Globalization Research Center-Africa two-day international conference, April 30 - May 1, focusing on US-Africa Relations.

Saturday, May 1, 2004
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Room 6275, Bunche Hall
6th floor
UCLA
Los Angeles, CA 90095

A consistent axiom of US foreign policy has been that the US lacks permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.  At a very fundamental level African countries and the US share a need to enhance the national security of their respective countries.  Recognizing that the task of promoting state, regional, and human security in Africa is larger than any one country can cope with unilaterally, this conference asks a central question: How can the United States work cooperatively with the African states at this juncture to respond effectively to the continent's basic challenges? 

 Assuming that there are areas of national and human security that are common to both the US and Africa, this forum has been convened to explore the major security, societal, and economic challenges facing the US and Africa at this time.  Scholars noted for their research on issues of US-Africa relations, globalization and human security, will discuss their research in the following panels:

Scheduled Panels:

Friday, April 30

9 - 9:15 am - Welcome and opening remarks

9:15 - 10:15 am  - The Africa-US Dialogue, Edmond Keller, UCLA

10:15  - 10:30 am - Break

10:30 am - 1 pm-  Panel 1: Security Challenges in Africa-US Relations

The Horn of Africa, The US and Security Challenges

Ruth Iyob, Africa Program Director, International Peace Academy, and Edmond J. Keller, Political Science, UCLA

African Peacekeeping and US-Africa Relations

Severine Rugumamu, Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam

US Intervention in Africa's Ethnic Conflicts: The Scope for Action

Donald Rothchild, Political Science, University of California-Davis, and Nikolas Emmanuel, Political Science, University of California-Davis

1 - 2:30 pm - Break

2:30 - 5 pm - Panel 2:  Africa's Societal Challenges, and Africa-US Relations I

HIV/AIDS in Africa and US National Security

Sandra Joireman, Politics and International Relations, Wheaton College

Human Security and Africa-US Relations

Caroline Thomas, Global Politics, Southampton University

5 - 5:30 pm  Closing Remarks and adjourn first day's proceedings

Saturday, May 1

9 - 11 am  Panel 3: Africa's Societal Challenges, and Africa-US Relations II

Global Democracy In A Post Cold War Era: A Multi-Country Comparative Assessment of Africa's Performance

Rita Kiki Edozie, Department of Political Science and International Relations, University of Delaware

The US, Globalization, and Natural Resource Wars in Africa: An Illustration from the Sudan

Lako Tongun, Pitzer College

11 - 11:15 am - Break

11:15 am - 1:15 pm  Panel 4: Economic Challenges and US-Africa Relations

Globalization's Paradoxical Impact on State-Society Relations in Africa

Kidane Mengisteab, African and African American Studies, Political Science, Pennsylvania State University

Debt, External Actors, and Stalled Development in Africa

Thomas Callaghy, University of Pennsylvania

US and African Perspectives on Aid and Trade Policies

Fantu Cheru, American University

1:15 - 2:15 pm - Break

2:15 - 3:15 pm  - Implications for US and Africa Policy

Donald Rothchild, University of California, Davis

Cost : Free and open to the public; parking is available for $7.

www.globalization-africa.org

Sponsor(s): Globalization Research Center - Africa