Unemployment has been surprisingly productive. I spent the past few days at the African Studies Association annual conference, which took place this year in New York. Everyone seemed to be talking about two things:

1. The creation of AFRICOM and the US-supported Ethiopian invasion of Somalia show that the US is militarizing its presence in Africa. Most thought this was not a good things, noting that no African country besides Liberia is willing to host AFRICOM. Supporters of AFRICOM argued that the US is not militarizing its relationship with African countries, and that AFRICOM will not be replacing State Department work.
2. The “War on Terror” and US oil interests in the Gulf of Guinea have detrimentally affected the ability of the US to promote democracy and respect for human rights in Africa. There were many parallels drawn between US priorities in Africa during the Cold War and US priorities in Africa during this indefinite “War on Terror.”

I went to a random assortment of sessions. Below are some of the more interesting things I learned. I’m not going to attribute where each bullet point came from, but if you want to know where a specific one came from, let me know and I can find the source in my notes. All of the Liberia-related comments are first. And not all of these bullets reflect my opinion. I’m just repeating what I heard.

• In Liberia, if you squat on land for 20 years and no one puts up a fight, the land becomes yours. The war lasted 14 years. Many Liberians fled the country when the war started in 1989. We are coming up to the 20 year mark. There is debate as to whether the war years should count toward the 20 years. If they don’t, there is a fear that many Liberians will return and hire ex-combatants to do what it takes to kick the squatters off their land.
• In a survey in Lofa County, most Liberian ex-combatants think they are doing better than other ex-combatants. (Does anyone know what that would indicate?)
• When Liberians in Lofa are asked what their priorities are, they say infrastructure and clean drinking water. But when the same Liberians are asked what they most want from the government, their answer is usually training.
• 46% of ex-combatants in Lofa say they feel accepted. 14% of ex-combatants in Monrovia say they feel accepted.
• John Prendergast used Liberia as an example of a success story of US intervention in Africa. (Any comments on that?)
• The Chinese used to build soccer stadiums in African countries, but now they are building infrastructure. (This is completely true in Liberia. The Chinese recently finished renovating a soccer stadium. Now they are expanding the road to the airport.)
• During the April 2007 Nigerian elections, the more educated you were the more likely you were to vote for the ruling People’s Democratic Party. (Anyone want to try explaining that to me?)
• Nigerians who received more than one attempt to by their vote were 50% less likely to vote at all.
• One of the most popular sessions of the whole conference was on US Foreign Policy toward Africa. All four panelists were white men.
• There is no institution in Liberia to sort out land issues that might fall under customary of statutory law.
• The emphasis on physical security for US diplomats and air workers means that they spend more time behind walls and less time talking with the ordinary country nationals. The Chinese, however, are not behind high walls. This gives them an advantage in understanding cultures and peoples.
• Just like in Iraq, when the US armed groups in Somalia, the US didn’t have a plan for the next step.
• Reports on a certain African country should be distributed in that country, and ideally paired with a report about another country. This is especially true for reports about the human rights situation in a country.
• There should be more focus on looting and pillaging. For many, looting is a life or death issue. Someone told the story of a man whose wife was killed, and then had his five cows stolen. He broke down when he got to the part about the cows because that meant he could no longer sell milk and use the money to buy food and medicine for his five children.
• Witness protection is difficult in many African countries because people don’t transplant easily, and if you keep the person in the same community, the informal communication networks are so strong that it’s hard to keep a secret.
• Street-side workers deter theft for larger businesses in the area.
• In Guinea-Bissau, when one is asked “Where are you going?” most answers are vague. One might respond “Over there,” with no indication of where “there” is, or sometimes “I am here.” This is a way of bringing a small amount of privacy to your life when little else is private.
• Talking about AFRICOM, and the danger of an increased military presence in Africa, a woman said that “When you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
• Chinese construction projects usually don’t use African labor.