ISS Seminar: The 2008 US Presidential Election and its Implications for Africa

Date: 2008-10-17 to Invalid date

ISS Seminar: The 2008 US Presidential Election and its Implications for Africa
Addis Ababa, 17 October 2008

 

Hosted by the Direct Conflict Prevention Programme (DCP), ISS Addis Ababa

 

The 2008 US presidential election has generated great interest within and beyond the United States of America. Both Barack Obama, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, and John McCain, the Republican Party presidential candidate, have been talking the American people through the difficult challenges that it currently faces including the recent financial crisis and economic downturn, escalating energy costs, contentious free trade, negative climate change, illegal immigration, terrorist threats, the resurgent conflict in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq and the confrontation with Iran. The aim of this seminar is to make sense of the political and institutional context of American foreign policy and also to create an understanding of the major policy issues, most of which are transnational by nature, echoed in the electoral campaigns and immediately aired in the international media. It also seeks to examine the possible implications of the election on Africa which faces huge human security challenges. Furthermore, it attempts to explore if the next American administration will give Africa the attention that it deserves and requires beyond its obvious value in terms of oil and access to military bases.

 

The DCP programme strives to complement and support the work of the African Union (AU) particularly on issues of peace and security. The ISS Public Seminar Series is part of the DCP effort at consensus-building by providing a platform for sharing information, encouraging policy debates and dialogues on the African peace and security agenda. The aim is to stimulate quality discussion, in-depth and constructive interaction between participants.

 

Presenters:

 

• Dr Steven Erkovich of the American University of Paris
• Dr Joseph Vincent Ntuda Ebode of the University of Yaoundé

 

Date: Friday 17 October 2008
Time: 09h00 am – 12h30 pm
Venue: United Nations Conference Centre, UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

 

For enquiries, confirmations and regrets please contact: Ms Sanatek Haile, Tel: (+251) 011-372-11-54; Fax: (+251) 011-372-59-54; Email: [email protected]

 

Please note that discussions occur under the Chatham House rules, which means no attribution without specific permission

 

Seminar Documentation