Brother Ben Weller, you took words out of my mouth. There was no way
I could have stated the need for Nigeria to do what it did in Liberia and
now doing in Sierra Leone better than what you did. Having said that, Abacha
the Nigerian Military Leader has now no choice , but instal a civulian govt
in Nigeria in any shape or form in October 1998. He has shot himself in his
foot.
Sometimes morality and foreign policy does not mix in politics

Iyi Eweka.




At 04:22 PM 2/15/98 -0600, you wrote:
>     Aggo and Felix Osia asked: "what moral rights do Nigerians and ECOMOG
>     have to inflict such suffering on the the people of Sierra Leone?
>
>     Let me state upfront that I do not favor military regimes no matter
>     where they show their ugly heads.  I will continue to support
>     Nigerians in their struggles for human rights and democracy in their
>     country.  Having said that, I hereby support Nigeria and the role it
>     continues to play in Sierra Leone, for the following reasons:
>
>     First, I am one of those who strongly feel that morality and politics
>     are like water and oil; they do not mix.  Certainly, there is no where
>     in the world where morality has guided the foreign policy of the
>     state. Take the case of the sanctions and the threats of military
>     attach poised to be inflicted on Iraq.  How many times has the UN not
>     imposed sanctions on Isreal to get it to comply with human rights in
>     the Middle East?  To the best of my knowledge the very nations that
>     are now pounding their chests in the case of Iraq are the very ones
>     who turn a blind eye when Isreal is involved. One would expect that
>     what is good for Iraq must be equally good for Isreal, if the morality
>     argument prevailed.
>
>     Second, as an ancillary to the above, but equally very important, is
>     that given its size and economic base (55% of West Africans; its
>     economic potential which dwarfs all the 16 countries in the
>     sub-region; has the largest number of professionals in Africa after
>     S.Africa), Nigeria has regional responsibilities that are independent
>     of who ever is in power in Nigeria.  As a student of politics, I tend
>     to suscribe to the realist school of thought in international
>     relations, which states that a country has permanent interests, and
>     that its foreign policy is generally guided by it.  Such interests
>     often transcend those of the decision makers.
>
>     Third, let us not forget that political instability in the sub-region
>     threatens every country and could rebound on Nigeria itself.  Note
>     that Nigeria is surrouned by very volatile countries: Chad, Niger,
>     Cameroon and Benin. Failing to manifest its ability to maintain
>     decorum in the sub-region, as it has done in Liberia and Sierra Leone,
>     Nigeria will seriously undermine its status and prestige.
>
>     Fourth, it is good that Nigeria has emerged as the leader in our
>     sub-region--South Africa is doing the same in Souther Africa by
>     providing leadership within SADC.  The end of the Cold War and the
>     disintegration of the communist countries has meant that Africa's
>     relevance to the US and the West has deminished; thus, we have to meet
>     our global and startegic interests/needs and, as much as possible,
>     reduce our dependence on foreign handouts from the West. To the extent
>     that Nigeria has taken that leadership role is a step in the right
>     direction.
>
>     Finally, the cultural, economic and educational links between Nigeria
>     and Sierra Leone aside, the success of Nigerian and ECOMOG forces has
>     greatly enhanced the case for democratic governance in Nigeria and
>     indeed in other parts of Africa.
>
>     Hmmmmmm
>
>     Just musing
>
>     Ben
>