs the interests of an oligarchy, call it a military oligarchy.

there are african states that protect against that; others that depend upon the military and in order to stay in power, prop up that military with granting them control over businesses, mines, land in exchange for their guarantees of power.

i wonder how this crude picture strikes the political scientists on this list who would have a more accurate assessment

ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

har...@msu.edu

[Olasupo Laosebikan]

How do you keep stolen property?

Force, by forcrce, of course.

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[Cornelius Hamelberg]

I also “wonder how this crude picture strikes the political scientists on this list”

My layman, non-political scientist's guess is that in addition to all the other complex causes of this latest military coup, seething immediately below the surface is the spectre of Sudan's al Bashir being handed over to the ICC – a venue at which he may or may not be likely to give some details about the chain of command thereby implicating some of those along that chain who we are to assume executed some of the orders, progressively from above.

The likelihood that some of the generals now calling the shots in Sudan were in that chain of command, as a partial reason for the coup that should save Bashir being shipped downriver, should be more understandable, that they too would like to save their own skin.

The BBC reported today that Sudan's neighbours and members of the Arab League do not share the African Union's enthusiasm for the extreme measure they have decided to adopt against the fellow Arab Brethren of Sudan's new management.

We are to suppose that the much-needed financial assistance will come from good friends, in order to avert the total state collapse that's being forecast.

I think that in future negotiations with Sudan's governing military, granting or guaranteeing Bashir some kind of immunity could help bring about the desired goal of reducing tensions and relieving the people of Sudan from unnecessary further suffering.

The military said that they took over in order to prevent the country from erupting into civil war.

They will of course promise to restore the country to democratic civilian rule by holding general elections within a reasonable time frame  - and if they say this, shouldn't we be patient and hold them to their promise? 

[Harrow, Kenneth]

good points. i think darfur, those responsible for the janjaweed and its crimes, the orientation of power around those groups represented by the janjaweed, and those opposed, can be read into cornelius's comments. the generals responsible for war crimes would no doubt not want bashir punished for the crimes they carried out, or his policies that favored the one group over the other.

ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

har...@msu.edu

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From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com <usaafric...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Cornelius Hamelberg <cornelius...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2021 5:08 PM
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafric...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: sudan coup

 

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[John Edward Philips (Yahaya Danjuma)]

Let's give credit where it’s due. That was not a BBC journalist but Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. I remember reading his analyses of Darfur in The African Studies Review. I recommend that article of his strongly because of the contrast with CNN, where they had an “expert” saying that Sudan had no history of democratic rule, when in fact labor unions and professional associations there have been so successful in overthrowing military regimes that a former dictator of Nigeria once used Sudan as an example of how civilians could also stage coups d’etat. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-59050473 

On Oct 27, 2021, at 22:41, Harrow, Kenneth <har...@msu.edu> wrote:

here's what the bbc said: "Not only was the army commanding a vast - and still-increasing - share of the national budget, but military-owned companies operate with tax exemptions and often allegedly corrupt contracting procedures."

John Edward Philips, Professor Emeritus 

International Society, College of Humanities, Hirosaki University

"Homo sum; humani nihil a me alienum puto." -Terentius Afer

<https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781580462563/writing-african-history/>

[Harrow, Kenneth]

glad to see alex de waal's work and thoughts recognized. an important figure

ken

kenneth harrow

professor emeritus

dept of english

michigan state university

517 803-8839

har...@msu.edu

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Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - sudan coup

 

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[Cornelius Hamelberg]

BTW, I ceased being deceived by CNN ( not without reason infamously dubbed “Clinton National Network”) soon after Trump was said to have lost and I haven't been back since, not even to listen to some more grovelling from their chief attack dog Chris Cuomo, who no doubt has been on the air in loyal defence of his brother, Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York.

The boycott will continue until Kamala H takes over from Sleepy Joe B who is already in steady decline (and so would you if you were in his shoes, helter-skelter, tail between legs getting the hell out of Afghanistan as if being chased out not by the Taliban but by the devil, hellhound on his trail - and no less stress with the inevitable reunion of China & Taiwan in South China Sea on his plate , the nightmare of North Korea improving on their nightmare threats and increasingly test-firing their latest supersonic ballistics delivery across the Sea of Japan, plus just the other day, last but not least in the nuclear club, anti-China India test-firing Agni-5 as a warning shot over the Indian Ocean, maybe to be followed by Pakistan also to be soon showcasing upgraded nuclear potential and flexing Islamic nuclear muscle over disputed Kashmir, an opportune & propitious time for tigress Kamala to step into JB's presidential shoes and for the CNN to strike out in a new direction since Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea, are now out of the picture, which means that CNN could change to a very pro-India and anti-China President Kamala baptising the joint in the name of Kamala : KNN or KHNN – all in the wake of “The fire next time” or “Who by fire ?”

