role in Cameroon's vote on Iraq
As the Yale World Fellows Program gears up for its second year, Adamu Musa, an alumnus from last year's program, is already making waves in the world of international affairs.
A broadcast journalist who tackled the taboo subjects of democracy and human rights in his home nation of Cameroon, Musa was one of 17 emerging international leaders selected for the World Fellow Program's inaugural session last fall. When the program concluded, he extended his stay through the winter to take additional classes at Yale.
In February, when Cameroon's position on the United Nations Security Council elevated the small Central Africa nation to center stage in the global debate around war in Iraq, Musa found himself in great demand. Not only could he explain Cameroon to the world but -- due in large measure to his experiences at Yale -- he was uniquely qualified to explain the U.S. position to people in Cameroon.
Musa, along with representatives from each of the 15 nations that currently hold seats on the Security Council, took part in a Feb. 28 media roundtable discussion on Iraq hosted by the U.S. State Department. After the discussion, he did a live interview with the Cameroon radio program he used to anchor, "Cameroon Calling."
He described the U.S. position in detail and cautioned listeners in Cameroon not to be too swift to reject U.S. requests for backing on a U.N. resolution. Once a war in Iraq is concluded, he argued, the United States is likely to reward those who gave their backing to the cause. He asked if Cameroon could well afford to take a political position that could mean the loss of U.S. friendship and aid. He asked listeners to consider the United States' close ties to institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. "Where do our long-term interests lie in this world of globalization? That is the new questions for Cameroon, and that is the question I posed," Musa said.
As a potential "swing vote" on the Security Council during the intense negotiations this February, many expected that Cameroon would back France on any resolution dealing with Iraq. The two countries have strong cultural ties dating from the days when Cameroon was a French colony, and France is still Cameroon's largest trading partner and aid donor.
Public opinion in Cameroon seemed to favor the French in the days leading up to a visit by France's foreign minister, Dominique de Villepin. But on March 10, while Villepin made his case to Cameroon officials, Musa argued in the Cameroon Tribune that the country would be better served if it sided with the United States.
The article helped intensify debate around the issue. Villepin went away empty handed and, by March 20, Cameroon President Paul Biya was having dinner with President George W. Bush in Washington, D.C. In a press interview the next day, Secretary of State Colin Powell characterized relations between the two countries as "excellent."
"We'll be working with Cameroon in the Security Council as we move forward, and we have plans to assist them with some of their economic development activities and aid activities and their interest in pursuing more aggressively the campaign against terrorism," Powell told reporters.
As someone who has spent much of his life fighting for human rights and who opposes war in principle, Musa said he is nevertheless receptive to the Bush administration's argument that war with Iraq will restore human rights to the Iraqi people.
"Restoring freedom to the people of Iraq could make the world a safer place to live," Musa said. "That's exactly what I'm studying at Yale: promoting democracy as a tool for the prevention of conflict around the world."
But above all, Musa said, the current global debate has handed Cameroon a unique opportunity to step out of France's shadow and stake out a new role for itself in global politics.
"We are very lucky to have been sitting on the Security Council of the U.N. at this very crucial time in world history," he said. "Cameroon has this opportunity to assert itself strongly and to place itself on the world map."
-- By Benjamin Lumpkin
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