An Eulogy to a Great Revolutionary

They say, "the valiant never taste of death but once". I would agree. No leader embodies the meaning of this adage more than Fidel Castro does. After surviving multiple assassination attempts, he gave up the ghost at a ripe old age and on his own terms. Such is the befitting end to the captivating life of a true revolutionary. And his story will be told for generations to come. He will stand tall in the annals of history as a true revolutionary. 

I was filled with sadness when I learned of his death on November 25 2016 at the age of 90. Castro was a divisive and controversial figure through out his life. To those who did not like him, he was viewed as a ruthless dictator. But to those who loved him, he will be remembered as a freedom fighter - one who dedicated his life to the fight against, injustice, imperialism and colonial rule all over the world. A true revolutionary who stood up for his people and refused to be pushed around by the most powerful nations of the world. I am one of those who love him. As an African, who knows and understands the history of the role Castro played in liberating many African countries, I have nothing but love and admiration for him.

At his finest hour, Castro sent Cuban troops into Angola, Mozambique and Namibia to help fight what was then the increasingly hostile military adventurism of South Africa's apartheid regime towards its neighbors. The apartheid regime had a policy of de-stabilizing the newly independent African countries along the South African border, as these new sovereign nations provided weapons, training and asylum to black South African freedom fighters participating in the armed resistance against apartheid. Through its counter-insurgency activities along the South African frontier, the South African Defense Force (SADF) sponsored rebellions in Angola and Mozambique to try to de-stabilize these newly independent nations. This was a critical piece of the regime's strategy to suppress resistance to it's racist policies and preserve the apartheid system inside South Africa. You see the Afrikaner led apartheid regime was hell-bent on continuing its despicable white supremacist wet-dream well into the 21st century. 

When it's counter-insurgency operations failed to topple the Angolan government, the apartheid regime sent in the South African army to invade Angola (whose newly independent government was providing asylum to ANC freedom fighters) and tighten South Africa's occupation of Namibia. These events/wars started in 1975 as Angola/Mozambique moved towards independence from Portugal and lasted well into 1988. In the 14 years of the different theaters of the war, which collectively became known as the Angolan Bush War, Fidel Castro sent over 36,000 Cuban troops, doctors and personnel to aid the Africans (Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and black South African freedom fighters) in their fight against the apartheid government. 

During the decisive battles of the war in 1988 (known as the Battle of Cuito Cuanavale), it was the presence of Cuban troops on the ground, and their brilliant battlefield tactics, that helped defeat the apartheid regime. These events played a pivotal role in South Africa's withdrawal from Angola and its decision to end its occupation of Namibia, which ultimately led to Namibia's independence in March 1990. South Africa's defeat in Angola also led to the growing isolation of the apartheid regime, which put pressure on them to release Nelson Mandela from prison in February 1990. Mandela would go on to become the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994, an event which officially marked the end of apartheid.

So as far as I'm concerned, Fidel Castro is a BIG part of the African liberation story. He is the reason, or certainly a big part of the reason why the freedom fighters defeated the apartheid regime. So in my eyes, Fidel is an African Hero!! 

In addition to the central role he played in liberating many African nations, he also sent medical doctors, teachers and engineers to help with health care, education and construction projects. Growing up in Ghana, I saw with my own two eyes the millions of lives saved by the Cuban Medical Brigade. In the early 1990s as Ghana moved away from military rule towards multi-party democracy, medical doctors went on strike countless times to protest their working conditions and ask for higher wages. When the situation was hopeless, it was the Cuban Medical Brigade that stepped in and treated the sick. I was treated for malaria once, by one of these Cuban doctors. So Castro's impact on the under-privileged of the world, reached way beyond the battle fields of Southern Africa. 

You have led a life well lived El Comandante Fidel Castro. Rest now. Thank you for your service to the African people, to all oppressed people around the world and to all Humanity. Rest in Power.

