DevPolitics

Identity and Violence/Clash of Civilizations

Reading the on-line debate between Robert Kagan and Amartya Sen on slate.com (http://www.slate.com/id/2140932/entry/2140934/),though not having read Sen's book yet, the identity issue in development perhaps can be seen as a type of 'monocropping' vs. 'deliberation'.  In this respect, Sen points to Samuel Huntington's oversimplificaton of civilization and cultural identity into singular categorizations as an example of the rigidity and loss of freedom that can lead to narrowing of perceptions and increasing of tensions.  He recommends that identity be accurately historicized to portrary the flow of communication and knowledge and to breakdown the illiberal/liberal civilizational divide.  The deliberation and negotiation of identity seems to be an empowering act for Sen as it creates a new space for gaining freedom.

The most interesting aspect of Sen's discussion was his pointing to the role that the West/US plays in incorrectly defining Muslim identity and the responsibilty that it should take in getting it right in order to strengthen liberal voices in the Muslim world.

I was also intrigued that two of the key authors from our class - Amartya Sen and (according to Prof. Gershman) Paul Farmer - are currently focusing on issues of violence.  I'm curious about how Farmer will approach the subject and how it would relate, if at all, to Sen.

Bono the Statesman NY Times Commentary

I have been meaning to comment on The New York Times Magazine cover story “The Statesman, Why, and how Bono matters” written about 7 weeks ago in the September 18^th publication of the magazine.  I must begin with the admission that I am indeed a fan of both Bono and the band U2.  I have been fascinated with Bono’s and other celebrity involvement in international development agendas.  As a development professional, it is always telling to see what aspects of the complex web of development do get mainstreamed.  I found however that James Traub article on Bono depicted anything but a mainstream celebrity, in fact we see a  non-mainstream approach to development objectives that Bono espouses. 

Know your facts…

Since the article is quite in-depth and draws upon several facets of development that Bono has been intimately involved with, I will proceed to comment on what was striking to me following the chronology of the article.  One of the first things I found revealing was that Bono was described as one who has “a tolerance for detail”.  Immediately this descriptor made me feel a little relief, since the issues that he is advocating for are very complex.  One cannot speak of pro-poor trade, debt cancellation for LDCs, increases in ODA and re-prioritization for aid to Africa without knowing the facts, the arguments and the counter-arguments.  This entails a great many details.  I realized that a superficial understanding of the key issues would mean that Bono would not be taken seriously by technocrats and statesmen, no would he be given the access he has been granted. 

When Bono agreed to spearhead the American debt-relief effort he began by educating himself on the subject.  He had an important and non-traditional approach that included asking Jeffrey Sachs to find him an academic who opposed debt cancellation to sharpen his debating skills.

Sheryl Sandberg, chief of staff to Lawrence Summers, Secretary of State for Clinton recalls, “How he understood capital markets, debt instruments, who the decision makers were.” 

The Power of Optimism…

Several examples provided in the article made me think about the power of optimism.  I thought about how many left wing, social activists and right-wingers for that matter could both be so skeptical and distrustful and dismissive of one-another.  Bono seems to stay focused on his ultimate objective and goals, and gives credit to small wins on either side of the political and ideological spectrum.  I think he may do this as part of his very astute advocacy strategies, however he does stay true it seems to his optimism at times when many would succumb to skepticism.  The power of this optimism is that this leaves the door open for people to do more, or better the next time.  Sometimes getting back to the basics, including a little dose of encouragement can go a long way.  Traub describes how Bono met with Randall Tobias, Bush’s AIDS program head.  Bono made Tobias beam when he praised their provisions of ARVs to 155,000 Africans saying, “You should know what an incredible difference your work is goin to make in their lives.”  A skeptic may have pointed out how that leaves 25 million more to go. 

There were several examples in the article of where Bono inspired average people in developed countries – his fans (well I guess middle-class average, given the high price of U2 concert tickets that is) to appeal to their leaders to increase aid.  In these appeals he makes a point to praise these nations for the positive steps they have already taken, be it the spirit of American courage and enterprise that put a man on the moon, or Frances aid and debt relief commitments.  Chirac called him the following morning after one of his concerts in France pledging to work closely with him. 

