OAU WAS NOT A FAILURE . AND THE AU IS GRADUALLY BECOMING RELEVANT

So Lets Be Optimistic and Celebrate African Unity



As African Union Day Approaches and analyst begin to dissect the relevance of the Continental body, a lot of commentary will inevitably be about the difficulties and the irrelevance of the AU and also its predecessor the OAU.

But such dismissive commentary fails to do justice to the issue. The OAU in its initial stage was spectacularly successful and achieve most of its objectives. Here some few of such achievements.


1. Decolonization:
In this field, the OAU Co-ordinating Committee for the Liberation of Africa, organized diplomatic support and channelled financial, military and logistical aid to liberation movements. Though much remains to be done before final victory is obtained, the struggle for liberation gained considerable momentum. It is commanding every day increasing support from world opinion. At the United Nations, the liberation struggle is recognized as legitimate. Liberation movements representatives will soon be seated as observers at UN meetings. Through an OAU fund, international support is being channelled to liberated areas in Guinea Bissau, in Angola and Mozambique. OAU has initiated action with the International Court of Justice which has just declared that South Africa had no right to stay in Namibia. Consequently, UN action is being considered for the International territory of Namibia (former South West Africa) to accede to Independence. Likewise, a UN boycott is enacted against Rhodesia's racist minority regime until majority rule is obtained. Every pressure is brought to bear on Great Britain, which, as a colonial power at the time of Smith's Unilateral Declaration of Independence (1965), has to live by its constitutional and moral responsibility towards African majority in Rhodesia. Thus, Portugal, South Africa, Rhodesia and their NATO allies are periodically harassed and condemned for their colonialist and racist policy in Africa, particularly at the United Nations where' the African group commands a near "blocking third" vote.

2. Boundary conflicts
In the ten years of its existence, OAU has been confronted with a number of boundary conflicts in North, East and Central Africa. Thanks to OAU machinery and efforts, these conflicts were settled in a true spirit of African Solidarity without outside intervention or interference. On such occasions, OAU made a name for itself as peacekeeper no. 1 in the continent. The UN General Assembly has paid tribute to OAU for the role played in the maintenance of international peace and security.

3. Defence of Member States' sovereignty and territorial integrity
Action undertaken by OAU in this concern will remain one of its greatest achievements ever:
a)- In the Congo: where imperialism threatened in its supply lines of strategic raw materials (uranium, and copper) vied for disintegration to set up a puppet state.
b)- In Nigeria: where a civil war flared up and threatened the Federal Republic of Nigeria to its very foundation. By throwing its weight on the side of unity, and providing for appropriate machinery (an ad hoc Consultative Committee) OAU helped to prevent secession while maintaining the cohesion of its membership.
c)- In Republic of Egypt: which was aggressed and occupied in parts by Israeli forces in 1967. OAU has strongly condemned this Israeli aggression and demanded the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all occupied Arab territories. Egypt is one of the founding Member States of the Organization of African Unity.
d)- In Guinea: where Portugal's last ditch attempt at colonial reconquest failed. In the wake of this aggression OAU‘s offer of financial and military aid to Guinea, along with its declared war on mercenaries in Africa and the successful information campaign it waged to alert international opinion were all evidence of the usefulness OAU has in facing outside aggression and the outside world.
e) -In Equatorial Guinea: where OAU support enabled the Young Republic to reinforce its newly won independence.

4. The struggle against Apartheid:

Through action of the African group at the United Nations and appropriate information campaigns Apartheid, the abhorred system of state imposed racial discrimination in South Africa, Rhodesia and the International territory of Namibia (South West Africa), has been universally condemned as ''a crime against humanity". (Teheran Conference in 1 968).
As a result of increasing pressure from all quarters, Apartheid South Africa has been forced out of the Commonwealth and a number of specialized institutions of the United Nations family.
In world sports, Apartheid South Africa has been barred from the Olympic Games and from International Tennis Tournaments.

5. Promotion of African Culture:

OAU staged both the 1st All African Cultural Festival (Algiers August 1969) and the First Workshop on African Folklore, Dance and Music (Mogadiscio Somalia) October 1 970.
The first momentous panafrican Festival took place in Algiers, Algeria in August 1969. Never before, had African culture and arts given such a brilliant display of their richness, variety and genius. Above cultural and artistic achievements, this First Festival was the triumph of African solidarity and sense of purpose, the triumph of AFRICANITY.
In Mogadiscio, the workshop on African folklore, dance and music was attended by many scholars and artists of international repute from OAU Member States. The quality of the various contributions is likely to influence any future development of African culture.