My Tribute to Muhammad Ali

I would like to pay my respects to the late Muhammad Ali with this tribute. Ali lived a full life. He was the greatest boxer of all time but he fought and won the most important battle of his life without throwing a single punch. 

I am referring to when he was drafted to participate in the Vietnam war in 1967. For refusing to go to Vietnam, Ali was immediately stripped of heavyweight title, convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to 5 years in prison, fined $10,000 and was barred from boxing for 3 years. In refusing to be inducted into the US Army, Ali said, to paraphrase him..., "I have nothing against the Vietcong. They never called me nigger. They never enslaved my ancestors, neither did they lynch us or hang us from trees. I have nothing against those people and so I will not let a white man to order me to go kill a yellow man, with whom I have no quarrel with. I would rather die than dishonor the teachings of Allah by going to kill innocent people." 

Ali's comments shocked the nation but he stayed true to his convictions. He kept his honor. But more importantly, his refusal to go to Vietnam took away legitimacy from the war. His actions turned out to be the biggest blow to the US government's PR stunt to deceive Americans into supporting the war. The government had lied to the good American people that the US was fighting for freedom in Vietnam. But the reality was that Gen. William Westmoreland, the general in charge of the US effort in Vietnam, was pursuing a genocidal war of attrition, with the goal of killing as many North Vietnamese as possible using deadly incendiary bombs such as napalm and chemical weapons such as agent orange. 

Ali's refusal and growing antiwar sentiment, eventually led to public outcry when images of innocent people burnt to death by napalm bombs started showing up on US media. Once the American people realized the evil their government was perpetrating in Vietnam, they protested the US presence there. Ultimately the forces of good prevailed when Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese forces under the leadership of Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap and the US military finally pulled out. 

Such was the character, greatness and conviction of Muhammad Ali. He truly is the greatest of all time.May he rest in eternal peace.

Happy birthday to my big bro Daniel Kalevor

Happy birthday in advance to one of my favorite people in this world - my older brother, Daniel Kalevor. Sometimes the noise of life prevents us from appreciating loved ones that have played a pivotal role in defining who were are. But such occasions give us a reason to pause, and really take stock of the people whose love and nurturing has materially defined the course of our lives. For me, one such person is my brother Daniel. There are others, but today, I'm using your birthday to sing your praises.

For me, whose father (our father) passed away when I was barely 2 years old, Daniel, was really the older brother/father figure whom I looked up to in the formative years of my life. When I was an exceptional student in elementary school in Nsawam and I had to be jumped ahead a couple grade levels, it was Daniel, who came to speak with the Headmaster (aka Principal) of my school (the great Mr. Frank Obeng, RIP) to make that happen. When it was time to choose a boarding school for high school, it was Daniel who played the deciding factor, in my choice of Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School - arguably the best high school in Ghana based on academic record and achievement. I was so desperate to follow in his footsteps, as that was his alma mater also.

It was Daniel who nurtured my interest and curiosity in history, global affairs and an unrelenting curiosity about the world around me. He was on popular radio quiz shows in Ghana, winning prizes and making us proud. He was on the 'What do you know" Quiz show a few times in the 1990s and each time he contested he won. He was on the "Sunlight University Challenge" in 1996 and although his team, Atlantic Hall, from the University of Cape Coast, lost in sudden death/overtime, by a slim margin, everyone in Nurses' Quarters, Nsawam, where I grew up, saw his gallant fight and I got the street cred for it. "Yeah, that's my big brother" I used to brag. If you're a 12 year old kid and you look up to a guy like that, how would this not make you feel good about yourself?

When it came time for me to enroll at the Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, it was Daniel, who took me to school, helped me get settled on my first day of boarding school. It was my first time away from home, so I was terrified. But he was there to encourage me every step of the way, visiting on weekends, as often as his schedule would allow. When I was awarded the best performing student at the year 2000 SSSCE from Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School, along with 3 other graduates, again, Daniel accompanied me to receive my award. I believe my sister Pearl was there too. When it was time to go to university, Daniel, yet again, was the one who took to Legon on my first day on campus to help with the mind-numbing registration process.

