Sovereignty Fig Leaf

By: John Mulaa
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[ Posted On: 2008-02-19 ]

Sovereignty has replaced patriotism as the last refuge of scoundrels. In Kenya, some politicians are loudly strumming several chords and beating many drums to the sovereignty rap hoping that like some magical incarnations it will ward off trouble. Balderdash it would were it not that some politicians appear to believe it and they may actually go to battle with the international community over it. Like Maji Maji rebels in Tanganyika, sprinkling water on their bodies fully convinced they would be protected from fusillades aimed at them. The rebels were no match for Carl Peters, the sulphuric tempered German and his gunners.

The bad news for sovereignty howlers is that the shibboleth has entirely no intended effect apart from inducing intoxicating voodoo feeling of invincibility among believers and dead enders alike. The sovereignty talk is rank ignorance and utter unappreciation of the world as it is presently configured. Constant invocation of the term or its equivalent betrays unfamiliarity with its history and evolution. In certain circumstances, sovereignty does not amount to squat. Remember the bloody history of Europe and the constant re-drawing of boundaries? To much opprobrium, Professor Ali Mazrui opined not too long ago that much of Africa was headed toward receivership every bit as total and encompassing as the 19th and 20th century colonialism, only this time more hands off. In other words, the good professor was warning African states that unless they organized their affairs and adhered to international governance norms and other good practices, for the sake of humanity, the international community would have to dispense with the sovereignty fig leaf and directly attempt to right the failed societies. Mazrui was not the only one to conclude thus. Chinua Achebe, in the Anthills of the Savannah, his best book in my estimation, created a peasant character who in his "ignorance" wondered aloud when independence would end. After all, he figured, colonialism ended, it was only logical to expect the succeeding period to end too.

African sovereignty has leaked virtually all its content even though the form remains; only the willfully ignorant-we will not be dictated to crowd-think that it is a bulwark against forced compliance. Saddam Hussein, Charles Taylor, Emmanuel Noriega belonged to this posse. Even those who fervently invoke sovereignty betray its hollowness by suggesting in the same breath that they will seek alternative patrons. They wave China, the new big kid on block and their potential new friend and protector, imagining that the emerging global power will pursue anything but its interests. What they forget or most likely do not know, is that China is joined at the hip with Africa's rulers' old friend turned nemesis, the West. China's interests in the West and vice-versa dwarf the links between the Asian power and Africa, and China will stick out its neck on behalf of its offending clients only to degree. Despite China's support, Zimbabwe remains in a deep economic hole it is unlikely to emerge from without the West's stamp of approval. A brutal truth. The discussion about who is a "true" friend of Africa and who respects its "sovereignty" would be academic if the guardians of Africa's independence understood that sovereignty like freedom, is not absolute, and the best way to uphold both is to respect the underpinnings.

Listening to the defenders of spurious sovereignty, their motives are apparent. They are appealing to the term to hide their misdeeds in the mistaken belief that absent international "meddling" they are capable reversing the tide of local history. The truth is there is no boundary between local and international history. In the Kenyan context, the international community is willing to midwife, using the latest diplomatic wizardry, the birth of a new era whose time is due. The dead enders, shouting hoarsely, may not realize the only choice they have is between a relatively painless internationally supported birth, and home delivery without the benefit of modern medicine with the attendant risks.

Put it another way, the true sovereigns are the people of Kenya and it is that sovereignty that the international community is leaning toward respecting.

Any other form of sovereignty being bandied about in the name of the people whose sovereignty is on life support is false. It is no brainer on whose side the verdict of history will fall.

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: John Mulaa is a Researcher and Consultant (World Bank) based in Washington DC. He is also a columnist with the East African Standard. Earlier in his Journalism career, he worked with the Weekly Review (defunct) and the Daily Nation publications in Kenya, as a foreign correspondent.

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