ISS Seminar, Addis Ababa: AFRICOM: After Two Years of Operationalization
Date: 2010-09-22
Venue: Hilton Hotel,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
RSVP: Mrs. Beakal Bisrat. Phone: (+251) 011-372-11-54; Fax (+251) 011-372-59-54; E-mail: [email protected]
The African Conflict Prevention Programme (ACPP) of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) – Addis Ababa Office would like to cordially invite you to a public seminar entitled: AFRICOM: After Two Years of Operationalization.
At present, Africa is struggling to establish multiparty democracies and reach sustainable economic growth. But, it has at the same time grown globally in military and strategic importance. Accordingly, it made for the US strategic sense to establish AFRICOM (US Africa Command) which became fully operational in October 2008 amid widespread fears that the continent could become yet another battleground for superpowers. Thus, it is necessary to assess the origins, funding, structure and challenges of AFRICOM which is currently head-quartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Such an assessment will also include an overview of AFRICOM’s interagency composition, its responsibilities and its military, economic, humanitarian and counterterrorism programmes. It is also equally imperative to address the US government`s plans for its military operations on the African continent over the coming years. Such a probing will include looking at the probable consequences, risks and benefits of expanding US military activities on the continent and its security engagements with individual African states. The seminar will also involve looking at the positions of the most influential states on the continent and of the African Union in relation to AFRICOM.
The ACPP strives to complement and support the work of the African Union particularly on issues of peace and security. The ISS Public Seminar Series is part of the ACPP effort at consensus-building by providing a platform for sharing information, encouraging policy debates and dialogue on the African peace and security agenda. The aim is to stimulate quality discussion, in-depth and constructive interaction between participants. Our two presenters will be Colonel Paul Daniels, Deputy Director for Programs Strategy, Plans and Programs Directorate at AFRICOM, and Mr. Abdel-Kader Haireche, Team Leader of the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations African Union Support Team.
You are invited to participate in this important discussion. Please forward this invitation to interested colleagues.
Please note that discussions occur under ISS Rules. Participants are free to use the information presented, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed without his/her express permission.
