Adam Behnke English 103W Professor Colon November 10, 2008 Solution Paper: The Democratic Republic of Congo

The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo is real. New reports come out everyday of violence, rape, and starvation. Media outlets are finally giving coverage to the situation in the DRC, which for years after the 2003 civil war ended, was looked over despite the humanitarian atrocities being committed. Life needs to improve in the Congo, and solutions need to be suggested. In the following pages, I will analyze the credibility and practicality of five different works. None of the sources solutions for the Democratic Republic of Congo are wrong, but the comprehensive approaches of Anthony Gambino and the Enough Team make the attempts of the popular sources seem shallow and one-sided. Writing about a problem entails mainly summary and recap, but presenting an adequate solution is deeper and more involved, as the problems need to be completely understood in order to address all needs and disparities. The best solutions have complexity and specifics. When analyzing the sources, it became obvious that media-generated solutions, such as those from the Wall Street Journal and Saudi Gazette, were too simplistic and assuming. For instance, Todd Pitman says, Without disarmament of the Hutu militias, Congo appears likely to remain the epicenter of a humanitarian mess. With this statement, he is implying that cleaning up the mess in the Congo takes just one remedy. Pitman exudes ignorance about a country the size of Western Europe by inadvertently claiming that the violence and hunger has only one cause.

Adam Behnke Conversely, Anthony Gambinos report Congo: Securing Peace, Sustaining Progress, and Enoughs statement Averting Renewed Regional War in Eastern Congo" evidences their extensive knowledge of the crisis in the DRC. Their solutions are multi-faceted, explaining exactly what needs to be done in order for Congolese life to improve. For instance, the Enough Team explains in detail how to increase MONUCs troop levels and promote accountability for war crimes. The Enough Team focuses on solutions for the diplomatic/government side of the Congo, but Anthony Gambino takes it a step further as he urges changes in U.S. policy that would help all areas of life. These include: increase in MONUC troops, intense training towards a national army and police force, more stability in the DRC government, efficiency in the restructuring of mining contracts, focus on environment, and poverty alleviation and health (27-42). Gambino demonstrates his extensive knowledge of the region by providing examples of efforts in Sierra Leone that might work in the Congo (33) and suggesting a system of payment to soldiers that would ensure they get paid more and on time (35). The length of the solution is a key aspect to consider when evaluating the sources. Gambinos solutions encompass the full scope of Congolese life. For all of these reasons, his work is the most useful to the Democratic Republic of Congo and the best of the five sources considered. Even though Gambinos report is the most comprehensive of the five sources, the memorandum Public Private Partnerships in the DRCs Mining Sector should also be recognized. It states, To guarantee that the Congolese people get a fair share of the profits from the mining resources three essential conditions must be met (Public 9). It calls for all contracts to be made public, revised, and for the conditions in the mining businesses to improve (Public 9-10). All of these points are expounded upon in detail, creating clear steps towards a

Adam Behnke solution. Unfortunately, Grignon and Hara of the Wall Street Journal Europe give general statements. They comment, Dealing with the Tutsi insurgents will require a radical shift of international attitude toward Mr. Nkunda and Rwanda. This in itself is not a bad solution, but they do not tell how to shift the international attitude. Solutions that have clarity and specifics such as the memo and Gambinos report, are effective because they can actually be implemented. There is no doubt that the popular sources are less valuable for fixing the DRC, but the difference in the actual suggestions of popular sources versus specialized sources should be noted. The articles from the Wall Street Journal and Saudi Gazette both list dealing with the Hutu militias as a key solution to conflict in Congo (Pitman). What is interesting about this is the fact that none of the other sources, which I have previously established as more credible, even touch on the Hutu militias. Why do they not even mention that the Hutu militias need to be dealt with? The media satisfies the publics love for ethnic clashes and corruption. I would like to propose that the Hutu militias are a key solution to conflict in Congo because they are more appealing to read about. There can be no other reason. The writers in the Wall Street Journal Europe and the Saudi Gazette do not demonstrate as much knowledge of the Democratic Republic of Congo as the other writers. Enoughs brief, the memorandum, and Gambinos report have an audience with people who can make a difference in the DRC, such as the United States government, the European Union, the World Bank, and the United Nations. When a newspaper is writing about an event, their audience is the general public, not world leaders. The motivation behind writing is important to consider when assessing a source.

Adam Behnke Altogether, the sources give guidance right where it is needed. They do a great job at confronting the problems of government, the region, the violence, and the overall attitude towards the DRC. Instead of suggesting solutions that would keep the DRC dependent on others, the sources attempt to make the violence less frequent and the government more responsible. They are all well intentioned. Even though the popular sources do not give reasonable solutions, they are making the world aware of the crisis in the Congo. The DRC needs help. There are great ideas in the five sources I analyzed, and I believe, if implemented, they would cure the problems in the Congo.

Adam Behnke

-Works Cited

Enough Team. Averting Renewed Regional War in Eastern Congo." Enough. 31 Oct. 2008. Center for American Progress. 5 Nov. 2008 http://www.enoughproject.org/node/1249. Gambino, Anthony W. Congo: Securing Peace, Sustaining Progress. Special Report No. 40. Center for Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations. United States of America: Council on Foreign Relations Press, 2008. 26-42. Grignon, Francois, and Fabienne Hara. "The Congo Re-erupts." The Wall Street Journal Europe 4 Nov. 2008. Crisis Group. 4 Nov. 2008. International Crisis Group. 4 Nov. 2008 http:// www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=5765&l=1. Pitman, Todd. "Hutu Militias key solution to conflict in Congo." Saudi Gazette Internet Edition. 4 Nov. 2008. Saudi Gazette. 4 Nov. 2008 http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm? method=home.regcon&contentID=2008110421054. "Public Private Partnerships in the DRCs Mining Sector." Improving Governance and Fighting Corruption. New Frontiers in Public-Private Partnerships. 14 March 2007. A Fair Share for Congo. 4 Nov. 2008. 9-10. http://www.11.be/downloads/EN_Memo_DRC.pdf.