The Emptiness of Human Rights Violation Argument, AFRICOM, and the United States’ Anti-Jonathan Administration Disposition on War against Boko Haram Insurgency and the Outcome of the Presidential Election of 2015 in Nigeria

Abstract

Though the United States foreign policy in Africa as well as Nigeria in particular has imperatives that serve America’s economic interest, yet this foreign policy, especially as it relates to fight against terrorism and protection of human rights is not only hypocritical but has been couched under the banner of altruism. Similarly, the rejection of AFRICOM - an American rapid-response military outposts in Africa - by the Yar ‘Adua-Jonathan administration, is seen in Washington as incompatible with the aims and objectives of U.S. Africa policy. This led to what seemed a dogged but covert attempt by Obama administration to effect a change of Government in Nigeria, replaced with one disposed to U.S. objective interest, albeit, through a verifiably contrived free and fair presidential election of 2015, as Washington claims that Jonathan’s government has human rights questions to resolve as a result of the activities of its military in the war against Boko Haram insurgency. This paper aims at highlighting the hypocrisy of America’s foreign policy in Nigeria; to offer more valid explanation for the cold disposition of Obama’s administration towards President Jonathan’s reelection; to question the validity of the projected image of altruism in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria as well as strip bare the hypocrisy that underbelly its human rights mantra, for which it had faulted Jonathan government; and to place AFRICOM within its proper geo-strategic context for realizing America’s foreign policy interests in Africa. Data for the study are from secondary sources while analysis is qualitatively textual. While the method of analysis is qualitative - content analysis, ‘Power’ is our adopted theoretical and conceptual paradigm.

Keywords: AFRICOM, Militarization of Foreign Aid, Economic Sabotage, Soft Power, Human Rights, Propaganda, Hypocrisy, Vuvuzela, Insurgency, Boko Haram, Bring Back Our Girls.