He was the one consistent, recurring figure that was always there in those formative years. I know, as we both got older, we used to occasionally bump heads every once in a while - after all we are both alphas, but I have never doubted your love, loyalty and sense of duty to your family. Thank you for all you do for our family. You're the best big brother anybody could ever ask for. May the best years lie ahead of you. Indeed, may the best years lie ahead of us. I'm there for you as you've always been there for me. Happy birthday brother.

Iran agrees to framework of potential nuclear deal with P5+1

After weeks of intense negotiations in Switzerland, Foreign Ministers of the P5+1 and Iran agreed in principle, the framework of a potential deal that will prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Here's what President Obama had to say about this development as reported by the BBC. 

I think this is significant step in the right direction. President Obama has once again proven to be a brilliant President and strategist. The smartest the U.S. has seen in decades. This is a landmark achievement - to permanently dismantle Iran's enrichment of weapons grade fissile materials (plutonium and uranium) through diplomatic channels. 

President Obama is the greatest Commander-in-Chief that the U.S. has seen in a while. And this is why. I believe it was Carl von Clausewitz who once said, that "war is the continuation of politics through other means." Obama has achieved these significant political goals without shedding a single drop of blood. War is not about attrition or killing people. It is about breaking the will of the enemy and winning them over, by any means necessary. The smartest guy is the one who is able to achieve this without shedding blood. 

So yes, Obama is the smartest!! Applause to the the P5+1, John Kerry and the Iranian negotiators. History will thank President Obama for this one day. I am happy that the first black president is leaving such an enduring legacy.

The Grim Reality of the Crisis in Iraq

Apparently Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of ISIS (the group that swept across Northern Iraq and quickly took over several key towns last month) made it to Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential List. I admire Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney for recognizing a clever, elusive guerrilla commander like Baghdadi. A good solider knows his enemy well, says Sun Tzu. Now, with the nearly $500MM in cash that ISIS fighters stole from Mosul, they’re probably the richest "terrorist" organization in the world.

Many disaffected Sunnis, former Saddam loyalists and Baath party sympathizers are already joining the ranks of ISIS. They're not fundamentalists like ISIS but they're all Sunnis and now Baghdadi has the dough (and the clout) to recruit. ISIS – stands for Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. Their goal is to turn the Levant (Iraq/Syria/Lebanon) into an Islamic Caliphate. They’re devoutly committed to global Jihad and so I’m not sure anything could have prevented this. It was bound to happen but perhaps Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s policy of politically purging Sunnis has accelerated the process of radicalizing them. Battle-hardened from fighting Bashar al Assad’s troops in the rebel strong-hold of Aleppo, ISIS fighters are pouring into Iraq in their numbers to join the fray.

But then, can who can blame Maliki for his anti-Sunni stance? After all the Shias suffered decades of repression under Saddam, who is from Tikrit, in the Sunni North (one of the first towns to fall to ISIS last month). This whole problem began with the 2003 Iraqi invasion. But then maybe NOT. Maybe it began way before that. Maybe in 1918? – after the allied victory in World War I ended the Ottoman Empire and resulted in its partition into the Republic of Turkey and several “new” Arab states in the Middle East.

You see, much of what is today’s Arab world was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. During World War I, a lesser know theater of the war began with the so-called “Arab Revolt”. The continuing ruthlessness of the Ottoman Turks led to simmering Arab Nationalism within the Empire. It eventually culminated in the Arab Revolt which drew support from Britain (via Lawrence of Arabia). By the end of the war, the Germans and the Ottoman Turks were all but defeated and the world powers were faced with the task of creating new sovereign states from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. While this was no easy task, Britain and France botched this effort in disastrous fashion. Instead of granting freedom to the Arabs (as promised) after their revolt helped defeat Germany and its Ottoman allies, Britain and France secretly drew up plans to divide up the Arab remnants of the empire and share them between each other.