Are we going to “give credit where it’s due” because John Edward Philips alias “Yahaya Danjuma”, an expert in his own standing, says so, says, “ I recommend that article of his strongly “ because, because?

How significantly different is CNN the propaganda machine from Tuft's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, which as far as I can remember from way back in the mid-sixties of the last century forwards is where important, future top-notch CIA operatives cut their teeth

Of course, it's precisely the absence of correct, reliable information that leads to all kinds of conspiracy theories, unhealthy speculation, and unsavoury websites where the said conspiracy theories and misinformation are hatched and distributed, sites such as GlobalResearch, the equally controversial Information Clearing House and the routinely discredited RT ( discredited by the agents of the wild west, who are here, there and everywhere, even if they tell lies, not all of the time, but certainly, some of the time, not necessarily most of the time, professional lies, by professional liar

Nor should we lose sight of the fact that a coup maker such as Mamady Doumbouya was trained in the US of A...

[Emeagwali, Gloria (History)]

Speaking about Alex de Waal -  

I find him to be a very informed 

analyst, on the whole. I recommended 

his text “The Real Politics of  the 

Horn of Africa “for one of  my classes,  

and did not regret it. He gave new

 insights into the mode of thinking and

calculations of a faction

that broke free from Mengistu's

 bloody reign of power, and set the

foundation for a new era.

 Meles Zenawi, the late 

Ethiopian leader, confided in 

Alex de Waal, and explained his 

state- directed developmental 

model in great detail. I guess 

 proximity to the political elite  

of that day, and elite politics, has 

taken its toll  somewhat, in his 

reporting on the current conflict 

in Ethiopia, however. We may give

 him some credit for loyalty, I suppose, but

Alex continues to see the conflict

 from the lens of  the TPLF and

the northern region largely,

 and not the country as a whole.

 Abiy is not a “blameless Ethiopian”

 in this conflict, but few leaders

 would sit on their hands at the 

brutal attack on the Northern  troops

of the federal government, In November 

2020, without declaring war on the 

insurgents. He might not have survived

another day if he did not. 93 percent

of the population of 110 million

might have called him a coward, 

and not all of the remaining 7 percent

would have supported him.

Recall also an assassination attempt

 on the new Prime Minister in 2018,

 and a series of dastardly attacks in 2019, 

before the November 2020 atrocities in Mekelle,

as mentioned in earlier posts.

If I am wrong please correct me, but

I have not seen a  single condemnation 

by Alex de Waal of the actions of the TPLF 

at the military camp that fateful midnight of

 November, 2020- the actions that triggered

the  ongoing lethal war, famine, and

 atrocities on both sides.

Alex de Waal’s coverage of Sudan

 seems less partisan, however. Here 

he defends the transition to democracy

 and  condemns al -Burhan’s  intervention -

and his undermining of  the bilateral

agreement between the civilians 

and the military.  Right on.

But what of the  attempt to 

undermine the democratically

 elected Abiy Ahmed administration on the 

other side of the border-  a cause of the 

disruption and ongoing famine that 

Alex de Waal and  all of us  rightly 

deplore? Double standards? Abiy was

voted to be the  Prime Minister by the 

House of Representatives in  2018.

He received 108 out of 180 votes in the 

 Council of the EPRDF.  One source

says that Debretsion Gebremichael

of the TPLF got 2 votes in that election.

Ahmed won the 2021 national elections

as well.

There are no angels in this conflict. 

This war is a great tragedy for all  sides, 

from Mekelle to Moyale, in the southern 

border  with Kenya, and beyond - not

 to mention the borders with

Sudan in the west and Eritrea in the

north. 

Mr Debretsion  Gebremichael

and Mr.  Abiy Ahmed, it is time 

to end this fratricidal war, started

12 months  ago.

Professor Gloria Emeagwali
Prof. of History/African Studies, CCSU
africahistory.net

 vimeo.com/ gloriaemeagwali
Recipient of the 2014 Distinguished Research
Excellence Award, Univ. of Texas at Austin;
2019 Distinguished Africanist Award
New York African Studies Association

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