6. Fields of economic and social development, transport and telecommunication:

Thanks to OAU efforts, African countries have harmonized their policies with regard to UNCTAD, IBRD, IMF, UNIDO, ILO. Consequently, their claims for better terms of trade, full participation in a new international monetary system and more multilateral aid carry more weight.
Through OAU, African countries have proclaimed their permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, just as they are pressing for a modification of International Law with regard to the continental shelf and territorial waters.
In the social field, progress has been achieved towards the Unification of African Trade Unions and Youth Organizations,
In cooperation with ECA, blueprints for a rational continental telecommunications network and efficient air and road transport have been laid. To fly across Africa from east to west or to make a phone call one need no longer go through Paris or London.
A trans-saharan highway from Algiers (Algeria) to Mali and Niger is being built. Another one from Mombasa, Kenya to Lagos, Nigeria, is under active consideration.
An all african Trade fair, took place in Nairobi, Kenya, ( February 1972).

7. Fields of Education, Science, Health:

In these fields, OAU action may be credited with:
pre-investment studies: fishery projects; an anti-rinder pest campaign that has vaccinated so far a billion dollars worth of cattle, a number of scientific investigations on plant protection, soils, animal health, all of which may be obtained from the OAU/STRC office in Lagos, Nigeria.
pilot projects in the field of earth science: geology, geophysics, the idea being to supply Africa with the most up-to-date know-how and limit the "brain-drain".
In the field of Education, African college graduate should soon be able to move from one African University to another, a scheme of degree equivalence being now devised.
In the field of health, preventive medicine and public health measures are being applied all over Africa.

8. Action in favour of African Refugees:

A bureau for placement and education of African refugees has been in operation at OAU headquarters since 1968. Great many African refugees ever since have been provided with educational and job opportunities. A convention governing aspects of refugee problems in Africa has been adopted by OAU Heads of State in September 1969. To the terms of this convention, a refugee status and right of asylum are recognized to refugees by all independent African countries.
"No longer are refugees subjected to rejection at the frontier, return or expulsion, which would compel them to return to or remain in a territory where their life or freedom would be threatened'. (Article 11 of OAU convention on refugees).


Africa has a long way to go but we also need to be inspired by our past successes and not be overburdened with our challenges. FORWARD EVER!

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The new harsh Realities of Education in Ghana

this is an up and coming article on educationan in Ghana.

Middle East and North African Crisis and The US Reponse

TRUE DEMOCRACY OR NATIONAL INTEREST?
The current upheavals in the Maghreb and the Middle east clearly shows the quandary in which many of the western capitals have dug themselves in over the years.After proping up unrepresentative repressive regimes over the years all in the name of promoting their national interst and ensuring stability in a volatile region while preaching openness freedom and democracy to all bu those regimes- their friends in the region-  the chickens seem to have finally come home to roost.

One of their chummy tyrannical allies has fallen and fled to Saudi Arabia even though all indications points to the fact that they still have a sympathetic cabal in place in Tunisia. Even though the ordinary people who brought down the western backed leader have not given up the revolution. Many western capitals were absolutely shocked at what happened a couple of weeks ago in Tunisia. Now what faces the western nations is even a bigger problem; their closest and strongest ally Egypt is in the middle of an unprecedented revolution.

No matter what happens the country will never be the same again and certainly the relationship with the west especially the US will not be as it was before the revolution. These protests are as much against the ruling class in Egypt as it is against the major western powers especially the US. At the moment there is as much apprehension in Washington and Jerusalem as there is in Cairo.There is more at stake than the leadership and politics of one country.What is at stake is the future of American influence in the region and more importantly the future of Israel.

After propping up the repressive government that has ruled the country under emergency rule for over two decades , most of people outside the ruling class are alienated and even feels hostile to the western nations. These abuses were tolerated primarily because the Egyptian Government claimed any reforms that leads to democracy will inevitably lead to the transfer of power to more radical groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.

What is refreshing is that there very little involvement of any religious organization much less an extremist religious group in the Egypt protests. It was the case in tunisia and up till now there is no indication that there will be any religious element.

