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A Caliphate has been Declared in the Middle East
Osama bin Laden’s death in May 2011 did not diminish al-Qaeda’s quest to destroy Western civilization. “The ruling to kill the Americans and their allies is an individual duty for every Muslim who can do it” was the ‘fatwa’ issued by bin Laden in 1998....
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A Giant is Gone But His Legacy Lives On
Nelson Mandela at age 95, lost his battle with respiratory failure, reportedly, the result of recurring infections contracted during his years of prison confinement. Mr. Mandela had spent almost 27 years in a prison cell, eighteen years of which were...
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“In sub-Saharan Africa the United States has been considered a fair-weather friend. We need a more consistent Foreign Policy to engage Africa, as it struggles with good governance, economic growth, peace and security.” In August 2012, Secretary Hillary...
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Africa Needs a New Foreign Policy of Engagement
From American Ambassadors Live! The U.S. needs to develop a new foreign policy of engagement with Africa, before China annexes this rich continent as part of its strategic plan to dominate the global economy. I first visited the Horn of Africa in...
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Africa’s Future in the Global Economy
“Africa is the second largest continent, with over one billion people, which is expected to double by the year 2050”. On October 20-21, 2014 the Council of American Ambassadors and the Hinckley Institute of Politics co-sponsored a conference on...
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Al-Qaeda Has Not Been Decimated
In my May 2012 article, “The Republic of Yemen: Al-Qaeda’s backyard” I highlighted concerns about al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and the instability that these Islamists could create in the region. Osama bin Laden had family ties to the...
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Al-Shabaab Continues to be a Threat
The Federal Republic of Somalia was ruled by the brutal dictator Siad Barre until 1991, when a coalition of warlords deposed him. Shortly thereafter the U.S. embassy in the capital Mogadishu was shuttered, leaving a diplomatic void for over twenty-two...
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Ansar al-Sharia: New Salafist Terrorist Group in North Africa
"Ansar al-Sharia: A New Salafi Jihadist Movement" “In the aftermath of the Arab Spring in Libya, radical Islamists looking for a new leader united with Ansar al-Sharia, an ultraconservative Salafist movement. Inflicting their brand of terrorism, they...
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Artistic Endeavor: Can Change the Face of Africa
On Wednesday evening July 25th, Marcia and I attended the 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab production of the play “Africa Kills Her Sun”, or “Afrika Inaua Mwangaza Wake” in Kiswahili. The play had a cast of three African actors and one American...
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Benghazi Brutal Battle: AQIM Terrorists had Their Roots in Mali
“Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) was born in Algeria, moved to Mali in 2003, and today has tentacles spread across the vast Sahel, including Mauritania, Niger, and Chad; North Africa in Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt”. On July 5, 2012 the UN...
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Benghazi Consulate Attacks: The Global War on Terror Continues
“It was known within 24 hours that al-Qaeda linked Islamists were responsible for attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, but the information was withheld from the public.” Senators said they were misled regarding the attacks on September 11, 2012,...
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Breeding a New Generation of Leaders
Robert Redford, the well-known actor, director, and filmmaker, had a vision for the Sundance Institute’s Theatre Program that embraced “What Africa can become with artistic endeavor.” My July 2012 commentary “Artistic Endeavor: Can Change the Face of...
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Captain Amadou Sanogo: A Hero or Mutineer?
“Corrupt Mali government did not intend to hold elections on April 29, 2012″ On September 7, 2012 Yeah Samake, a friend and mayor of the town of Ouelessebougou, arranged for a meeting with Captain Amadou Haya Sanogo. As we weaved through the busy...
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China May Trump the U.S. in Africa
“China is winning the hearts, minds and resources in sub-Saharan Africa” The United States needs to actively engage sub-Saharan Africa in a more meaningful way, not just in dialogue. Our “start-and-stop” foreign policy since the end of the Cold War in...
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Cultural Diversity Seen Through the Eyes of African Artists
In July 2012, I wrote the article “Artistic Endeavor: Can Change the Face of Africa”, after attending the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab production of “Africa Kills Her Sun”, or “Afrika Inaua Mwangaza Wake” in Kiswahili. The play had a cast of three...
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Diego Garcia: The Chagos Archipelago
WE PETITION THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO: The U.S. Government Must Redress Wrongs Against the Chagossians For generations, the Chagossians lived on the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. But in the 1960s, the U.S. and U.K. governments expelled the...
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Egypt: U.S. Aided Mohamed Morsi’s Rise to Power
“Morsi has usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt’s new pharaoh, a major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences”. - Mohammed ElBaradei The Obama Administration supported the Arab Spring uprisings, which led to regime...
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Fazul Abdullah Mohammed: Could have been Captured in 1998
The killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011 has become a highly charged political issue in the 2012 presidential election. President Obama has taken the credit away from the “doers of the deed”, our military, who put their lives on the line. The Executive...
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Foreign Policy for Somalia Needs Boost
Foreign Policy for Somalia Needs Boost “In 1991 we ceased in-country diplomatic relations with Somalia, which opened the door to Islamic extremists. Now twenty years later the State Department wants to embrace Somalia. Let us do it with meaningful...
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George W. Bush Presidential Center Dedication
On Thursday, April 25, 2013, I attended the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, located on 23 acres, on the campus of Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. SMU is a well laid out campus—it is very...