I certainly hope you're right, Ed, that this works out. I chat with someone from Kenya, which is my whole tie to the nation, but it's enough to definitely wish it well even more than I usually would. Godspeed to Ambassador Frazer and the people of Kenya.
ajacksonian
· 1 year ago
Do note that Raila Odinga had a chance to go through the judicial process to dispute the election and, instead, turned to the march/riot concept. As the Good Captain noted earlier, Dick Morris has been on hand and advising Odinga for awhile... which is why you get the Orange Democratic Movment, Million man march and other artifacts of US political language like 'Rainbow Coalition' showing up in Kenya. This has been a problem for many in Kenyan politics as it reflects Raila's globetrotting fund raising for himself and his political views.
One of the most widely reprinted stories is on the question 'How rich is Raila?' which sources his income not only overseas but to his time in the government and getting connections to the Saudi Al Bakri group to come in and provide services in Kenya. When Raila had a chance to vote on anti-corruption legislation, he walked out of the legislature as there had been reports of his land dealings as a source of corruption for him. Questions would later be raised about those dealings as part of wider scandals from previous administrations (and the involvement of his late father Jaramogi Odinga) and the opaqueness of the campaign on all sides has not been one to bolster confidence in the actual political process in Kenya.
Those connections to Al-Bakri are a bit more disturbing as the head of the group has been linked to al Qaeda in the Golden Chain document used in the trial USA vs Arnaout. The document itself was seized during a police raid in Bosnia looking to shut down a charitable front of al Qaeda in Sarajevo. This makes the MoU between Odinga and the Muslim community in Kenya more than somewhat troubling along with its promise to put sharia law in place. This is not a *tribal* concept, to say the least.
Given that one wonders why Barack Obama decided to take sides in the Kenyan problems, beyond his heritage there and talks with Raila Odinga who considers Obama to be a friend. I don't go for the 'intuitive grasp' concept of personal politics for foreign policy, as I didn't with the current President and Putin. There are enough problems via the State Dept without those personal feelings adding into the mix.
That is, however, just me. YMMV.
Andrew X
· 1 year ago
Jacksonian, your Obama article link is interesting, but it is also 18 months old, since before Obama was a declared candidate.
Obama's father is a Luo, and the Kenyan situation is basically a tribal war (what in Africa isn't?) with the opposition representing the Luo. Obama may genuinely feel pretty divorced from the situation, and it's a stretch to think Iowa played a role in Kibaki's decision, or that Obama is putting a whole lot of thought into this issue right now.
But y'know what? They get CNN in Kenya too. And I find it a tad amusing to imagine Kibaki and crew watching someone they probably view as a tribal enemy make a serious advance toward attaining eight or nine Supercarriers and a fleet of Stealth bombers (just for starters). And suddenly today he decides to be more amenable to the US ambassadors way of looking at things.
What's that about "the prospect of being hanged clearly focuses the mind"? I don't think we in America look at the situation this way, but it would not surprise me if they do. And I wonder if Ambassador Frazer subtly or not so subltly used that in his talks.
jpm100
· 1 year ago
A win for Odinga is a win for Islamic Radicalization of Kenya. If he was truly democratically elected then, unfortunately so be it.
However, I wish the State Department would try to be this effective when the 'right thing' helps America instead of hurting it.
NahnCee
· 1 year ago
How many AMerican taxpayer dollars did our latest "intervention" in the black hole of Africa cost us?
And what do we taxpayers get in return?
paul_abarge_at_email_dot_com
· 1 year ago
Kenya? Africa?
Let it go. Cut off all the aid and the attention, and let them solve their own problems or go extinct if they fail.
The entire continent is pathetic.
davod
· 1 year ago
It is a pity that Obama's side is supported by Muslims who aim to introduce Sharia as the law of the land in a predominantly Christian Kenya. Maybe that's why the opposition mobs took to the streeets and burned parishoners in the Church.
All Comments
One of the most widely reprinted stories is on the question 'How rich is Raila?' which sources his income not only overseas but to his time in the government and getting connections to the Saudi Al Bakri group to come in and provide services in Kenya. When Raila had a chance to vote on anti-corruption legislation, he walked out of the legislature as there had been reports of his land dealings as a source of corruption for him. Questions would later be raised about those dealings as part of wider scandals from previous administrations (and the involvement of his late father Jaramogi Odinga) and the opaqueness of the campaign on all sides has not been one to bolster confidence in the actual political process in Kenya.
Those connections to Al-Bakri are a bit more disturbing as the head of the group has been linked to al Qaeda in the Golden Chain document used in the trial USA vs Arnaout. The document itself was seized during a police raid in Bosnia looking to shut down a charitable front of al Qaeda in Sarajevo. This makes the MoU between Odinga and the Muslim community in Kenya more than somewhat troubling along with its promise to put sharia law in place. This is not a *tribal* concept, to say the least.
Given that one wonders why Barack Obama decided to take sides in the Kenyan problems, beyond his heritage there and talks with Raila Odinga who considers Obama to be a friend. I don't go for the 'intuitive grasp' concept of personal politics for foreign policy, as I didn't with the current President and Putin. There are enough problems via the State Dept without those personal feelings adding into the mix.
That is, however, just me. YMMV.
Obama's father is a Luo, and the Kenyan situation is basically a tribal war (what in Africa isn't?) with the opposition representing the Luo. Obama may genuinely feel pretty divorced from the situation, and it's a stretch to think Iowa played a role in Kibaki's decision, or that Obama is putting a whole lot of thought into this issue right now.
But y'know what? They get CNN in Kenya too. And I find it a tad amusing to imagine Kibaki and crew watching someone they probably view as a tribal enemy make a serious advance toward attaining eight or nine Supercarriers and a fleet of Stealth bombers (just for starters). And suddenly today he decides to be more amenable to the US ambassadors way of looking at things.
What's that about "the prospect of being hanged clearly focuses the mind"? I don't think we in America look at the situation this way, but it would not surprise me if they do. And I wonder if Ambassador Frazer subtly or not so subltly used that in his talks.
However, I wish the State Department would try to be this effective when the 'right thing' helps America instead of hurting it.
And what do we taxpayers get in return?
Let it go. Cut off all the aid and the attention, and let them solve their own problems or go extinct if they fail.
The entire continent is pathetic.