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growing US influence in EU capitals. Whatever the case, Democratic Republic of Congo. North Africa, which it has been boosted since 2007 with the beginning of _ includes Libya and Algeria, has been a specific area of Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency in France. ocus for the FIDH, where Washington, Paris and NATO Sarkozy wasted no time in pushing for the clearly have major ambitions. reintegration of the French military command structure The FIDH, which is directly implicated in launching within NATO. The consequence of this action has led to he war on Libya, has also received direct funding in the the surbordination of the French military to the orm of grants from the NED for its programs in Africa. Pentagon. In 1966, President Charles de Gaulle had n 2010, an NED grant of US$140,186 was one of the pulled French forces out of NATO and removed France atest amounts given to the FIDH for its work in Africa. from NATO's military command structures as ameans of | The NED was also one of the first signatories, along maintaining French independence. Sarkozy has with the LLHR and UN Watch, demanding internationa reversed all of this. In 2009, he ordered that France _ intervention against the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.’ rejoin the integrated military command structure of ATO. In 2010, he also signed an accord to start © AFRICOM: The Road Towards Conquering Africa amalgamating the British and French militaries. In 2002, the Pentagon started major operations aimed On the African continent, Paris has a special place or — at controlling Africa militarily. They were under the niche in the US system of global empire. This role is guise of the Pan-Sahel Initiative, which was launched by at of a regional gendarme in he US European Command orth Africa, West Africa, (EUCOM) and the US Centra cena Aca aud all he | Washington was clearly Cormars (CoMTcoM, Unt French colonies. France's planning military action US military would train troops ial role, in oth ds, i . ° . Mali, Chad, Mauritani REVS SSNS | in Africa, which already J for Nuc Morons existing, albeit declining, included at least three he Pane anel nave, position in Africa, specifica . . ra owever, date back to 2001: the rough “Francafrique’. The countries...identified as initiative for Africa was actually Union of the Mediterranean, enemy targets... aunched after the tragic events which Sarkozy officially of 11 September 2001 (9/11). aunched, is one example of Washington was clearly ese French interests in North planning military action in Africa. Africa, which already included at least three countries The US-based National Endowment for Democracy Libya, Somalia and Sudan) identified as enemy targets (NED) has also been working through France's © be attacked by the Pentagon and the White House, nternational Federation of Human Rights (Fédération —_ according to General Wesley Clark. nternationale des Ligues des Droits de |'Homme, Jacques Chirac, the President of France at the time, FIDH). The FIDH is well established in Africa. The NED ried to offer resistance to the US push into Africa by as essentially outsourced its work to manipulate and __ reinvigorating Germany's role in Africa as a means of control African governments, movements, societies and supporting France. In 2007, the Franco-African summit states to the FIDH. It was the FIDH and the affiliated | even opened its doors to German participation for the Libyan League for Human Rights (LLHR) that helped irst time.* Yet Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of orchestrate the various pretexts for the NATO war Germany, had different ideas about the direction and against Libya, endorsed by the United Nations Security position that the Franco-German partnership should Council through unsubstantiated and false claims. ake in regard to Washington. Following Sarkozy's election in 2007, the FIDH started In 2001, momentum towards creating the US Africa o develop a real partnership with the NED. Both Command (AFRICOM) had started to build. However, organisations are also partners within the World AFRICOM was not officially authorised until December Movement for Democracy. Carl Gershman, the NED 2006, and it took until February 2007 for the decision to President, even went to France in December 2009 to create it to be announced and until September 2007 for meet with the FIDH to deepen collaboration between the — AFRICOM to be established. It is important to note that wo organisations and to discuss Africa.' Gershman also this momentum also received Israeli encouragement met individuals considered to be pro-Israeli lobbyists in because of Israeli interests in Africa. The Institute for France. Advanced Strategic and Political Studies (IASPS), for The partnerships between the FIDH and the NED are example, was one of the Israeli organisations mostly based in Africa and the intersecting Arab world. — supporting the creation of AFRICOM. [hese partnerships operate in a zone that covers On the basis of the Pan-Sahel Initiative, the Trans- countries like Céte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Niger and the Saharan Counterterrorism Initiative (TSCTI) was Democratic Republic of Congo. North Africa, which includes Libya and Algeria, has been a specific area of ocus for the FIDH, where Washington, Paris and NATO clearly have major ambitions. The FIDH, which is directly implicated in launching he war on Libya, has also received direct funding in the form of grants from the NED for its programs in Africa. In 2010, an NED grant of USS140,186 was one of the latest amounts given to the FIDH for its work in Africa.’ The NED was also one of the first signatories, along with the LLHR and UN Watch, demanding international intervention against the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.’ planning military action in Africa, which already included at least three France. The partnerships between the FIDH and the NED are mostly based in Africa and the intersecting Arab world. These partnerships operate in a zone that covers countries like Céte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Niger and the 18 * NEXUS Washington was clearly countries...identified as enemy targets... DECEMBER 2011 - JANUARY 2012 www.nexusmagazine.com