The Sykes-Picot Agreement was one of the worst examples of imperial greed and folly. These guys carved up the land with no regard for the sectarian differences on the ground. The French took Syria and Lebanon, the British took Iraq and Palestine (which later became present-day, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza). The Ottoman possessions in the Arabian peninsula became the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Yemen; and those in the Persian Gulf became several small kingdoms (UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait) that are ran by western puppets. To show the unconscionable nature of Sykes/Picot’s actions, let me give you a few examples of the sectarian fault lines that have haunted these nations from the the day they were formed.

Iraq for example is about 65% Shia, 20% Sunni and 17% Kurdish. Syria is the exact opposite –it’s about 15% Shia/Alawite, 70% Sunni and 10% Kurdish. Lebanon is about a third Sunni, a third Shia and a third other sects (Maronite Christians, Druze, Catholics). Bahrain is similar to Iraq (more than 70% Shia, and about 10% Sunni) but it’s different in one fundamental way - it’s a Gulf kingdom ruled by the Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty. There are Maronites, Catholics and Druze in varying numbers in most of the region but they’re mostly a minority. Adding another layer of complexity to the region is the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. But that is a subject worth a separate discussion.

As the Sunnis and Shias battle each other in Iraq (and Syria), the Kurds (the indigenous people of the region) are carving up more land. The chaos in the region has actually been good for the Kurds as they are gaining more autonomy in both countries. Assad's troops and the Syrian rebels alike, both stay away from Kurdish-controlled areas inside Syria. ISIS does the same in Iraq. I guess I am “happy” for the Kurds, as they've endured the most suffering and displacement in the region for centuries due to Ottoman rule and European interference. As an African, whose people have endured centuries of slavery and European colonization, I am very sympathetic to the Kurdish cause. Long before the so-called Arab spring of 2011, which resulted in Syria's civil war, the Kurds were fighting the injustice of Bashar al Assad's regime. Long before ISIL took over northern Iraq, they were fighting Saddam Hussein in Iraq. And they've been fighting for autonomy in Turkey for decades. They are brave and battle hardened. And I believe they will be the only credible force that can defeat the scourge of ISIL.

What does all this mean for the region? Well, for starters if the violence continues, the whole region could dis-integrate along the sectarian fault lines that have existed for centuries. We’re already seeing signs of the Kurdish minority in Iraq and Syria getting close to their dream of an autonomous Kurdish homeland (referred to as Kurdistan) as they continue to defend their territory and even capture more land. In addition, as the beleaguered Maliki government continues to lose control of Iraq, more radical Shia elements will step in, garner populist Shia support and that will ultimately lead to more bloodshed. The last thing you need is a war between fundamentalists on both sides of it.

However, everything seems to be headed in that direction – the radical Shia  cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi army (famed for their long battle with coalition troops during the 2003-2011 Iraq war) is already rallying his troops to make a stand, should ISIS decide to march on Baghdad. Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the highest ranking Shia spiritual leader in Iraq, has also called on all Shia to defend their homes against ISIS. It won’t be long before al-Sadr and Sistani call on their Shia brothers in Iran, Hezbollah and the Assad regime to come to their aid. There have already been reports of Iranian fighter jets being deployed within Iraq’s armed forces to bomb ISIS held areas in Mosul, Fallujah and Kirkuk. If the fighting intensifies, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Sunni kingdoms in the Gulf will continue sending piles of cash to aid the cause of ISIS and their Sunni brothers.

The outlook for the region is very grim – perhaps the best prospect for lasting peace is for Sunni, Shia, Kurdish, Druze, Christians and all the peoples of the region to come together and live in harmony. But that hasn’t happened for centuries. Will it ever happen?

Rest in peace Tata Mandela

Below is a tribute to the late South African leader, Nelson Mandela by a South African colleague:

“Thank you Tata Madiba

If Mandela (and many more like him)  had not stood up and fought against apartheid I would not be writing this post.

