As Prepared for Delivery

“Today’s topic is one that has come up again and again in the hearings of this subcommittee and my own travels throughout Africa over the years.  I have seen first-hand the dedication of our diplomats, their resourcefulness and hard work; but I have also seen how they are overstretched and lack the necessary resources and authorities to fully pursue comprehensive strategies.  The gaps in our diplomatic capacities are especially felt when it comes to work on defusing regional conflicts – a priority set by the U.S. National Security Strategy of 2006.  As that strategy notes, these conflicts often spread or devolve into humanitarian tragedies as we’ve seen in Congo and Sudan, and can be exploited by outside parties such as al Qaeda, as we are seeing in Somalia.

“Defusing conflicts starts with anticipating them beforehand, so that we are not constantly reacting.  At his confirmation hearing, CIA Director Leon Panetta said he is concerned that we aren’t allocating enough intelligence resources to various parts of the world, including Africa.  While we must address these gaps, we must also recognize that much of the information our country needs on Africa, on everything from civil conflicts, instability and potential terrorist safe havens, can be obtained overtly, through increased diplomatic reporting.  I have been concerned for a long time that we have little to no political presence in key parts of Africa, such as the Central African Republic, northern Nigeria, or eastern Congo.  As a result, we lack ‘eyes and ears’ to gather information and anticipate emerging crises, or fully understand existing ones. 

“In addition, we need to help our diplomats get outside their embassy compounds and foreign capitals to interact with a range of non-national-governmental actors.  This was a goal of Bush administration’s transitional diplomacy initiative, but their rhetoric was not followed by action.  We need to make good on that vision, which includes ensuring our ambassadors in Africa have sufficient authority and flexible resources, and looking to establish more permanent out-of-embassy posts.

“This must all be part of, an overall integrated, interagency collection and analysis strategy.  Last year, Senator Hagel and I introduced legislation to establish an independent commission to address the lack of such a strategy.  This legislation was passed by the Intelligence Committee last year and, although Senator Hagel has retired, I intend to reintroduce this legislation this year and hope my colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee will support it.

“Now once we get the information, the next question is what we do with it.  I have supported the use of special envoys in different cases but we need to ensure they are used effectively, and remember that they are just a short-term enhancement to our diplomacy.  In the long term, we need to rebuild and reposition our diplomatic capabilities to engage in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. 

“At the same time, we can’t do this all ourselves, nor should we.  The State Department’s Strategic Plan for 2007-2012 emphasizes ‘regional solutions to regional problems.’  To that end, we need to look at how we can better partner with strong regional actors, such as Nigeria and South Africa, and help Africa’s regional organizations develop new capabilities to address conflict. 

“I probably do not need to remind anyone that, over the past few weeks, there has been increasing concern about the spate of piracy attacks off Somalia’s coast.  I have been worried for some time about the piracy problem, which is an outgrowth of the collapse of government in Somalia, and I am working with the Chairman of the full Committee to hold specific piracy and Somalia related hearings as soon as possible.  But today’s hearing is very relevant because it addresses our ability to address this and other problems, which is handicapped by inadequate tools and already strained capacity.  The administration must make a more serious and sustained diplomatic push to stabilize Somalia, including appointing a senior envoy for the Horn of Africa, but these obstacles may make that even more difficult.  

“Finally, I hope to hold a confirmation hearing as soon as possible on the nomination for Assistant Secretary for African Affairs.  I know from conversations with him that Ambassador Carson recognizes the importance of strengthening our diplomatic capacity, and I hope today’s hearing will provide some recommendations for him to consider, if confirmed.”