Kenya's Feeble Foreign Policy

[mongobeti]

www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=88367

Can someone please tell Ministry of Foreing Affairs and Kenya Govt to stand up when it counts. There is a grave national threat to Kenya's security if the extreme islamists expand and entrench in Somalia, just next to us; and yet what we here from our ministry is this pedantic, boring language from Mr Wetangula! For the record, the Islamic Union has threatened attacks within Kenya as part of its campaign. The Kenya Govt is taking our national security for granted by ignoring this threat; we need to send a strong and clear message that we cannot and should not have an extremist religous movement with obvious links to Alqaeda take rootin Somalia. Instead of offering support to TNG Wetangula is instead scolding Ethiopia to leading the attack

[aeichener]

There is a grave threat to Kenyan security indeed. But it comes from Ethiopia, not from Somalia.

Kenya has nice tin soldiers in cutsy red uniforms at festivities and parade days. Very spick and spam, almost British.
Oh yes, she also has valiant paratroopers, who man the beer tent at the Nakuru agricultural show, and who flirt with the schoolgirls who flock there to get laid.

She also has a navy that would be the pride of every bathtub.

But maybe it's time she availed herself of armed forces.

Alexander

[kamalet]

Ethiopia is no security threat to Kenya by virtue of a defence agreement that is renewed every five years where each country can call on the other in the event of a war and assistance was sort. Historically, there was such assistance from the Ethiopians during the Shifta was and Kenya reciprocated during the Ogaden war.

As for you belittling the Kenyan armed forces, within the east african region and not including the Ethiopians, Kenyas armed forces are a very well trained and equipped fighting machine capable of meeting threats from perceived enemies in Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda.

As for the Somali crisis, the Ethiopians are only reacting to the activities of the Eritrieans who have been supporting the Islamists, as they are seen as a threat to the security of Ethiopia. Wetangula had to say something to keep Kenya relevant in the matter!

[mongobeti]

Threat from without -Ethiopia or Somalia or even Uganda- what we expect is a robust FP. Perhaps that is too much to expect from our pseudo-diplomats.
About our soldiers they have never have had to face any combat -apart from occassional skirmishes with bandits or during peace-keeping operations. I often wonder what stories a retired 4-star general would tell his grandchildren -if he was never involved in any real combat

[aeichener]

kamalet said:

Ethiopia is no security threat to Kenya

Oh, it is.
Indirectly. And right now. Through its attack against Somalia, Ethiopia has become a security threat to Kenya.

As for you belittling the Kenyan armed forces, within the east african region

You have a point in setting my remark about army and (implicitly) air force into proper regional perspective, which I indeed failed to do.
There is about one (1) African army which I consider as "real" armed forces, but obviously my mark of comparison is different.

We will however readily agree about the joke of a navy.

Alexander

[job]

Where is that feeble foreign policy? Is there any? Me thinks not.

Kamale, don't count on Ethiopia honouring any "treaties" or defense agreements. One such treaty it has just broken by invading a neighbouring IGAAD country (Somalia) has Kenya's signature too.

Here's my 2 cents.
I think that what Wetangula seems to be doing is basically sounding some feeble barkings of a dis-interested if not toothless bulldog. If Kenya meant it...., it would have probably averted this invasion by Diplomatic means. Our Foreign Ministry seems to be totally powerless & out of touch with developments in our immediate surroundings (from a proactive perspective). Was the Ministry caught by surprise?

Ethiopia has ACTIVELY participated in the civil strife in Somalia since 1991. This recent invasion is just an escalation of what they've been doing. This invasion of Somalia by Ethiopia is a big threat to Kenya. As a matter fo fact Ethiopia's actions are directly threatening the stability of not just Kenya, but the entire region.

With the escalation of the battles,........what comes next is the thought of another wave /influx of refugees fleeing the war.....ALL HEADED IN KENYA's DIRECTION. Refugees will not run to Ethiopia, Sudan or Uganda but straight into Daadab, Eastleigh, South C, Garissa, Wajir, Mombasa etc etc . Are we ready to ACCOMODATE hundreds of thousands if not millions of fleeing refugees during this time of many BIG wars when UNHCR's hands and pockets are tied up? Economics aside, what about other social & security problems that accompany the refugees (including those buying "Kenyan" passports in their transition plans for overseas destinations)?

Putting aside the claim that Eritrea is supporting the Islamists, the nationalist ambitions of the Ethiopian regime in relation to Somalia are hardly a secret. Using their false claim that Islamists are threatening their security (pure fabrication)....... as a justification, the Ethiopian army has now moved into Somalia. We all know ETHIOPIA BECAME A LANDLOCKED COUNTRY AS SOON AS ERITREA WAS BORN. In fact the former Ethiopian navy apparatus are still held by ERITREA. It is easier for Ethiopia to wage a war and gain some sea (& port) access through the weaker Somalia (rather than the battle-hardened Eritrea) under guise and cooperation from the US. This concept of invading weaker countries to achieve economic & political interests should never be encouraged.

