Loose cannon Robert Kirby
In his triumphant world television publicity scoop last week the Reverend Jesse Jackson caused some serious ancillary damage. One would like to think that Jackson’s spectacular intercession in the Balkans tragedy was merely because he could simply no longer contain his Samaritan instincts. But it rather tempts logic not to consider that Jesse’s own reputation as a leading international humanitarian was taking a bit of a dive and desperate action had become necessary.
I am talking about Jesse Jackson’s successful delivery unto the bosoms of their families and the free world, of the three innocent US servicemen evil Prince Slobodan Milosovic had been holding hostage and beating up regularly. Whatever the Reverend Jesse’s intentions, one is left wondering whether his was in fact an honest accident or a calculated essay in timing.
To understand what I’m getting at involves thinking back to the recent triumphs in International Conflict Resolution, Cease-Fire Negotiations and Political Soothsaying notched up by the South African home team, led by Mr Nelson Mandela and fielding star players like Jakes Gerwel, Aziz Pahad, Alfred Nzo et al. The latest of these triumphs was when the Mandela team dropped in unexpectedly on Colonel Gadaffi to counsel and guide him in the Lockerbie affair.
If that major international coup negotiationale was all Jesse Jackson was upstaging by rescuing the three servicemen, it would have been bad enough. But Jesse wasn’t going to trip up that easily. He could have made his bid for the three servicemen – and the glory which came with them – weeks before he did, but that would have been ignoring a far better strategy.
With all the cunning gained from decades of learning how to hijack the limelight at the moment it is at its brightest, Jesse Jackson realised that one of his major freelance competitors, Nelson Mandela, would eventually be asked to intervene in the still unresolved three US servicemen project.
So Jesse bided his time, let a few more bloodstains drift across the Kosovo tragedy, watched as a few other minor players had a go at getting the three servicemen released. Cyprus tried and fell on their faces. Kofi Annan called the whole thing disgraceful and said it made him feel very sad. Mo Mowlam mourned, Boris Yeltsin roared, Tony Blair trilled, Douglas Gibson wrote a stormy letter to the Cape Times. Nothing. The three hostages remained firmly hostaged.
Still no Mandela. Then, when Jesse saw that Nelson was about to undertake a quick late afternoon trip around the communist world, he struck. Once Nelson was safely in Moscow, Jesse suddenly popped up in Belgrade sporting a violent pink halo and announcing that he was there to bring the three servicemen back under not only God’s but Bill Clinton’s loving gaze.
He couldn’t have timed it better. Not only did he steal a march on a completely unsuspecting Nelson Mandela, he did it all over CNN and Sky News. What is more, in his rage and frustration at being outwitted, Nelson went and compounded Jesse’s victory by announcing that he was going to have to pass on clearing up the Balkans genocidal crisis once and for all. Muttering something about “too many troubles of our own needing my attention” he bashed off to Red China while Jesse went crowing back to the White House hand in hand with the three servicemen and bearing a personal letter from Slobodan starting “My Dearest Willy ..
There is nothing wrong with international conflict resolution and suchlike. Whatsmore it is good news to those in our own current administration who believe efficacious governance is best measured in Voyager miles. But we need to remember that there’s nothing new about bustling around sorting out the world’s ethnic dry-cleaning. South Africa’s appetite for global intercourse is an established eccentricity. Dear old Jannie Smuts was forever “overseas” setting up Leagues of Nations and trying to get world leaders to behave like well-bred Transvaal gentlemen.
Benign International Diplomacy it’s called and for my money we can’t get enough of it. Since Jannie Smuts this country’s had nothing to rely on but Gary Player. Nowadays there’s a whole haystack of challenging personalities waiting their chance to snatch the Mandela mantle. Once the ANC has safely roped in Winnie’s voter-base they should pack her off to work her cautious magic on Saddam Hussein. Off to Indonesia with party malcontents like Mathews Phosa. Louis Luyt could easily sort out Palestine.
Never mind how Jesse snuck up out of left field and scooped Mr M. Especially when it’s someone else’s, travail always broadens the mind.