“Bruce” is CEO of a Chicago IT company with over 60 employees, where “over the summer of 2021, a very bad feeling began to take hold,” he told me in a lengthy phone call.

“Suddenly a great lack of trust became apparent. Some of our most gifted people complained of feeling ignored, not valued, not listened to, their ideas stolen by management, and being treated unequally – and it wasn’t racial.

“The trial of Officer Derek Chauvin for killing George Floyd seems to have let the steam out of a pressure cooker, and people are openly telling me they feel victims of bias on the job. Our HR department has no idea what to do.

“Do you know of a book on this subject that I can have our managers read, something that will help them identify their own, unfair, biased treatment of staff, because I believe we’ve got a real problem.”

Bias – Invisible until It Isn’t

That phone call could not have come at a better time as I had just finished reading the answer to my reader’s request, Bias Interrupted – Creating Inclusion for Real and for Good, by Joan C Williams, distinguished professor of law at the University of California, Hastings Law.

Her book made me aware of how we can all be incredibly biased against or for someone or something. When it happens on the job, there are no good outcomes.

I asked her to outline some of the most commonly found types of bias that are easily identifiable:

1 – Prove it Again Bias – Where women and minorities have to prove their skills and competence more than White men.

Consequences: For women and people of color to be promoted takes longer because they have to provide more evidence of being equally competent – proving themselves repeatedly just to get the same recognition that others receive.

White, male employees are more likely than any other group to be judged on their potential — as opposed to real accomplishments.

Performance evaluations should be based on specific competencies, according to a published standard, with evaluators giving at least three pieces of evidence to back up their rating.

Also, records should be kept of who is seen as having potential and then matched with their actual accomplishments.

2 – Failure to understand how “Walking the Tightrope” makes office politics more complicated for women and people of color.

Consequences: Without finding ways of being authoritative and ambitious that are seen as “appropriate,” while minimizing the risk of being perceived as “difficult, aggressive or intimidating,” women walk a tightrope between being “too masculine” and “too feminine.” So the need to “self-edit” is very high.

When we think of accomplished scientists, physicians, lawyers, CEOs, etc. their excellent — authoritative and ambitious — performance is often associated with masculine qualities. That’s often an issue for women, who are expected to be feminine.

If women are “too masculine,” they are respected but not liked; if women are “too feminine,” they are liked but not respected.

Add to this the reality that White men are seen as a good match for glamorous career enhancing assignments, while women and people of color are seen as a good match for support roles.

3 – Maternal Wall Bias – when colleagues view mothers — or pregnant women — as less competent and less committed to their jobs.

Consequences: Women’s career opportunities wither after they have children and they leave in frustration which costs businesses enormously.

This is a major problem for women’s career advancement. The solution is for supervisors to not to make assumptions about motherhood and career aspirations.

Organizations should make family leave available equally for mothers and fathers. Additionally, do not favor employees who work on-site while penalizing those who work from home, especially if they have children!

4 – Racial Stereotyping – Different groups of people of color encounter specific racial stereotypes.

Consequences: Asian Americans will often be hired but not advance to leadership. Latinos and Black processionals will often be treated so disrespectfully that they leave. The solution is to not stereotype but to treat everyone with respect.

Asian Americans are seen as good at technical work but lacking leadership skills. Latinos may be seen as “too emotional” for showing behavior that, in a White man, would likely be seen as a career enhancing passion for the business. Black Americans report high levels of isolation and disrespect.

How do I Identify and address the Problem?

“Bias Interrupted” is a great first step, as it shines a brilliant light into the somber room of bias and prejudice at work.

But there is something else, something so needed, that Professor Williams stands for and that you just can’t miss in her book, and that’s her message of basic, fundamental fairness.

When we can see in ourselves unfair, biased behavior towards others, we will have the power to interrupt it. That powerful message may influence her law students at Hastings to think less about winning at all costs and more about building a more just, less biased society where being fair to each other is a goal.

Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield and enjoys hearing from his readers. Contact Dennis Beaver.

