Bush Announces "Marshall Plan" for Africa

The largest aid increase over the shortest period of time since Harry Truman and the Marshall Plan

U.S. President George W. Bush and Hudson Institute Chairman Walter Stern are upbeat at Africa aid announcement ceremony.
White House photo by Paul Morse

Bush Pledges to Double Aid to Africa Over Next Five Years
By Warren Vieth and Benjamin Weyl, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, responding to international pressure to do more for Africa, proposed today a $1.2-billion program to combat malaria, and promised to double U.S. aid to the continent over the next five years. Administration officials said Bush's Africa initiatives, which include smaller programs to increase education and reduce sexual violence, represented a significant new commitment of U.S. resources to assist many of the world's poorest nations.

But the proposals fell somewhat short of the challenge issued by British Prime Minister Tony Blair in advance of next week's summit in Scotland of the Group of Eight industrialized nations. Blair has put Africa aid at the top of the G8 agenda.In remarks previewing America's response to Blair's campaign, which has been joined by religious leaders, relief organizations and rock stars on both sides of the Atlantic, Bush said U.S. aid to Africa had already tripled since he took office, and would double again by 2010. "

After years of colonization and Marxism and racism, Africa is on the threshold of great advances," Bush told an audience assembled by the conservative Hudson Institute at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art."All who live in Africa can be certain, as you seize this moment of opportunity, America will be your partner and your friend," Bush said.

Stephen J. Hadley, the president's national security advisor, said the president's aid pledge would increase overall U.S. assistance to Africa from $4.3 billion in 2004 to at least $8.6 billion by 2010. Hadley characterized it as the largest aid increase over the shortest period of time "since Harry Truman and the Marshall Plan." Bush's biggest specific commitment was his pledge to increase funding of malaria prevention and treatment programs by $1.2 billion over five years.

The United States now allocates about $200 million a year to fighting the insect-borne disease that kills more than 1 million Africans every year."In the overwhelming majority of cases, the victims are less than 5 years old, their lives suddenly ended by nothing more than a mosquito bite," Bush said. "The toll of malaria is even more tragic because the disease itself is highly treatable and preventable." The government-funded effort is designed to dovetail with a similar program announced recently by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bush said he would press other G8 leaders at next week's summit to join in the effort, with a goal of reducing malaria deaths by half in targeted countries.

The two other Africa initiatives announced by Bush would allocate $400 million over four years to extend an existing program that trains teachers, awards scholarships and builds schools, and $55 million to help four nations with their efforts to combat sexual violence and abuse against women.

Health and education advocates said they welcomed Bush's promises of additional U.S. aid, but several criticized the administration for not digging a little deeper.

"It is a small amount of money compared to what is required," said Louis Da Gama, malaria director for the Massive Effort Campaign, a private relief group. "The challenge right now is not to set up a new mechanism, but to support the initiatives that have been set up previously."

Gene Sperling, chairman of the U.S. branch of the Global Campaign for Education, characterized Bush's education initiative as "a very small baby step" for African schoolchildren."We are talking about an additional contribution of about a dollar per person, a drop in the bucket, to keep our commitment to global education," said Sperling, who participated with Da Gama in a conference call with reporters.

Urbane Analysis: If Bill Clinton had done anything like this when he was in office, he would have been lionized by the international news media and trumpeted as the greatest "next" recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize who ever was. In reality Clinton spent his time ignoring the festering Al Qaeda crisis when not lobbing cruise missiles by the dozens around the Horn of Africa - or sending U.S. troops to invade "failed states" without even so much as the benefit of an armored personnel carrier for back up. His administration fumbled terribly on the response to horrific embassy bombings and mass genocide - yet he is a "best friend" to Africa.

By contrast, George W. Bush raises targeted development aid to Africa by 600% (!), and does not launch a single weapon in anger against Africa. Bush puts African dictators on the hotseat, and begins the process of isolating them in a surgical way (as not to imperil the delicate web of aid services necessary to stave off famine): thus raising the potential for conditions undergirding development of democracy. And the response is disinterest and/or disappointment from the media and more outspoken NGOs.

Yet even that cannot stifle my enthusiasm. But here's the caveat: money alone will not solve Africa's problems. Trade, cultural ties, scientific and educational (such as development of legal systems) institution programs, and much more - will all be required to doubled and tripled as well. North America and Europe simply must "engage" on Africa like never before in order to make this initiative bear any fruit. And there must be an enormous amount of pruning as well: of corruption, graft and outright theft by "kleptocratic" regimes. Of all the leaders on the planet, only George W. Bush has the resolve to see to it that these countries "take their medicine" in this way.

Just like with the 9/11 response, Bush is the man for the job.