Now ,it is decision time in many western capitals. many of the leaders are afraid of what will come next if Mubarak falls however they are savvy enough not to appear to be on the wrong side when the history of this revolution is written in years to come. Their hypocrisy has caught up with them and any bad move will cost them dearly in a region that occupies a great importance in their foreign policy.

FINNALY SOMEONE STOOD UP TO THE NLC

If there was one institution created by the Kuffour administration that was abhorent to the people of Ghana then it was the National Labour Commission (NLC). Since the draconian Labour Act of 2003 Act 653 was passed and established the NLC, this institution has made it impossible for workers in this country to express themselves in any way. The Act has virtually ostracized industrial action in this country.Since it was established, the NLC has at every opportunity dealt with labour unions unfairly while bootlickers masquerading as Labour consultants justified the NLC's unfair actions. even though the NLC was suppose to be an independent arbiter between workers and employers, they have always been biased in favour of employers. According to the Act they are supposed to enforce resolutions and binding agreements as well as resolve labour issues.However the NLC never enforced a single ruling against employers but always took harsh actions against Workers eve to the extent of pursuing expensive legal actions against workers. Now the NLC has met its match in the UTAG who are seriously challenging their authority and pushing to the middle where they should be.

CENTENARY OF VISION

To some , the message will be hard to swallow but m,any are those who buy into the vision of the Great Founder of Ghana and the Liberator of Africa. The current Government with obvious Nkrumahist Coloration,has done a lot to showcase the achievement of Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah. Tomorrow, the 25th May is Africa unity day and it is fitting that a massive and well publicized event will be organized to celebrate this Great patriot and Pan Africanist.

A STRATEGY DOOMED FOR FAILURE

The New Public transport Strategy we cannot rely on Over the past couple of weeks i frequently keep hearing advertisements admonishing and elicititing my support for the impending Urban Rapid Transport Programme. Under this program it is envisaged that rapid public transport routes will be created on our already congested road for the sole purpose of transporting the public.

WEB MOBILE IS HERE

GREAT POTENTIAL FOR GHANA Last week Google unveiled Nexus One after several years of rumors and speculations amid the greatest fanfare only Google could conjure up in these times. The nexus One is a Mobile phone that the geeks at Google call a "super phone" . The nexus one is a 3.7Inch Touchscreen with a 1GHz Snapdragon Processor,a 5 megapixel camera with an LED flash and comes with accompanying GPS and and Compass.It runs the ANDROID mobile Operating System as expected. it is the first time the online giant has ventured into the hardware market. its intended to rival the I-phone and the badly trailing Blackberry. But more importantly this is to make sure the worlds biggest Internet company keeps itself at the top of the pile. Google has known for a long time that the web is going "mobile" and the biggest pie of the online market will thrive on mobile platforms so the Nexus one is to give Google direct control of at least a section of the mobile market and lock in advertisers and other customers. Tjhis is not the first time

EAGLE EYE GHANAIANS?

We must as a nation congratulate ourselves for creating a perception among at least some politicians that we will not tolerate sleaze among those who keep our purse. According to the former Chief of Staff and the Head of the Planning Committee of the defunct Ghana@50 he advised the former Chief Executive of the same org to be cautious with some aspects of the work because Ghanaians will be suspicious of any unusual actions of people in Power. Mr. Mpaini was giving evidence on the mismanagement of funds allocated to the celebration of the Ghana @50.According to Mr. Mpaini he warned Dr. Wereko Brobby to be very careful when the latter decided to loan the Ghana@50 Commission with 200,000 Ghana Cedis towards the celebration when the funds were not forthcoming from Government If this is the case and they do fear such finger pointing then that should mean more Government officials should be scrupulous in their dealings.And if most Ghanaians demand accountability from their officials then this should lead to more accountability. Mr. Mpainin in a negative tone berated Ghanaians for being too suspicious of Public officers and "have a pull-him-down attitude". If this was the case and yet they still managed to steel the staggering amount of money we occasionally hear about. MORE POWER TO GHANAIANS IF THAT IS WHAT THEY WILL DO TO SAFEGUARD OUR SMALL KITTY.

DISSAPOINTMENT THUS FAR !!