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Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield and enjoys hearing from his readers. Contact Dennis Beaver.

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Do you know someone who has forgotten that advice about “burying the hatchet and letting bygones be bygones”? Or who acts as if it’s much more enjoyable to remain angry at the people who didn’t vote the way they did or don’t agree with their political or religious viewpoints?

“In many instances, anger feels good, especially today, when political issues seem to dominate American life. ‘I’m right and you are wrong’ smothers all other moral and rational brakes that the brain has in place,” observes Dr. Luis Vega, professor of psychology and interim dean at the College of Social Sciences and Education at California State University in Bakersfield, Calif. “Additionally, anger can deliver a high similar to that experienced in thrill-seeking activities where danger turns on dopamine reward receptors in the brain and can become its own form of addiction.”

When this occurs on the job, it can become the basis for a toxic-workplace lawsuit. But there is something we can do to lower the temperature.

Confronting these destructive attitudes is one of the most positive, upbeat people I’ve interviewed — Juliana Tafur, the Bridging Differences program director at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.

Tafur and her team are leading the 7-Day Campaign for Connection Challenge that, as she says, “Brings together folks with differences in politics, race, religion, culture, all sorts of attitudes — and teaching how to talk with each other. The goal is to minimize othering, prejudice and division and expand our sense of care and shared humanity for others in this time of tremendous division the country is facing.”

Here’s what leads to trouble

I asked Tafur to describe what fuels conflict in our daily lives. What are we doing wrong? She shared these four things, along with some ways to address them:

1. We see a label rather than a person.

We assume that we already know everything about a person based on the label we give them, whether political, cultural, racial, identity. For example, because of their political stance, we might dismiss any unique aspect of their personality, and since we don’t agree, we shut ourselves off from learning anything else about them.

2. We stick to our assumptions and refuse to listen with compassion.

We assume that our truth is the truth and avoid people who think differently. We associate only with those who are in alignment with our views and don’t read anything that doesn’t match our beliefs or that might encourage us to question them.

When meeting someone who does not share our opinions, we focus only on our differences and reinforce the person’s otherness. We dismiss the idea that we could have any meaningful commonality and disregard any shared identities or experiences, such as being in the same PTO at our kids’ school, or both caring about a problem in the community that needs solving. We think, “They’re not worth my time and are so different that we cannot have anything in common.” In the extreme, we might even consider them an enemy.

Actively listening to what someone has to say, with compassion, with our mind and body language — being willing to consider the other person’s feelings and intentions while still disagreeing — is possible. Being engaged in a discussion is one of the most powerful ways of showing that we care about another person’s feelings and want to understand them and their position.

3. When faced with an issue on the job or at home, we shut down the person we don’t agree with.

Looking for a way to upset co-workers or family members when faced with an issue where we are certain of having the only valid opinion? All you have to do is and tell them, “I don’t need any more details. I’ve already heard this viewpoint from others. I know exactly what you are going to say, so don’t waste my time!”

When they get upset, we put them off instead of showing compassion and a desire to discuss the issue. We act like they’re overreacting and say things like, “I don’t get why this would bother you.”

When perspectives clash, we should ask for the other person’s help with a resolution. For example, say something like, “It’s pretty clear we are not understanding each other, and I would really appreciate your help in figuring this out.” This reframes the conversation as a shared effort rather than a confrontation. It also invites collaboration and shows humility, a cornerstone of bridging differences.

4. We approach prejudice the wrong way.

Rather than calling attention to another person’s apparent bias and prejudice by calling them a bigot, Tufar says, consider saying, “Someone might say that your comments reveal a prejudiced mind, which I don’t think is correct, and I’ve caught myself in that kind of a situation but realized it just isn’t really me and sends the wrong message to others.”

Tafur concluded our interview on a positive note that, in my mind, stands as a powerful motto for what her organization strives to accomplish: “By recognizing that anyone can teach us something valuable and approaching people with this mentality, we allow them — and they in turn allow us — to be seen and to feel heard.”

