home > by publication type > transcripts > Great Lakes Policy Forum—Meeting Summary—October 1, 1998
Email
October 1, 1998
Council on Foreign Relations
[Note: A transcript of this meeting is unavailable. The discussion is summarized below.]
The meeting featured reports on events in the Great Lakes from H.E. Théogène Rudasingwa, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda; Ambassador Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, Executive Secretary of the Global Coalition for Africa; and Salih Booker, Senior Fellow and Director of Africa Studies, Council of Foreign Relations. The discussant was Learned Dees from National Endowment for Democracy. In view of the recent events in the region, especially the war in Congo, the discussion dealt mainly with the attempt to pull together an overall policy to counter genocide by supporting political negotiations and a credible transition, and addressing cross-border security issues.
External and Internal Dimensions of the Crisis
Speakers argued that genocide in the Great Lakes is not, as it is sometimes portrayed, an issue exclusive to Rwanda, whose government is depicted as using it to excuse some actions or seek sympathy in the eyes of the international community. It is a regional problem which should be a major international concern. President Kabila and other officials are now making statements similar to those made in Rwanda in 1994, calling for the killing of Tutsis. Throughout the meeting speakers returned to the threat of genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and argued that the international community needs to take it seriously.
Although many foreign countries are involved in the DRC, there is also a domestic rebellion, caused by the lack of a credible transition process under Kabila. Indeed, the foreign involvement is largely the result of Kabila’s failure to stabilize the DRC and establish a credible, effective government that could carry out its regional and international responsibilities. Nothing was done to address the DRC’s economic problems. Kabila did not see a role for civil society in the transition. Security has declined. He is ill and possibly paranoid.
African Responses to the Crisis in the DRC.
Mobutu was replaced through collective action of African states. Now these states are divided over the subsequent transition in Congo and other regional issues. Uganda and Rwanda cite security interests in Eastern Zaire and the need to forestall genocide. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) is now seriously divided, with Zimbabwe, Angola, and Namibia supporting Kabila, while South Africa is neutral or more supportive of the rebels. These violent transitions are symptomatic of a broad process of change. Some speakers addressed only the dangers, while others noted that such a process may be necessary for a genuine African renaissance and the transformation of the state system on the continent.
Other International Responses to the Crisis
Speakers agreed that the crisis called for a broader international reaction and not just "African solutions to African problems," which one speaker called "a cover-up for the international community to look away from its responsibilities." International leaders and UN resolutions are expressing their outrage about Kosovo, but the generally muted response to the calls for genocide in the DRC seems to be a repeat of 1994. It is important to recognize that this crisis is a threat to peace in the entire region and this question should be brought to the UN Security Council.
Frameworks for a Solution
One speaker suggested a UN trusteeship for the DRC, but others objected, noting the low regard in which the UN is held in the region. Another speaker called on the Great Lakes Policy Forum to focus on specific steps to prevent a recurrance of genocide.
There were several different proposals for an approach involving negotiations of both cross-border security questions, including genocide, and a transition in the Congo. As one speaker noted, "Internal instability in the DRC creates instability in the region." Hence a framework for both domestic negotiations in the DRC and regional negotiations on security and the prevention of genocide has to be established.
Internally, a broad based dialogue should be developed, not only between rebels and the government or with Kabila, but it should also involve all other players in the DRC crisis. There is a need for credible people to be involved, because participants in the process can be as important as the negotiation process itself. President Mandela could play the role of neutral mediator. The OAU could also have a role in the negotiation process as well as the UN.
There was some discussion about the role of the US. One speaker argued that US initiatives for Africa in general, and this region in particular, were insufficient to deal with the problems. The US also has credibility problems in the region, which Kabila is actively seeking to heighten. A US official stated that they were consulting with many actors in an effort to reach resolution, but were not at liberty to give details. One person proposed that the US host Dayton-style, "proximity talks" among the parties. Despite the UN’s credibility gap resulting from its failure in 1994, the international body is indispensable as a coordinator of the many actors and efforts.
In The Closing of the American Border, Edward Alden goes behind the scenes to tell the story of the Bush administration’s struggle to balance security and openness in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
Complete list of CFR Books.
This report lays out a thoughtful agenda for U.S. policy toward the Democratic Republic of Congo, arguing that what happens there should matter to the United States--for humanitarian reasons as well as economic and strategic ones.
In this report, CFR Senior Fellow Michael A. Levi analyzes the potential use of deterrence in preventing terrorist groups from acquiring nuclear weapons and recommends a new approach to U.S. declaratory policy, as well as ways to improve U.S. capabilities to determine the sources of terrorist attacks.
Complete list of Council Special Reports.
This report argues that the United States must lead with domestic action on climate change and proposes a U.S. negotiating strategy for a global UN climate agreement that includes commitments from all major economies, while also promoting a less formal Partnership for Climate Cooperation that would focus the world's largest emitters on implementing aggressive emissions reductions.
This Task Force report examines changes in Latin America and in U.S. influence there, while taking account of the region's enduring importance to the United States. The Task Force offers an agenda for U.S. policy toward Latin America and identifies four critical areas that should provide the basis of a new U.S. approach.
About Independent Task Forces at CFR.
Foreign Affairs has compiled a collection of articles that offer policy prescriptions to some of the world's most pressing problems.
To order Task Force reports, Council Special Reports, and Critical Policy Choices, please call, fax, or order online from our distributor, the Brookings Institution Press: phone +1.800.537.5487, fax +1.410.516.6998.
For information on other reports that are not for sale, or for general publications information, please call +1-212-434-9516 or email publications@cfr.org.
To request permission to reuse Council materials, please email publications@cfr.org or fax +1.212.434.9859.
Please include the complete information of the requested work—author, title, sections/pages to be copied or reprinted, and number of copies to be made—along with a brief description of where and how you would like to reuse the work.
You may also request permission for Council material through Copyright Clearance Center. For more information, please click on the link below.
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
Global Economy 