The US military’s interest in Somalia is because of its strategic position. With a large proportion of Europe’s oil supply passing along the coast of the Horn of Africa and ITS CLOSENESS TO THE MIDDLE EAST, Somalia is of key geopolitical importance. In 1993 the US attempted to gain support for its intervention in the guise of a humanitarian peacekeeping role; now it is using the threat of terrorism WITH ETHIOPIA doing its KAZI YA MKONO.

Whilst KENYA can clearly foresee the dangers looming ahead, it HAS choosen to stay quiet (save for Wetangula's feeble bark) as if nothing is happening. Is the matter too "small" to warrant a statement from the Foreign Minister himself or we are just powerless in these power games. Ethiopia's PM, Meles Zenawi like his Ugandan counterpart Museveni, has emerged as a powerman of the horn of Africa. Like Pakistan's Musharaaf, they are now relevant allies of the US.

As for Jeshi letu, (less than a quarter the size of the US backed Ethiopian force) these well trained & disciplined folks need to start building some roads, sinking boreholes or something to keep them busy. They are good fellas who need some little work while keeping watch over our borders.

unedited.
Job

[roughrider]

I agree with Job. There is no foreign policy.

You expect a foreign policy? From who? Raphael Tuju, Moses Wetangula and John Koech? What do they know about foreign relations and diplomacy? Ministers are supposed to handle broad policy matters.... but even at that level you must know a lot about the subject.

Did you not hear that security chiefs were meeting yesterday to discuss how to handle the Somalia issue? As if the problem in Somalia started yesterday, as if Ethiopians have not been building troops in Somalia and preparing to push the ICU out for months, as if we do not pay billions to the NSIS to anticipate these scenarios. Must we hold emergency strategy sessions when the Islamists are at our doorsteps? This indecision is of course traceable to State House

But surely even cursory reading of the local newspapers should have alerted someone to the fluid situation in Somalia and the attendant threats to Kenya. Haven’t Ambrose Murunga, Billow Kerrow and countless other columnists’ written acres on what needs to be done? Argued the pros and cons? How we could prepare and anticipate developments? And this was months ago! Gosh, if roughrider read them then I expect someone at State House, NSIS or the Ministry should have read them too. Now suddenly we must call emergency IGAD and security chiefs meetings when this was no emergency at all. We all saw it coming!

Why am i not surprised?

Raphael Tuju – with all respect due - has had no previous experience or learning in foreign affairs; his background is in communications. How do you expect him to understand geopolitics and international relations? Does he even know what policy is, let alone how to execute one? Just see how we appoint all manner of political rejects as envoys and important representatives.

Speaking more broadly; how can we even have a foreign policy when we have not even defined our interests? For instance, the mad rush to Look East and kiss Chinese behinds is not supported by any white paper, analysis or policy exposition. It is just a desperate knee-jerk escape from the Western anti-corruption heat to relative comfort of Eastern indifference. In Zambia, as indeed in Kenya, the true face of Chinese neocolonialism is already being seen with everything ‘made in China’. Here with regard to ‘Look East’ I better warn that sometimes it is better the devil you know.

Take another random example: the recent debacle with the East African Legislative Assembly is another example of how poorly we define our regional interest. Kenya behaving badly in the regional arena shows a poor example and scant respect for our neighbors…. and encourages others like Tanzania’s move to SADC where reason prevails. And for what? Scoring cheap political victories at home?

The list of embarrassments are countless; the Kenyans kidnapped in Iraq, the Donde girl, Edward Clay and his lectures, missing out on the millennium challenge account…. to be honest Kalaonzo Musyoka, other than his work with the Sudan peace process was unremarkable; in which case mere baby-faced eloquence does not guarantee a workable foreign policy. Ali Mwakwere, after him, was an unmitigated disaster.

Even when Barrack Obama came calling, we did not know how to use his visit to our advantage. Instead we sent that shrill-voiced lad, Alfred Mutua to hurl senseless epithets at a US senator who will undoubtedly play important roles in global politics for along time to come.

Yet there is no shortage of professionals in diplomacy and international relations; in Kenya - inside out. We just do not respect and use experts at all. Instead we sometimes murder them, like we did with the political scientist, Odhiambo Mbai.

Who can deny that the other day it was easier and more efficient for George Bush to discuss Kenya and regional politics with a more knowledgeable Jakaya Kikwete? It still is. And yet there was a time when Kenya was respected in the international community….

Perhaps, one might argue, the question of Somalia is primarily a Ministry of Defense issue – but look who’s at defense… even there we hit a dead end - Njenga Karume, illiterate and incoherent is our chief defense policy man.

There is just no policy – foreign or defense. Yet Mongobeti, Kamale and Alexander are busy discussing how strong or feeble our ‘policy’ is.