Dennis Beaver Practices law in Bakersfield and welcomes comments and questions from readers,
which may be faxed to (661) 323-7993,
or e-mailed to Lagombeaver1 – at – Gmail.com.

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We can all feel it. Something’s not right with our country. But when did things start going wrong, and more importantly, where are we headed?

Spend some time with “The Decline of America” by Dr. David Schein, and like me, you’ll say, “Finally, someone who gets it!” Schein is an attorney and Associate Professor at the Cameron School of Business of the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He takes us through the past 100 years of leadership from those men who occupied the White House, or as the book’s subtitle announces, “100 years of leadership failures.”

“The Decline of America” presents an objective, non-partisan evaluation of US presidents during the past century, distills their successes, many glaring failures, and, as Schein is a university professor, a grade is assigned.

Two American Presidents stood out in my mind, the first George Bush and Clinton.

After the United States kicked Sadam Hussein out of Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm, in 1991 there was every opportunity to remove him from power, but Bush refused. Many credit that for the second Iraq invasion, and the nightmare we have faced ever since from the region. Schein’s grade for Bush? C-.

And who can forget Monica Lewinsky and scandal-prone Bill Clinton, earning a D-.

College campuses must safeguard free speech rights

As Schein is both an attorney and college professor, we asked if he has personally experienced threats or fears and interference with his own free speech rights when lecturing on college campuses, and unless remedied, what this means for our democracy.

“I am welcomed around the country to speak to Libertarian clubs and to conservative organizations, even though I do not give an especially high grade to Ronald Reagan. On the other hand, I have been warned that I may not get a warm reception on college campuses because many faculty and students do not like to see any criticism of people like Bill Clinton or Barack Obama.

“Free Speech Zones, which have cropped up on many college campuses across America, are a perversion of the term free speech. This is the kind of stuff the Nazis and the USSR did to suppress opponents. They said, ‘Sure you can say anything you like so long as we approve of it.’

“This deprives students of the opportunity to hear multiple views so that they can exercise their own judgement. By definition, college students do not know it all and unless they allow themselves to be exposed to different viewpoints, will never develop critical thinking skills,” he strongly maintains.

“It is a sad situation that threatens our democratic principles. When highly paid attorneys do the bidding of a college administration and fight to justify these clearly unconstitutional free speech zones, it is waste of money and an embarrassment to the legal profession.”

Merger mania threatens competition

Almost 20 years ago, two giant oil companies – Exxon and Mobil – were allowed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to merge. This, as Schein documents, began what has been referred to as “merger mania.”

“By allowing that merger, other large companies began to merge, and the result is a real threat to what makes American business so great, and that is competition. As an example of mergers which the DOJ has prevented, just look at the number of cell phone companies we have, which has helped the consumer,” he underscores.

Schein asks this question: “We know that consumers benefit from competition among the cell phone companies. How much better would it have been if Exxon and Mobil were not allowed to merge? Fewer competitors make it harder to have competition for goods and services. And, we should not forget that within one year of that merger, the combined oil company shed 14,000 jobs.”

At the present time, CVS is trying to buy Aetna Health Insurance.

“I am very concerned about this merger. American health care needs more, not less, competition. We should not forget that Aetna tried to buy rival health insurer Humana not that long ago. The DOJ sued to block the deal, saying it was anti-competitive and would lead to unfair price increases.”

Department of justice and FBI have become political

Schein echoes the feelings of many people who are “thoroughly disgusted with how politics entered the DOJ in the Obama era with Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch. Both were extremely political. Just as the FBI is under assault now for being political, the DOJ has hurt its reputation for the same reason.”

Dr. Schein concluded our interview with food for thought:

“If we as Americans cannot count on anything coming out of Washington to be non-partisan and to be done in our singular best interest, we have some real problems.”

Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield and enjoys hearing from his readers. Contact Dennis Beaver.

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“Our family owns a small furniture manufacturing company in Southern California that is very much a happy, living dinosaur. We are a mini United Nations, with about 30 employees, most who have been here for decades, and the average age is around 50.

