Abu Wabu

Are you still distracted by the belief that President Bush is distracted by Iraq? I thought so. Here as a public service is the truth about Bush and Africa, and this doesn't even include the news that Bob Geldof says that Bush is doing far more for Africa than any previous President.

To the consternation of many liberals, President Bush liberated two large and strategically important nations from the clutches of Islamofascism. When these liberals applied great pressure on Bush to pave the way for the return of Islamofascism in much of one of these countries, he not only defied them, but devised a strategy that appears to have inflicted a defeat on al Qaeda, that most virulent of Islamofascist elements.

Often when a president focuses so intently on a particular enemy in a particular region, he does so to the detriment of U.S. foreign policy in other areas. Yet President Bush has managed to devote an unprecedented level of dedication to dealing with the problems of Africa, a region that has rarely commanded any serious attention from the U.S.

Bret Schaefer and Anthony Kim of the Heritage Foundation use the occasion of Bush’s visit to Africa to recount some of the administration’s accomplishments and initiatives in Africa. They fall into four areas: (1) fighting disease, especially HIV/AIDS, (2) dramatically increasing U.S. assistance to sub-Saharan Africa, (3) enhancing economic growth through trade and investment, and (4) recognizing Africa's increased strategic importance.

With respect to fighting disease, the administration launched a $15 billion initiative to combat HIV/AIDS, the largest commitment by any country. According to Schaefer and Kim, during the past five years, the administration's program has made it possible for 1.4 million people in Africa to receive life-saving treatment. The Bush administration has been similarly generous when it comes to economic assistance. From 2000 to 2006, the United States doubled its development assistance to $21.5 billion and quadrupled its development assistance to sub-Saharan Africa to $5.6 billion.

The Bush Administration also expanded trade with Africa by opening the U.S. market through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Under this Act, many African goods receive zero-tariff access to the U.S. market. In response to these lower costs, two-way trade between the U.S. and Africa has grown by almost 140 percent since the introduction of AGOA, including an increase of more than 90 percent in non-oil/gas trade. Schaefer and Kim point out that trade and investment are more effective at promoting economic growth because they directly contribute to private-sector development without a government or nongovernmental organization intermediary.

President Bush gets scarcely more credit for his efforts and accomplishments in Africa than for his efforts and accomplishments in vanquishing terrorists and the countries that harbor and support them. His military successes are denigrated and his humanitarian successes are ignored.