I would not have been employed by one of the big 4 International Accounting Firms in their Cape Town office as a junior tax consultant in 1998.  It seems inconceivable today that  at the time I was the second black African employed by the tax department. 

He taught us "Ubuntu" ...to be human.  To forgive even your prison warden and people who treat you badly ........for your own freedom.... to allow you to move forward.
Lala kahle Tata Madiba siya kubonga
(rest in peace Tata Madiba thank you)”

She couldn't have put it any better. This goes to show how much Mr. Mandela and his compatriots, who fought against apartheid have achieved. Right up until 1994, South Africa was still under the grips of apartheid.

Next year will be 20 years since the apartheid regime was dismantled after nearly half a century in power. Thank you, Mr. Mandela for your fight. May the ancestors who went before you guide you home to a better place.

It's funny though that whatever top 4 accounting firm she was working for was operating in South Africa during the apartheid years. That was actually the case for several western companies. I don't blame them though...there was plenty of money to be made - the apartheid regime's economic policies were very neo-classical. Many companies that put profit above all else found this attractive and flocked into apartheid era South Africa to do business. Obviously this was made possible because several western countries, did not impose sanctions on South Africa during those dark years.

The right thing should have been for the US and other western countries to impose crippling sanctions on the apartheid regime, as enthusiastically as they did on Iran, for which we're seeing an about-face in Iranian policy. I will always have an issue with Ronald Reagan & Margaret Thatcher for their cozy ties with the apartheid regime. They never publicly endorsed apartheid, but their so-called “constructive engagement” policies, created conditions that benefited the regime and enabled it to survive. Margaret Thatcher actually considered Mandela a terrorist for a long time. It totally makes sense why many people in Africa, celebrated when Thatcher died. 

To make matters worse, while most countries had imposed diplomatic and economic embargos on South Africa, the US, Britain, Israel, France and a handful of western nations, continued to have normal trade and political relations with the apartheid regime. As an African, the suffering of my fellow Africans at the hands of white Afrikaner settlers, coupled with the close economic ties these countries shared with the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, left a sour taste in my mouth. In the end, the forces of good prevailed and many of these countries, including the US, were left on the wrong side of history.

I will tell you who was on the right side of history though – Fidel Castro. Castro’s contribution to the fight against apartheid was pivotal. I consider him a great man, simply because of that. The presence of thousands of Cuban freedom fighters in Angola and Namibia, made all the difference, in the decisive phases of the Angolan and Namibian Bush wars. South Africa’s defeat at the hands of Angolan forces (with the help of Cuba) and their eventual retreat from Angola in 1988, was the last nail in the coffin of apartheid. Why? Because strategically, Angola played a key role in the fight against apartheid. The anti-apartheid movement smuggled weapons through Angola to help the armed struggle. Therefore, de-stabilizing Angola was a key national security priority of the apartheid regime.

However, after the apartheid regime lost the Angolan Bush war, it became clear that their position was untenable. This explains why these 3 events – the Angolan Bush War, the Namibian War of Independence and the fight against apartheid were closely related. South Africa retreated from Angola in 1988, Nelson Madela was released from prison in February 1990 and Namibia declared independence from South Africa, a month later, in March 1990.

Thankful to Mandela and all the others who rose up and fought against such an unjust system. Rest in peace Madiba Mandela. You'll be sorely missed.

Gen. David Petraeus – A Thought leader in the making

By Delaena Kalevor

On Friday November 9 2012, Gen. David Petraeus resigned as CIA director amid a sex scandal with his biographer. The retired 4-star general and husband of 37 years expressed his remorse and poor judgment in indulging in this extra-marital affair. Even though I greatly admire Gen. Petraeus, I agree he did not conduct himself properly.

