"President Obama's nomination of Johnnie Carson to be Assistant Secretary for African Affairs is a strong choice. Carson is an accomplished career foreign service officer with an excellent track record on African issues spanning many decades and a range of positions. Carson has a deep understanding of our diplomatic capacities and the importance of regular interagency collaboration. I look forward to considering his nomination and hearing how he and the administration plan to address the many challenges we face on the African continent."
Says U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, who is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommitee on African Affairs. Ambassador Carson worked in the Foreign Service for 37 years (serving in Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Portugal, Botswana, Mozambique and Nigeria) before joining the National Intelligence Council, serving as officer for Africa. See his complete bio here.
I understand he has been less than chummy with Museveni, criticising, among other things, his running for a third presidential term. What will Carson mean for Uganda? For Africa?
"Whether there are new ways for Museveni to re-invent himself and his government in the eyes of an Obama administration will now be seen," says analyst Angelo Izama in a November 2008 article in the Daily Monitor. "President Museveni’s appeal is waning. On the eve of the last election, senior US Africa policy heads, including Johnnie Carson noted that Uganda is a success story gone bad."
Museveni has allowed the potholes of his regime to grow wider and deeper in recent years, and now he is in for a bumpy ride.
2 comments:
I had no idea Russ Feingold was Chair of the Subcommittee on African Affairs. If Feingold says this guy is cool, I believe it.
Like the AIDS pin.
Having worked with Johnnie for many years in Africa and Washington, I am confident that the American public will be extremely well-served by this distinguished gentleman and accomplished diplomat. There was is no finer choice to lead our nation's African Affairs. He will pursue his new posting with the zeal and integrity that has characterized his entire career.
Post a Comment