Missourian candidate to be ambassador to Rwanda
WASHINGTON_Missouri native Stuart Symington got a warm reception from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday as the panel considers his nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda.
If confirmed, this won’t be Symington’s first stint as an ambassador. He currently serves as the top American diplomat to the African nation of Djibouti. He has served in a variety of foreign offices since 1986.
Symington said he would work to foster a lasting peace in Rwanda, the Republic of the Congo and surrounding areas. “The clear goal is to turn this part of Africa from a place of troubles to a place of promise,” Symington told the committee.
Symington was introduced to the committee by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who once interned for Symington’s uncle, former Rep. Jim Symington, D-Mo. The elder Symington also attended Wednesday’s hearing. Symington’s grandfather, Stuart Symington, served as a Democratic senator from Missouri from 1953 to 1976.
McCaskill said mentioning Symington’s relatives should not diminish the talent and strength he can offer.
“We are lucky to be able to draw on that intellect and that strength in this important time in the continent of Africa,” McCaskill said.
Symington’s nomination hearing comes as another high-profile Missourian–Jack Oliver–returned from a trip to Rwanda focusing on the country’s progress since the 1994 genocide.
Oliver, a one-time top fundraiser for President George W. Bush, traveled to the African nation with ex-Senate Majority Leaders Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Tom Daschle, D-S.D., as well as Cindy McCain, wife the current GOP presidential contender.
They went with the One Campaign, a non-profit group that’s trying to pressure presidential candidates to focus on global poverty and combating AIDS, among other issues.
“The progress [in Rwanda] is extraordinary,” Oliver said in a phone interview at the end of his trip. He said new roads have been paved, hospitals built, and major strides made in treating HIV-positive patients.
But he noted that Symington will face multiple challenges if he wins confirmation. “They need not just aid, they need investment,” Oliver said.
Oliver is absolutely right. Billions of dollars have been donated to African countries over the years, but poverty and illiteracy continue to be high. Investments from western companies remain insiginificant, and yet capital inflows could unquestionably change the lives of people.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has spent much time campaigning for a change of approcah and, thanks to a recent pact between US and Rwanda, Rwandans now hope more American entrepreneurs will begin to invest their money in Rwanda.
Investments will help Rwandans, and Africans in general, stand on their feet and take charge of their own destiny.
Hey Sarah, guessing you are probably too young to know, but Jim Symington was never a Senator; he was a Congressman from the St. Louis area. His Dad, Stu, was the Senator.