Most of us are disillusioned about direction of the the new government anyway but it looks like we have to brace ourselves for yet more heartbreak.This is especially difficult for those of us wish they do well for Ghanaians to be rewarded for giving them a chance to show that that governance can be conducted in a way that does not ignore the needs of ordinary people. as was seen in the Kuffour days. In the beginning of the NDCs rule the some of our pleaded for some of the impatience to be toned down and the new administration to be given some time to settle. lack of strong leadership and the lack of bold thinking in those early days was tolerated by some of us only because we thought it was only a matter of time that the Good professor came into his own. Instead of the Government getting to grips with the country's situation, it looks like Mill himself is baffled and confounded and lacks the sharpness of reaction to deal most issues especially when it comes to communicating actions and plans. I do not for one moment doubt the competence and the capabilities of Mills and majority of his team in dealing with some of the issues we have on our burning hands in the country today. But there is some amount of inertia and where there is some movement there is a fair amount of hesitation. There no point in touting the capabilities wend potential of anyone or any institution if those attributes are not translated into tangible deliverable. It is distressing to see the government falters in simple areas wand make the erstwhile mediocre administration seem like a group of hardworking rocket scientists.

GOT SERVED!

The rains we prayed for came and it washed us away from our flimsy structures and caused us so much pain and anguish. A lot of times we humans wish for thins we really cannot handle when we gt our wishes. Ghanaian also are noted, far more than any other group of people, for causing self inflicting pain and what happened on Friday and Saturday was a classic case of illustration. firs we are at fault for praying for rain when we were in the least prepared for it no matter how absurd that may sound. we simply should have left god alone to his own devices but no, not Ghanaian we fasted , "allnighted" and "compelled" the Almighty to open the heavens-open he did on Friday evening( and what a time too for God to choose ;ruining the perennial weekend revelers). The majority of people who pray happens to live in Accra which incidentally is the most ill-prepared and least in need of rain

IF HE IS NOT AWERE LET HIM KNOW

WE WILL NOT FORGIVE MILLS IF HE FAILS Many of us really wish the president well and hope he succeeds not least because of his humility and measured approach.he is totally different in approach from the Kuffour team that inflicted humiliation on us and expected us to thank them for it. However after six months of mills it is very difficult to say we are on the right track however magnanimous i try to be. There is lack of strong personality and direction at the center and i struggle to see any boldness in action or thought from the president and his team. Also it seems the president especially is overwhelmed by the problems of this country ad is struggling to decide where to begin. We all know the NPP left this country on a broken limb but we Ghanaians are not prepared to wait .We want solutions now. The president is too touchy feely and does not want to step on toes but that is what governance is about.

LETS CELEBRATE AU

Its is not Perfect but it is a great and wonderful dream Sure i would never hold a Federal United States of Africa passport in my lifetime and i may not be able to travel effortlessly between African countries as of it was one nation, but the dream of African unity is un-undying passion that makes my heart glows every time i think about it.This wonderful yet almost illusive dream fashioned by our illustrious fore bearers is both uplifting and disappointing depending on which side you happen to be standing at what time . It is one of the few things that all Africans aspire to but deep inside we hope it is not only a vision. every year on the 25 of may people across the content are reminded of this dream of our fore fathers to make the African continent one nation. The celebration that goes wit this day always so much emotions and debates as to whether the project of Africa Unity is even a desirable vision not to mention whether it will ever be attained. Then there is the perennial cynical view that since the early 50s African leaders only shuttle between capitals for unproductive talk shops that does not yield any benefits for the ordinary African or fails to move the continent any closer to unity. some say the reborn AU is no different from the erstwhile OAU which many have consigned into the dustbin of history as one of the failed multinational organizations with lofty intentions but lacking pragmatic actions. we live on a continent where we have been programmed by both internal and external factors to always see the negative and ignore the successes and the positive. the bad news has drowned out the good news so much so that good news and successes are rare. This condition has been applied in assessing performance of the OAU What many fail to recognize is that that the AU has been through an evolution and a deep analysis will show that it really did more than average in fulfilling its missions and goals. One of the prime goals of the OAU in its formative years was to liberate the continent from colonial domination.This goal was achieved in record time which brought some of the very best in Africans and showed that together we can collectively achieve.Within less than a decade this was actualized leading to the liberation of over a dozen colonies.By the 25th year of the existence of the OAU only a handful of African colonies were under colonial control and in those places strong efforts were underway to liberate to areas.

BRETTON WOODS IS BACK TO GET US!

