Is democracy in danger in Africa?

By: Scott A Morgan - USA on July 2, 2011.

In the July/August 2011 Issue of Foreign Policy Magazine the Failed States Index Compiled by the Fund for Peace is published. The Criteria that is used for a Nation to be listed is quite simple. To qualify for the list all a Nation has to do is be a member of the United Nations.

Once again most of the Top Spots or the bottom however you judge the results left an indelible set of number. Several of these spots were held by African States. The Number one Country was Somalia which was no big surprise. Some of the other Nations that made the low points of the survey include the Democratic Republic of the Congo which came in at Number 4 and the Central African Republic which came in at number eight.

This has the potential to be a banner year for Democratic Ideals in Africa. 27 Nations have planned to hold Presidential, Legislative and Municipal Elections during this Calendar Year. Generally Elections are proof positive that the Democratic Ideals that many Leaders in the West Promote are taking hold in Africa. However the Impasse that led to the forced Removal of Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast and the protests that occurred in Uganda are evidence that Short term problems can be created as well.

One Country that will need to be watched is Liberia. This Country which has been reemerging from the Violence that ended a decade ago. This election will be held amongst some serious issues such as High Unemployment, Overwhelming Poverty and serious issues regarding Electricity. Mercenaries that were recruited to fight during the Ivory Coast Fighting have been returning to the Country as well. So this Election will be a Referendum on just how good of a job Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson has done as President of Liberia.

Another Country which has serious issues is Zimbabwe. This Country which placed sixth on the List is also scheduled to hold Elections this fall. For more than a decade the Country has been in Turmoil since the launch of a Controversial Land Reform Program that failed. Another factor which was not really listed as a cause was the intervention in the Congo Wars of the 1990s. The two main Political Parties the ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front) and the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) have shared power since the last Elections. However Unemployment remains high and the Economy is still sluggish during the Power Struggle.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo ranked number 4 in this survey. Although the War has been officially over for some time, Violence still plagues the East. The Police Force is undertrained and cannot deal with the systemic rapes that occur in that region. Corruption and Cronyism plague both the Government and the Army despite efforts by the United States and other Powers to train the Officer Corps and Government Officials how to conduct their jobs. The Largest Peacekeeping Mission in the History of the United Nations has failed to do their jobs as well. This means that the Elections that will be held in November under a One Round Winner take all format will increase the risk of Intimidation and vote rigging amongst other issues.

Outgoing Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm Michael Mullin stated that Failed States constitute a risk to the National Security of the United States. He used the situation in Yemen with the Militants as an example. He also stated that Military Solutions will not always be effective either. Oh what the next six months are going to be like in Africa.

By Scott A Morgan: The Author Publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet. It can be found at www.confusedeagle.livejournal.com