One of the greatest optimists of all times JFK, 46 years ago speaking on World Peace at American University, said “….let us examine our attitude toward peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many of us think it is unreal. But that is dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable--- that mankind is doomed--- that we are gripped by forces we cannot control".
He went on to say that “.......... Our problems are manmade - - therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable - - and we believe they can do it again".
With the same optimism I wish to give Col. Gaddafi`s grand dream of a United States of Africa the merit it deserves but also spell out the real challenges such a grand vision is bound to encounter both within and beyond Africa.
First, fear a continental monarch, his recent posture, utterances, have fuelled this fear. He is reported to have assembled traditional leaders from the continent, & declared himself their “king”, save to the other fellow, elected leaders on the continent.
He is also reported to have said that revolutionaries do not retire from power and possibly they handover power to their next of kin, leading into a ruling family dynasty. And there is reason to believe he means business.
He has stayed on power (he seized by force from King Idris,) for 4 decades now and never been elected! (Many analysts have posed a similar question) what if he refuses to relinquish power as the president of US of Africa? I bet this fear among leaders and ordinary people of a continental monarch will determine meaningful progress toward a sensible United States of Africa.
Second, within and outside Africa, suspicion roams that Gaddafi at the helm would push to spread of Islam on the continent. Any signs for this speculation?, he is reported to have said the bible is a forgery, outraging hundreds of millions of the Christian folk.,He is renowned for using his financial chest to support and erect mosques across the continent and his posture on a typical religious conflict between Arabs and black Africans in Darfur has not been encouraging.
This could potentially turn the continent into a battle ground for religious conflicts from within and outside (western powers) the continent further alienating Africans amongst themselves and defer their integration with the rest of the world for another generation.
Third, proponents of step by step approach (gradualists) toward continent unity perceive and rightly so, that focus should be on building new institutions, strengthening the existing ones to be effective and wining the confidence of the African people (the masses) as the key "building blocks of a gradual economic and consequent political union.
This holds more promise than a summit communiqué of an instantaneous supranational government in Addis Ababa or Tripoli. Additionally, his words may come back to haunt his on this project. How many revolutionaries on the continent are willing to cede power & sovereignty of their states to him?
Fourth, political, economic and cultural realities on the continent, Africa is the most diverse region in the world, via culture, region, ethnicity, language, political systems and wide gaps within levels of economic development and vast oddities of life still exist. It trades less with itself compared to the rest of the world. Its regional integration efforts are sporadic and in tatters etc.
As matter of priority Gaddafi should instead use his financial chest focus on more practical, more attainable goals like strengthening the AU and its organs, help it resolve its financial problems, make it an effective instrument of peace and development on the continent through building new institutions and organs, generate new ideas, that will guarantee a smooth, coherent and viable integration of the continent through all the perquisite stages i.e. establishing the sustainable building blocks for African Unity. This is more practical and would guarantee him a historical place and lasting legacy on the continental than theatrics he has come to be known of.
Fifth, his scheme, his reputation and track record are likely to be seen as several steps backwards on progress of a democratisation process on the continent and nations that consider themselves to have made considerable gains on this front and their people exercise their rights to choose their leaders in regular free and fair elections are likely to disdain his scheme with contempt.
Such states like Botswana, Cape Verde, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, South Africa etc could find it difficult to join his bandwagon of despotism at continental level.
Sixth, where are the voices of ordinary Africans? many African people possibly share with Gaddafi the impatience of lack of economic and political integration of African, but his instantaneous enthronement will deny them the right to participate and shape the future unity of the continent and more importantly its sustainability, because it deprives them of collective choice and responsibility , the key ingredients of any sustainable political effort if it has to outlast itself and post Gaddafi era and ambition.
Seventh, Gaddafi and Africa have had bad publicity from the western media, his reputation and track record generates mistrust from western powers: One would ask, how important is the trust of the west in this project?
It does not help but hurts the project because almost all the 53 continents countries have 50 percent of their budgets externally supported and it will continue to be so even if a United States of Africa is formed under Col. Gaddafi.
Finally, marginalisation of the African continent in the 21st century at an international stage is a real challenge for every African leader. But its not a single government in Addis Ababa or Tripoli, with a single command post and a bunch of bureaucrats at a supranational structure that will lessen it.
The challenge is not a political one but largely an economic one coupled with the effective market size of the continent. It’s a challenge that transcends every ego and every personal ambition. It’s a challenge that will need new and good ideas, commitment for every man and woman on the continent, if the slip of the continent behind the rest of the regions is to be halted in the near future. And there is no single formula to overcome this challenge. It has to be viewed as a dynamic but not a static process that cannot happen instantaneously as the good old revolutionary colonel suggests.
Once again as JFK said "....our hopes must be tempered with the caution of history—but our hopes go the hopes of all mankind" lets hope Africa will unite soon whether with Gaddafi or someone else.