ARE OUR LEADERS READY TO SAVE US FROM THEM? Last week we all listened in horror as the IMF staff mission leader Peter Allum delivered his report to his bosses in Washington. his report was as usual laden with bitter pills for us to swallow. One of the main concerns of the IMF was the government's partial subsidization of energy and utility tariffs to low consumers. According to Mr. Allum this is one major concern of the Fund and they see it as one of the main problem areas of our economy. So predictably the IMF is urging the Government to cut this all important lifeline to the poor (one of the few things citizens get to enjoy from the government). After the G-20 in April summit the G-7 countries realizing that they have lost some clout economically , south to entrench their domination by giving the IMF more powers and resources. The newly re-launched IMF is determined to continued from where they lefty off prior to the Global Financial Crisis. Forcing small developing counties to go through painful reforms that do not yield any benefit but causes a lot of misery to the poorest in the society. The change in government from fairly right-wing NPP to the 'social democratic' NDC is expected to lead to a resistance of the cutthroat policies from Washington. we are keenly watching , especially at a time of great economic upheaval whether the good prof. and his NDC will be worthy of our confidence and trust in the management of our economy away from all the dependency traits that has contributed in holding us back.This is time for assertive leadership that can intelligently jungle asking for money from the fund (because we desperately need it)while at the same safeguarding some our very sensitive sections of the population from cutthroat and painful reforms that hurts. The Bretton woods system is clearly set up against our interest so if our leaders will disregard good and sensible counsel and go ahead to do the biding of the fund , then we are truly doomed.Forced reforms always end in disaster and countries that have benefited from good reforms always do so on their own accord and not under duress. We all saw how powerless the Breton woods were when some of thier acclaimed "star pupils" in eastern and northern Europe who have followed liberalization policies to the letter came close to economic implosion. The IMF had no answers to the collapse of the Global financial system which they had shaped and influenced over the last two decades. Our leaders must be wise and not let us down. the fact that full cost recovery is working in other countries does not make it the optimal policy choice for us too.

A LITTLE MORE OF THE SAME

.... Real change is elusive in terms of posture and orientation Those of us who rooted for Atta mills to ascend to the presidency because we thought he was going to be our answer to the real change that was needed are left scratching our heads and left wondering if he can provide at least some hope to the change agenda Only a week ago the media space was completely dominated by abject discussions and debates about the true number of people and functionaries included in the presidents entourage and the true cost of the trip to the UK. The president's media czar defended the number and the expenses on a host of media outlets , claiming that Ghanaian must rather consider what came out of the trip rather than the cost. for a moment , i thought it was Kwabena Adjepong or Andrew Awuni or or better still defending Kuffour over his numerous travels. Mahama ayariga ,when quizzed , insisted that the travel to the UK was to secure funds to balance our budget and to fund some critical projects.and that millions of pounds have been pledged by the UK government towards such.In a way that argument answers the critics (especially those from the opposition NPP) who have been mocking the president for being locked up in the castle and unable to travel outside the country to look for funds to run the country. That is the aspect that saddens me the most ;that our measure of the success of leadership is the leader's ability to beg for more funds from western nations This is the level we have reduced ourselves to. and sadly our president has bought into it. This mediocre leadership style that is low on cerebral work but heavy on little things that appears grand but hollow inside is what we rooted for the Prof to change but it looks like so early in the day our hopes will be dashed. What is even more annoying is that our new president is also trapped in the neo-colonial mind that dictates that we must maintain a "special" relationship with our colonial oppressors. even the act of the president first visiting the UK in his first official trip outside of Africa at the expense of missing the swearing -in of the new president of South Africa! In the new geopolitical reality we find ourselves in our leaders must be nimble footed and forward thinking. The world is totally different in geopolitical terms and diplomatically from the one they knew when growing up. If they are impervious to the reality , they better have a second look at the events at the G-20 convened in London on the 1st of April to discuss ways out of the global Economic crisis.Only a few years back that summit would have been dominated by only a few western countries while big powers like China , India, Russia,Brazil and South Africa wouldn't even get a look-in. the worlds power centers have not only shifted by it is spreading , creating many centers of powers. The world is becoming 'Flat' and the traditional political ,economic and diplomatic superpowers are having to cede some of their powers to other countries because they have no other choice. The newly emerging powers are propping up the western economies through all forms of investments and trade. Our leaders must recognize the new reality and take actions that will enhance our development. The unreasonable attachment to our colonial ties must be shed away and embrace the new era that has dawned on us. The president must know that the change agenda also includes foreign policy; we must revolutionize our foreign policy outlook to benefit from the new age and form powerful partnership with the emerging powers who will pull us towards the expanding center. Also the "beg mentality"of our leadership must be shed away and a more cerebral , creative and and dignifying attitude to adopted. If the job of the presidency is simply going around western countries begging for money , then most of us "simpletons can be better president than those we have had.