Bono Tailors his Advocacy Strategy…

Since Bono is after all the lead singer of one the most successful rock bands in modern history, it should not be a total surprise that he has the ability to persuade.  Mega-star celebrities all do share some common aura, energy, charisma or power of persuasion in one form or another.  Bono has proven this again and again in field of modern music with the endless accolades that he and his band U2 have.  The unique artistic transition that Bono has been able to make is from his music lyrics to his political and international development advocacy work.  In the articles he is quoted as calling himself a salesman.  He has been quoted elsewhere as saying that he comes from a long line of salesmen.  Traub points out how Bono’s music is not limited to his band U2’s work, but continues in his poverty advocacy work.  Bono has been able to transfer his musical skills into political persuasive skills.  The article describes how the power-house packed room at Davos was transformed from its somber discussion of poverty until Bono changed the tone, when he made a compelling perhaps even lyrical appeal that AIDS and children’s deaths due to malaria are not a cause but an emergency. 

Traub provides several examples that illustrate how Bono perceptively assesses his target group’s motivations and tailors his advocacy strategy to align with his targets motivations.  I don’t get the sense that Bono will create these alignments where they do not exist but he does try hard to find them when many would be discouraged when there are apparently more differences than commonalities.  With the Clinton administration for example he appealed to their liberal aspirations to be part of history.  In current American advocacy work he aligns his Christian beliefs to those of the Conservative Christians moving them from their free-market reflexes as Traub called them, to their common call in scripture that links them to his development objectives on AIDS as an example. 

I by no means intend to put Bono on a pedestal.  He is after all one man that is backed by many who are working on these urgent issues.  I do want to point out however some unique features in his approach that are not common among pop-culture celebrities.  Celebrities such as Bono, particularly given Bono’s unique approach, attitude and lyrical talents and dedication have mass appeal as a rock-star, and a powerful reach to high-level decision makers that make his style worth noting.

Although the article cast Bono in a very favourable light, I am sure that he has made strategic errors in advocacy work and during his high-level negotiation that he has learned from that are not highlighted here.  The article does end with where we can see more to come from Bono.  Bono expects to have 10 million activists signed up for the One Campaign by 2008.  He is passionate that “Middle America” would demand action on Africa if only someone would tell them the facts.  Let’s hope that his approach will be effective and that by targeting Middle America he will indeed be a part of leveraging real results for Africa.

Late Comments on Farmer

Although Farmer is the type of a man, extremely dedicated to the ideas and deserving the highest respect, I like him more in the second part of the book. In the second part he is not a Marxist any more and is doing the business on a wider scale. He is involved in more projects in different parts of the world, he is accomplished professional, he has “his man” in WHO and is able to use more channels, contacts for achieving the success. 

I think, Farmer’s trip to Russia, which is financed by “capitalists, commies and Jesus Cristers” (as Farmer says) is a good example. Maybe it is the sign of the real success and, at the same time, real dedication to the idea/goal, because it shows Farmer’s ability to involve very diverse circles in the same business and superiority of the idea to serve people.

The local knowledge is the important key-factor for every business and, especially in development aid. During the Farmer’s trip to Russia this was illustrated vividly. Different system, different agencies with unusually (for westerners) intersecting interests (recall the tension between the Ministries of Health and Justice with regard the World Bank’s loan), different stakeholders – everything was different, than Farmer used to encounter with in the past. How successfully he navigated these obstacles is another issue, but I have to comment on Farmer’s words about the Russia’s role in the world during the past three or four centuries. In my opinion, he simply is not aware of Russia’s history. Beginning from the seventeen century or from the epoch of Peter the Great, instead of being “used as a furniture” (like Farmer refers to the country) Russia, unfortunately for many states and peoples, was one of the powerful states in the world until the 1990s.

I’m not sure how relevant is the following point to this discussion, but I have to say few words about Farmer’s personal life, too. Loving and carrying the children in Haiti is very important from the point of view of humanity, but what about his own daughter? What can he offer to her as a father? Two or three weeks in a year spent together and the glory of being Paul Farmer’s daughter. For me these kinds of relationships would be definitely not enough.