However, I am not here to pass moral judgment on his character - after all no one is perfect. Rather, I would like to address his intelligence, candor and leadership; and highlight some of the management lessons that myself and other aspiring thought leaders can draw from his life. In my eyes, Petraeus is still a great soldier and I don’t care what conversation you’re having; but when you mention the likes of Dwight Eisenhower, Vo Nguyen Giap, Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf, you should mention Petraeus. I’d hate for his otherwise stellar career to be defined by this single act of indiscretion and weakness.

Gen. Petraeus pretty much wrote the script on the US army’s counter-insurgency strategy during the Afghan and Iraqi wars. While, Donald Rumsfeld was blindly carrying on a bloody war of attrition against the Taliban/Iraqi insurgents, Petraeus was quietly but resolutely advocating his counter-insurgency strategy. Rumsfeld’s strategy was apparently to kill as many Taliban as possible to rid Afghanistan of their influence. That strategy of using overwhelming military might to break the enemy’s will is hardly effective. If it was, the U.S. would have defeated North Vietnamese general Vo Nguyen Giap during the Vietnam War. The U.S. dropped more than 7 million tons of bombs on Vietnam and Cambodia during the war (more the twice the tonnage deployed during World War II) yet Saigon fell to General Giap and communist North Vietnam; eventually marking their victory over the United States.

By the same token, America’s overwhelming military might, even though it killed hundreds of thousands of people, was doing little to break the Taliban and the die-hard Iraqi insurgents. At the risk of being isolated from the Pentagon and appearing as a renegade general, Petraeus continued to advocate his counter-insurgency strategy. At a point, he was even assigned to train the Iraqi army – a move apparently intended to punish him for his independent thinking. I say this because, in a war this important to US Foreign policy, being assigned to a training position (instead of a combat position) could be interpreted as a punitive measure. A training position such as this definitely seemed like a dead-end job.

Still, Petraeus continued to push for his ideas. He had the moral courage to fight for his ideas and he used a rare combination of persistence, tact, ambition, intelligence and humility to forcefully drive them home. Because he was an intellectual, he had thought things through for himself, come to the conclusion that the Pentagon approach was wrong and he had the confidence to push for the right ideas. This is Thought leadership!

His big break came when President Obama appointed him Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan to replace General Stanley McChrystal. As commander of NATO forces, Petraeus now had the leeway to implement his counter-insurgency strategy. Instead of carrying on a war of attrition, he started to build relationships with Afghan tribal leaders in the hostile countryside.

NATO patrols, which hitherto involved raiding Afghan villages to interrogate suspected insurgents, had a complete overhaul. Petraeus recognized that the insurgents had infiltrated the civilian population and had embedded themselves among them. So instead of raids, NATO patrols involved visiting tribal leaders to ask about how "things were going", "what they needed", "whether they needed a well drilled for drinking water", etc. Petraeus gained the trust of the communities as a result and the insurgency started to decline. The strategy simply involved three steps: clear, hold and build - isolating the insurgents by gaining the trust of civilians; consolidating the trust and securing the area; and building infrastructure and institutions to help the people.

His counter-insurgency strategy was the turning point in the coalition’s success in Afghanistan and Iraq. He literally won the war for NATO without as many casualties. Sun Tzu, would have applauded Gen. Petraeus. To paraphrase the great Sun Tzu, sheer military might alone does not necessarily convey an advantage in warfare.

The great Gandhi, decimated the mighty British empire without a single violent act. And I say Gandhi decimated the empire because that is my interpretation - India was the British crown's most prized possession. It was vast, densely populated and it had a great civilization. As soon as they (the Brits) lost India in 1947, they lost most of their other colonies (including my home country, Ghana) in rapid succession. So Gandhi did destroy the once mighty British empire. Again, Sun Tzu would've applauded Gandhi. Winning a war is not about killing people. It's about winning them over - breaking their will, mentally. And this is exactly what Petraeus tried to do with his counter-insurgency strategy.

In conclusion, despite his moral weaknesses, Petraeus is still a great leader. The greatest of his generation. He should be remembered for his great deeds not his indiscretion.