NOW WE CAN STOP COMPLAINING

....MILLS THROW THE GAUNTLET TO THE YOUTH I have enormous respect for the president and this has been strengthened by the decision of the professor to appoint many young people into ministerial and governance positions across the board.And when i speak of young people , i dont mean fourty- somethings who have been around forever, but relatively inexperienced and fresh people. This is something most of us have been agitating for....give us a chance to prove ourselves.It seems it was something the president has given a lot of thought and deliberately gave these young men and women a chance to show what they can do.Never in the history of our country has so many young people have been given a chance to prove themselves in positions of authority.The likes of Okudzeto Ablaquah, and James Agyenim Boaten would not have stood any chance of getting an appointment getting such high profile appointment in anyone's government except for that of prof Mills. Even at the risk of incurring the displeasure of hard core party members mills has bravely given the chance to some very young people. The other day i watch a group of angry NDC members berating the president for appointing a 26 year old man as a DCE.i thought that was brilliant decision b the president. Now these young must become ambassadors or the youth of Ghana and dispel the wrong notions crafted about young people. Their elevation to these positions is an opportunity in three generations and their performance will determine whether the youth get another chance to prove the young people are indeed better at some things that we are given credit for. Not only young people have benefited from the Mills revolution but women have also been given the opportunity to influence decision making at the highest level.

100 OF TENTATIVE CRAWLING

Most people really wish president Mills very well in his bid to prosecute his change agenda. Mills is a likable character and has the outlook of an underdog... a humble underdog at that. Most people are inclined to have a soft spot for underdogs and mills has an excellent underdog profile in the Ghanaian context. but inexplicably Mills did not get the honeymoon and goodwill that new governments get in the beginning of their reign. perhaps a reflection of the impatience of LONG SUFFERING citizens who are simply tired of the ebb and flow of hope and frustration with each change in government . After 100 days, the jury is still out on the real achievement of the mills govrnement but whta most of us keen observers hav sen is that this goernemnt will adopt a delibrately brooding style of dong things. Mills seems not to be in any hurry to take any decisions or actions . This irks both critics and supporters alike. The supporters are angered especially by the unwillingness of the president to wrestle control of the state and its machinery from the operatives of the previous government. Another worrisome feature of the mills government is his choice to remain silent and lock himself up in the castle . Over the last 3 months Mills has been president his profile goes up and he appears to be control and command confidence whenever he speaks to the media, but this rarely happens. The president is extremely media shy and makes me remember one of his statement during the 2008 electioneering campaign , when he declared in an angry tone that "we talk too much". But seriously that is the first and foremost function of a government-to communicate its actions and intention to the populace. However it is clear that Prof. Mills is a honest and thoughtful person and with the right personnel and council he can achieve one thing that has eluded this nation in a long time ,that an honest and clean leadership. for now most can forgive the president , but that will certainly not be the case in a years time.A little bit of tentativeness could be tolerated for now but our legendary collective patience is not infinite.

RESPECT!

Many people around the world have enormous expectations on president Obama , they expect him to create a new global order dominated by fairness, equity, sincerity and above all respect for other countries especially those who are not considered as traditional close friends of the US.This expectation is against the background of 8 years of confrontational, threatening and disrespectful attitude of the Bush administration towards countries he and his Neo-con advisers considered as adversaries on the international arena. On Thursday 19 march , President Obama addressed the Iranian leadership and its peoples on the eve of their new year. The tone and content of the address was very different from what we are traditionally used to when it comes to dealing with Iran. the president gave strong indications that he will be willing to negotiate with the Iranian leadership in a fair way while respecting its rights to its sovereignty and independence.the speech was devoid of any threats of use of force which is significant in that it calms the environment and prepares the ground for more meaningful engagement.The Obama administration has clearly signaled it is in a mood to engage diplomatically. Another significant aspect of the speech was that it addressed both the people of Iran and their leaders in the same breath: a significant departure from the divide-and-rule tactics employed by previous US administrations that tries to depict the leadership as a monstrous machine that does not have the welfare of its people at haert

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