“Our employees really are like family, and you name the country, race, ethnicity or religion, it is represented here.

“We have an upholsterer who could pass for Rodney Dangerfield or Don Rickles, hysterically putting down everyone. People still tell jokes about their own ethnicity and race, and we all know that it just good fun. We celebrate each other’s religious holidays, and are known as ‘Matchmaker Central.’ Many of us are godparents to co-workers’ children. In brief, we are still the way that so much of America was until politically correct speech destroyed normal human relations across our country.

“Dad wants to retire and offered me to take over the business or he will sell it. Given California’s anti-business attitude, what would your advice be? If we stay, I know that younger employees will be hired who are not used to ‘us old timers’’’ sense of humor and could run to a lawyer. If we relocate, where should we not go? Thanks. Sarah.”

‘Why California is a Disaster to Business – If You Can, Move!’

I ran Sarah’s question by a friend of this column, Joseph Vranich, President of Spectrum Locations Solutions, based in McKinney, Texas. He knows more about the disastrous impact California’s legislature and courts have had on business – both large and small – than perhaps anyone in the country.

His company helps firms relocate to states that want business to thrive. He co-authored a just-released Hoover Institution report entitled, “Why Company Headquarters Are Leaving California in Unprecedented Numbers.”

“If Sarah moves her firm out of California, she will be one of the hundreds who have done so over the past three years at an increasing pace. Contributing factors include high taxes, harsh regulatory policies, above-average labor costs, massively excessive litigation costs, ever-increasing energy and utility rates, and a dismal quality of life related to California’s unaffordable housing costs,” Vranich says, adding:

“I moved to Texas from Orange County in Southern California. That says something.”

“Then, where should my reader consider relocating her company?” I asked.

Vranich replied, “Today, the more important question to ask is, ‘What states should I keep far away from?’ and one of the main reasons is something that most people have never heard of until they have been sued by a PAGA attorney.”

PAGA – the “Sue Your Boss Law” – stands for the Private Attorney General Act which was passed by the California legislature in 2004 where private lawyers were deputized to sue employers for violations of state labor laws. Penalties are collected for the state and massive attorney fees for the cottage industry which this act created. And the employees? They get peanuts.

“Employers have been sued for the most petty, inconsequential violations of labor laws, primarily for one purpose alone,” maintains Southern California labor law attorney Jay Rosenlieb, “and that is to ‘legally’ extort millions of dollars in penalties and attorney fees.

“Very much like suits alleging a violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) PAGA lawsuits are most often filed over petty things, such as a clerical error on a time sheet or an employer’s failure to print an address on a pay stub, despite the fact that the address was on the paychecks.

“So, no harm results to the employee, but the employer pays thousands of dollars in penalties and attorney fees. Many small businesses have been forced to close their doors while plaintiffs’ counsel became multi-millionaires.”

Vranich notes that several other states – hungry for free money – are considering adopting PAGA legislation. These include: Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. He says, “stay away from those states.”

“Texas remains a terrific place to do business, but before making a relocation decision, it is important to speak with a business relocation consultant,” he underscores, “as they are well informed as to the various perks offered as a way of attracting companies.”

Can the Family Business Hang On to Their Old Fashioned Ways?

“There are a few states where Sarah and her employees can retain what was and still is good about America. Texas, most of the Southeastern states and Florida are generally free of law suits over mere words that some people construe as being offensive,” Vranich says.

“Assuming that her employees also want to move, it is important to provide adequate financial assistance to help and get re-settled in a new city. You do not want these loyal people to suffer economically in any way. This is the time for generosity.

Wrapping up our interview on a touching note, “The decision to move is always difficult for small business owners, especially where employees who have been with you for many years are not like family; they have become your family.”

Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield and enjoys hearing from his readers. Contact Dennis Beaver.

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Fifty more migrants arrived outside Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, days after two buses carrying asylum seekers arrived at her Naval Observatory home from Texas earlier this week, sent by Governor Greg Abbott.

