The Foreign Service Journal, January 2006

Relations, whose report was released Dec. 4. The report describes Africa’s growing strategic importance in sup- plying energy resources, preventing increased terrorism and halting the spread of HIV/AIDS, and urges the U.S. to “broaden the basis of engage- ment” there. In particular, the group recommends that the U.S. help to integrate Africa more fully into the global economy so that the benefits of globalization can be utilized. The full report is available at http://www.cfr. org/publication/9302 . Africa’s plight has been the focus of international attention in 2005. In June, the Gleneagles G-8 summit vowed to provide additional resources for Africa’s peacekeeping forces, increase support for greater democra- cy and boost investment in health and education. Leaders agreed to double aid to Africa by 2015. The G-8 finance ministers also canceled the foreign debt of 18 of the world’s poorest nations to the tune of $40 billion, with 14 of those nations in Africa. But pledging and delivering are two different things. The Bush admin- istration has boosted assistance to Africa, but the increase falls short of both administration claims and Africa’s read needs. Though the administra- tion claims to have tripled aid to Africa, in real terms it has only increased by 56 percent, according to Brookings Institute Senior Fellow Susan Rice ( http://www.brookings . edu/views/articles/rice/20050627. htm ). The U.S. increased aid to sub- Saharan Africa from $2.034 billion in FY 2000 to $3.399 billion in FY 2004. And, significantly, a majority of the increase has been in emergency assis- tance, not development aid. The U.S. is providing $150 million to the African Union peace mission in Darfur, and helped fund the new U.N. mission in Sudan through our U.N. peacekeeping contribution. Over the next five years, the United States will help train 40,000 African peacekeep- ers through the Global Peace Operations Initiative/Africa Contin- gency Operations Training and Assistance Program ( http://www. state.gov/r/pa/scp/2005/49628.htm ). One of the areas of increased fund- ing is AIDS relief and prevention. Some 400,000 people, nearly all in Africa, are now supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, a program targeting 15 “focus countries” where AIDS is prevalent with $15 billion by 2008. Just three years ago only 50,000 Africans were receiving antiretroviral treatment. The United States has committed $3.2 billion for FY 2006 to fund PEPFAR. AIDS prevention programs, however, have been largely stymied by the administration’s restrictive policy on birth control methods. The President’s Malaria Initiative, announced last June, also focuses on Africa. President Bush pledged $1.2 billion for malaria prevention and treatment over the next five years, with the goal of reducing malaria deaths by half over the next three years. USAID recently received a $100 million grant for indoor residual spraying ( http:// usinfo.state.gov/af/Archive/2005/N ov/21-399970.html ). While efforts to solve short-term problems are notable and necessary, as the CFR Task Force notes, giving Africans the capacity to solve their own problems would be more sustain- able. Although President Bush creat- ed the Millennium Challenge Account in 2002 with the aim to provide $5 bil- lion a year in development aid by 2006 (half of which would be for Africa), the program has thus far disbursed very little money. Congress held funding to only $1.7 billion for FY 2006, a far cry from the president’s pledge. — Caitlin Stuart, Editorial Intern The Rise of the Blog Taking the world by storm is the Internet phenomenon known as weblogging, or “blogging.” A blog is a Web-based publication consisting of periodic entries which can range from a diary-like saga to a heated discussion on controversial issues. Blogs can be designated a forum, which allows oth- ers to post a response, or they can be restricted to the postings of the author. Particularly for those who write on current issues, a blog provides a vehi- cle to publish rapid responses to an article or event. As of 2005, it is esti- mated that more than 11 million blog- gers have joined the online communi- ty in the U.S. to discuss topics from alpha to omega. Academics, lawyers, teachers and, yes, Foreign Service personnel, create blogs to post uncensored commen- taries on world events. Some are witty, some satirical, some blatantly political. J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 13 C Y B E R N O T E S u Share A Unique Experience The editors of American Diplo- macy are inviting FS members, active and retired, to submit stories of their first overseas assignment — an experience unique to each mem- ber of the Foreign Service. A selec- tion of lively First Post accounts are already posted ( http://www.unc. edu/depts/diplomat ). American Diplomacy is a non- profit organization dedicated to publishing thoughtful articles on international issues, supporting efforts to strengthen the American Foreign Service and to promoting understanding of the challenges of diplomatic life abroad.