President Joe Biden on Thursday expressed deep appreciation to Kenyan President William Ruto for the coming deployment of Kenyan police forces to help quell gang violence in Haiti and he defended his decision to withhold American forces from the mission in the beleaguered Caribbean nation. The United States has agreed to contribute $300 million to a multinational force that will include 1,000 Kenyan police officers, but Biden argued that an American troop presence in Haiti would raise “all kinds of questions that can easily be misrepresented.”
Quick Read
- Biden Thanks Kenya’s Ruto for Sending Police to Haiti and Defends Keeping US Forces from the Mission:
- President Joe Biden expressed gratitude to Kenyan President William Ruto for deploying Kenyan police forces to help manage gang violence in Haiti.
- Biden defended his decision not to send U.S. forces to Haiti, emphasizing the potential for misrepresentation and the desire to avoid appearing as though America is imposing its will.
- The U.S. will contribute $300 million to support the multinational force, which will include 1,000 Kenyan police officers.
- Ruto justified Kenya’s commitment to the mission, highlighting the collective responsibility for global peace and security.
- The mission in Haiti is complex, given the country’s history of poverty, political instability, and previous problematic international interventions.
- The Biden-Ruto meeting also focused on global economic issues, advocating for debt relief and better financing terms for developing nations.
- The White House announced $250 million in grants for the International Development Association and support for zero-interest loans to low-income countries through the IMF.
- Biden intends to designate Kenya as a major non-NATO ally, reflecting the growing security partnership and Kenya’s role on the global stage.
- Kenya’s debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds 70%, with significant debt owed to China, prompting calls for debt resolution leadership from the U.S.
- The visit included discussions on investment opportunities, particularly in the tech sector, supported by funding through the CHIPS and Science Act.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden thanks Kenya’s Ruto for sending police to Haiti, defends keeping US forces from the mission
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
President Joe Biden on Thursday expressed deep appreciation to Kenyan President William Ruto for the coming deployment of Kenyan police forces to help quell gang violence in Haiti and he defended his decision to withhold American forces from the mission in the beleaguered Caribbean nation.
The United States has agreed to contribute $300 million to a multinational force that will include 1,000 Kenyan police officers, but Biden argued that an American troop presence in Haiti would raise “all kinds of questions that can easily be misrepresented.”
The Democrat came into office in 2021 pledging to end United States involvement in so-called endless wars in the aftermath of 20 years of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“Haiti is in an area of the Caribbean that is a very volatile,” Biden said at a joint news conference with Ruto, who was in Washington for the first state visit to the U.S. by an African leader in more than 15 years. “There’s a lot going on in this hemisphere. So we’re in a situation where we want to do all we can without us looking like America once again is stepping over and deciding this is what must be done.”
Ruto is facing legal challenges in Nairobi over the decision to commit Kenyan forces to a conflict thousands of miles from home when his own country has no shortage of economic and security challenges. He said that Kenya, as a democracy, has a duty to help.
“Kenya believes that the responsibility of peace and security anywhere in the world, including in Haiti, is the collective responsibility of all nations and all people who believe in freedom, self-determination, democracy and justice,” Ruto said. “And it is the reason why Kenya took up this responsibility.”
A difficult assignment is ahead for the Kenyan officers.
Haiti has endured poverty, political instability and natural disasters for decades. International intervention in Haiti has a complicated history. A U.N.-approved stabilization mission to Haiti that started in June 2004 was marred by a sexual abuse scandal and the introduction of cholera, which killed nearly 10,000 people. The mission ended in October 2017.
Biden and Ruto also used the three-day state visit, in part, to call on economies around the globe to take action to reduce the enormous debt burden crushing Kenya and other developing nations.
The call to action, termed the Nairobi-Washington Vision, comes as Biden presses his appeal to African nations that the U.S. can be a better partner than economic rival China. Beijing has been deepening its investment on the continent — often with high-interest loans and other difficult financing terms.
Biden and Ruto want creditor nations to reduce financing barriers for developing nations that have been constrained by high debt burdens. They also called on international financial institutions to coordinate debt relief and support through multilateral banks and institutions providing better financing terms.
The White House announced $250 million in grants for the International Development Association, part of the World Bank, to assist poor countries facing crises.
Separately, a $1.2 trillion government funding bill passed by Congress in March allows the U.S. to lend up to $21 billion to an International Monetary Fund trust that provides zero-interest loans to support low-income countries as they work to stabilize their economies, boost growth and improve debt sustainability. That funding is expected to be made available to the IMF in the coming weeks.
“Too many nations are forced to make a choice between development and debt, between investing in their people and paying back their creditors,” Biden said.
Ruto said it was critical for the U.S. to take “leading role” in debt resolution for the developing world. “The values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law are in great jeopardy,” he said.
An Associated Press analysis of a dozen countries most indebted to China — including Pakistan, Kenya, Zambia and Laos — found the debt is consuming an ever-greater amount of tax revenue needed to keep schools open, provide electricity and pay for food and fuel.
Behind the scenes is China’s reluctance to forgive debt and its extreme secrecy about how much money it has loaned and on what terms, which has kept other major lenders from stepping in to help.
Kenya’s debt-to-GDP ratio tops 70%, with the bulk of it owed to China. Credit ratings agency Fitch estimates the East African nation will spend almost one-third of its government revenues just on interest payments this year.
