Democracy can flower when conditions are right
ALBANY TIMES UNION

By JAMES KETTERER
First published: Sunday, July 13, 2003

Ten years ago this month, I was in Congo as a United Nations election observer. I have a photo from that trip, showing me in a dugout canoe with my guard, who is proudly displaying his AK-47.

Not long after the photo was taken, that guard opened fire to extricate my team from a polling station that had turned suddenly violent. Countrywide, those elections descended into chaos and blood-letting, serving as a bookend to a brief era of democratic euphoria in Africa. It was my first trip to the continent, and my first lesson in how quickly and badly things can fall apart.

I have been back to Africa many times to work on a variety of political matters. There is so much to love about the countries I have worked and lived in, but across the continent much of the politics remains mired in dysfunction and denial, while the West maintains a tacit policy of disregard.

Every few years, the United States takes a couple of weeks and pays attention to Africa. This current episode of intermittent caring was highlighted by President Bush's tour of key African states. But after Air Force One's departure, the issues that ravage Africa remain: HIV/AIDS, civil wars, famine, economic malaise and a severe democratic deficit.

Each of those seemingly intractable issues is exacerbated by Africa's often paralyzing politics. It's time to focus efforts on creating African political institutions that can manage these and future problems. Money, medicine and trade can only do so much.

It may sound squishy, but more democracy is the key. Not democracy couched only in soaring phrases and impressive constitutions, but the daily practice of democratic government in the local assemblies, provincial legislatures and conference rooms across the continent.

Post 9/11, the Bush administration has been supportive of democratic reforms in the Arab world; this same focus is now required for Africa. The United States cannot create instant democracy in Africa or anywhere else, but it can implement and sustain policies that help Africans do it for themselves. The time is ripe to make this happen.

Despite the pessimism that abounds in Africa policy circles, we already can see real progress. Much is going right, and not all of Africa is in trouble. Last year, Kenyans celebrated the end of the 24-year reign of President Daniel arap Moi with presidential and parliamentary elections. Those elections were not only peaceful and fair, but also helped inculcate a sense of excitement in Kenya about the possibilities of change through politics. Seventeen other African countries held presidential or parliamentary elections in 2002. In nearly all of these countries, however, election day faded into business as usual. Hopes are dashed as huge gaps remain between the promise and practice of democracy.

The practice of democracy is an area in which the United States has much to offer Africa. At all levels, Americans have spent over two centuries designing and refining the practice of democratic governance. No reasonable person would say the United States has it all figured out or that our way is the only way. But lessons about what works and what doesn't abound and we should not be shy about offering them. Promoting democracy should be at the center of U.S. policy in Africa. If not, crisis management will be the best anyone can hope for.

Clearly, there is no "one size fits all" approach; each country and set of local conditions must be taken into account. But there are overall principles that should be followed. They include:

Promotion of democracy is a long-term effort. Democratic practices or values cannot be developed in two to five years, which is often the length of a democracy project.

There are consistent and sustained steps required to develop democracy and to demonstrate U.S. sincerity in doing so. These include lifting emergency laws, improving human rights, allowing greater freedom of speech, granting more powers to legislatures and allowing new political parties to form.

The United States must understand that democracy promotion does not guarantee happy results. As political systems open, many long-suppressed voices will enter the political fray, and some of these will not be friendly to U.S. interests.

There is the real concern that new elections will bring non-democrats to power. But the goal should be to create overall conditions that will encourage political reformers of many ideological stripes, and the ability of government to be self-corrective. The best way to kill a democracy in Africa is to allow only winners who support the U.S. policies of the day.

We should be clear that this is political. And it should be. Time and again, U.S. democracy promotion in Africa has been contorted to avoid creating anything that smacks of politics.

We should encourage political institutions to have the capacity to play a part in the decisions that matter, and to represent their constituents, carry out oversight and enact legislation that addresses the problems Africa faces.

Progress in disengaging the military from domestic politics is essential. The military must be neutral in the political sphere and separated from the internal police force. The United Nations has been a leader in this area and deserves additional support.

Speaking of the U.N., the United States does not have the resources, expertise or domestic political support to address these reforms alone. U.S. policy must work with international, regional and state actors. South Africa is leading the way in creation of the New Partnership for African Development. This framework should serve as a way to coordinate development activities.

All of this will require more money. The meager funds set aside for trade promotion and development should include a serious consideration of debt cancellation, adequate funding for regional institutions and development of public institutions. If we do not spend the money now, Africa's problems increasingly will become global problems, and we will realize -- perhaps too late -- that we had been penny wise and pound foolish.

President Bush's trip to Africa has enormous symbolic value, and the pending decision on a U.S. role in Liberia has real consequences. Add Zimbabwe to the list of pressing problems, as well as Sudan, Ivory Coast, Congo, Burundi and Nigeria. The U.S. military does not have the capacity to solve all those problems, nor should it.

These are political problems turned violent, and their long-term solutions require sustained democratic assistance from the United States. The difficult issues facing Africa cannot be solved with yet another AK-47. Africans need, and deserve, the same democratic freedoms we enjoy.

The time to act is now.

James Ketterer of Albany is director of the Center for International Development at the State University of New York. He served on the staff of the National Security Council and has been an election observer for the U.N. and the African-American Institute.