In this 21st century Foreign Policy is becoming more and more a tool of fighting ethnic, racial and religious wars within states who disguise their policies as nationalism. These nationalistic policies are vehicles which are fueled by corruption, capitalism, socialism, cronyism, nepotism to name just a few. Leaders and policy makers, more specifically the elite in political, economic and social circles seem to all have agreed to an unwritten rule of the domination of resources. These resources may be physical, intellectual or even moral. Humans in the 21st century for example are now enduring competing religious movements claiming to have the moral authority and resources to back up those claims. How else can we explain the fight over Jerusalem, between Jews, Christians and Muslims ? It defies logic whether possession of this city gives the holder moral authority over Indigenous religious practices (for example in Africa and South America) and classical religions like Buddhism and Hinduism. Yet this city Jerusalem with its microcosmic existence manages to influence foreign policy decisions of states across the Globe which have no specific reason to heed its vague clarion call. This is a small example of how foreign policy is not addressing the real issues but rather has become tool for irrelevant politics,prestige seeking leaders and implementation of impotent policies.
The problem with the theoretical foundation and practical application foreign policy is that it is based on the shifting sands of international politics. The politics of the International environment has been accepted to be anarchic and not organized as its domestic counterpart. Unfortunately it is specifically in this type on anarchic environment that East Africa finds itself in. Policy makers and academicians in East Africa have allowed the school of realism and neorealism to prevail, rather than build upon the constructivist school of theory by unlearning European schools of thoughts and constructing their own based on their unique experience. The use of Mobile phones as a bank as seen with the Mobile money service called MPESA is an example how the constructivist theory was applied to find an alternative for a society used to functioning with out Brick and Mortar financial services such as banks. This innovation has spread across East Africa because within the region that experience was the same.
I posit that this proves applying our own experience to deal with issues directly concerning East Africa and ignoring international side shows is imperative if the region is to flourish, The recent Machiavellian maneuvers by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with regard to infrastructure projects need not have happened if there was regional master plan for a regional infrastructure which complements all three nations. We already have enough competition on the global market to subject the regional market to economic instability based on political disagreements which can be resolved. Foreign policy decisions on the regional level are of more intensity than at the global level. Policy makers need to do away with the ethnic, racial and religious factors affecting foreign policy issues and tackle their instigators corruption, capitalism, socialism, cronyism, nepotism head on. Failure to do so will mean East Africa will rely fully on the mercy of global partners rather reducing that risk by mending relations with regional partners.
Tuesday Orina, Lecturer Foreign Policy Analysis, Riara University. 26th March 2017.