The Biden administration has praised Kenya for stepping up in Haiti when so few other countries have agreed to do so. Biden also announced his intention to designate Kenya as a major non-NATO ally, an acknowledgment of the growing security partnership between the countries.
The designation, while largely symbolic, reflects how Kenya has grown from a regional partner that has long cooperated with U.S. counterterrorism operations on the continent to a major global influence — even extending its reach into the Western Hemisphere. Kenya will be the first sub-Saharan African country to receive the status.
Ruto arrived in Washington on Wednesday and began the visit by meeting with Biden and tech executives from Silicon Valley and Kenya’s growing tech sector.
The White House announced it was working with Congress to make Kenya the first country in Africa to benefit from funding through the CHIPS and Science Act, a 2022 law that aims to reinvigorate the computer chip sector within the United States through tens of billions of dollars in targeted government support.
“I think we have a historic moment to explore investment opportunities between Kenya and the United States,” Ruto said.
Despite the stated economic opportunities in Kenya, the country has seen a sharp decline in foreign investment since 2017 in a sign that there is more work to do given its size. Net investment for foreign companies has fallen from $1.35 billion in 2017 to $394 million in 2022, according to the World Bank.
Actors and rock stars among those attending Biden White House state dinner honoring Kenya
Quick Read
- Actors and Rock Stars Among Those Attending Biden White House State Dinner Honoring Kenya:
- The White House hosted a state dinner for Kenyan President William Ruto, featuring American gospel and country music.
- Guests included LeVar Burton, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, Don McLean, Barbara Kingsolver, and Sheryl Sandberg.
- The dinner, held on the South Lawn, featured performances by Brad Paisley and Howard University’s gospel choir.
- The menu included fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs, poached lobster, and a white chocolate basket.
- The event was decorated with African orchids and American roses, symbolizing U.S.-Kenyan friendship.
- President Biden plans to visit Africa in February 2025, showing optimism about his reelection.
- The dinner is part of efforts to strengthen U.S. ties with Africa amidst global political dynamics involving China and Russia.
The Associated Press has the story:
Actors and rock stars among those attending Biden White House state dinner honoring Kenya
Newslooks- WASHINGTON (AP) —
The White House was throwing one of its biggest-ever state dinners for Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday night, and leaning in to the African leader’s tastes by showcasing two uniquely American types of music: gospel and country.
Guests began to arrive by late afternoon to a red carpet rolled out at the booksellers area of the White House, which was also decked out with red roses and hot pink orchids while Toto’s hit “Africa” was played on violin in the hallway.
Invitees included actor Levar Burton of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” fame, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, the ex-secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.
A guest list provided in advance by the White House also included singer-song writer Don McLean, author Barbara Kingsolver, former contestant on TV’s “Top Chef” Kwame Onwuachi and top Democratic donor Mark Gallogly. Also expected were Sheryl Sandberg, who helped to transform Facebook from a tech startup into a digital advertising empire, philanthropist Melinda Gates, the Rev. Al Sharpton and Hunter Biden, the president’s son, who is scheduled to stand trial on federal tax charges in September.
The dinner in a pavilion erected on the South Lawn will feature performances by country star Brad Paisley and the gospel choir of Howard University in Washington. The menu includes fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs, poached lobster, chilled heirloom tomato soup and a white chocolate basket.
It’s the first White House state dinner for an African nation since 2008, and President Joe Biden is expecting up to 500 guests. It’s the sixth and largest of the state dinners his administration has hosted.
The festivities are part of the administration’s efforts to build ties with Africa. Biden failed to keep a promise to visit the continent last year, but this week he said he plans to visit “in February, after I’m reelected” — a show of optimism about his prospects in November’s election.
State dinners are a key tool of U.S, diplomacy reserved for America’s top allies. This one is coming at a delicate time for Washington’s relationship with Africa, following a coup in Niger where the military government has ordered U.S. troops to withdraw from that country, and amid efforts by China and Russia to expand their African political and economic influence.
Ruto is on a three-day state visit as his East African nation prepares to deploy forces to Haiti, part of U.N.-led effort to try to calm a spiraling security crisis there.
First lady Jill Biden said the dinner entertainment was chosen to honor Ruto and his wife, Rachel’s “love of gospel and country music.”
Ruto is a former evangelist and often leads praise and worship songs during his speeches in churches in Kenya.
Gospel music has its origins in the American South, and grew out of musical traditions of Africa and hymns enslaved people sang. Country music’s roots trace to the American South and West, and were influenced by a variety of sounds, including Appalachian, folk and African music.
The dinner’s decor features fuchsia and purple African orchids and American roses. That’s a pairing that symbolizes enduring U.S.-Kenyan friendship, the first lady said, while recalling her own visit to Kenya as part of a five-day, two-country 2023 African tour.
The setting in a transparent pavilion was meant to give guests a view of the sun setting and the Washington Monument. More than 1,000 candles were placed along the pavilion walls, while a suspended centerpiece with 15,000 layered reflective metallic strips was there to amplify the candlelight.
Kenya last had a White House state dinner in 2003. No African nation has had one since President George W. Bush honored Ghana President John Kufuor five years after that.
“It is long overdue,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
The Bidens previously hosted post-pandemic state dinners for France, South Korea and India — which featured the Biden administration’s previous attendance high of nearly 400 guests — as well as for Australia in October and Japan last month.