“We’re sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job & secure the border,” he tweeted at the time.

Abbott and other Republican leaders from border states have been sending migrants to Democratic-led sanctuary cities and states for months, calling it a protest of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies amid an influx of migrants at the southern border.

The moves sparked national attention, and outrage from the White House and Democrats who said the lawmakers were using migrants as political pawns. Republicans have cheered the move, arguing the Biden administration should do more to secure the border.

We are threatened with Being Fired by not signing a Petition

That same day I received an email from “three worried employees” at an IT company asking for my help. “Everyone received a Docu-Sign petition, sent by the owner of the company, stating that we oppose busing of these people and want action taken against the governors. He warned of a risk of being fired if we refuse. We don’t want to sign it. May we talk?”

I replied, “Set up a conference call at once. Your names will not be used in any story that I write.”

Within minutes I was speaking with these politically aware people who feel this amounts to extortion and is wrong of their employer to require them to support something they do not agree with “Don’t we have First Amendment Freedom of Expression rights? What should we do?”

No Constitutional Protection when Working for a Private Company

I immediately contacted a friend of this column, Professor David Schein, attorney, author and Director of Graduate Programs at the University of Saint Thomas in Houston. His areas of expertise include employment law where he represents employers.

“The first issue is very straightforward. You do not have constitutional freedom of speech protection when working for a private company. Public sector employees do.

“For example, a school teacher or district attorney – all of these people have freedom of speech when speaking in their individual capacities that do not relate to their job or on official matters.”

Being Forced to Sign Something = Duress

Schein point out that when someone, “Is forced to sign something – as in this case, to keep their job – this sounds like duress and has no legal effect. Under the law, it is not binding. My position would be that if the employer fired the employee for refusing to sign the petition, in any state, that person would probably be eligible to file for unemployment benefits, and possible wrongful termination.”

Advice to Employees – Possible Discrimination

So, what should these employees try before just refusing and running the risk of being fired?

Schein recommends, “Meeting with the employer and explain why you are not comfortable with the whole idea, and if it comes down to keeping my job or signing it, I will refuse and consider myself wrongfully terminated.”

And, if that happens — the person is fired and then files for unemployment insurance — what will an employer likely use to justify the termination?

“Insubordination,” Schein answers. “But I do not think there is a state unemployment office in our country that would find that to be a valid reason for firing someone.”

What about the race or ethnicity issues?

“If it could be shown that the employer singled those out for firing based on ethnicity or race, you could look at that under state law to see if a discrimination claim might be brought. But this claim might not do too well if it could be shown that, across the board, people were let go regardless of race/ethnicity.”

Advice to Employers

Schein’s recommendation for any employer considering something similar is a flat-out,

“Don’t! It is plain wrong!”

Later that Day – Things Moved Quickly

I sent a summary of Professor Schein’s recommendations to my readers and they forwarded it to all of their work colleagues. Then, on Monday afternoon, things moved very quickly, and I got such a heart-warming phone call from these three gutsy people.

“Mr. Beaver, right after lunch a group of about 30 of us went to the owner’s office along with the HR manager ‘Genie,’ who happens to be an attorney.

“She told him, ‘Unless you abandon this ridiculous petition nonsense, the people who you depend upon to fulfill your contracts are going to quit. This business that you founded will crash. You can’t treat the people who make your success possible this way! You should be ashamed of yourself.’”

Then something quite remarkable happened, I was informed. The boss asked everyone to accompany him to their conference room where he stood up, and “as red as a watermelon” apologized for everything. When my wife learned of his petition idea, she said, ‘You wanted them to sign WHAT? What is wrong with you?”

“While in a way, it was comical, no one was laughing,” Mr. Beaver, “and several of my colleagues were in tears. Thank you for you guidance.”

Of course the person who deserves a heart-felt thanks is my friend, Professor David Schein in Houston.

Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield and enjoys hearing from his readers. Contact Dennis Beaver.

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“The war that the reincarnation of Adolph Hitler unleashed on the citizens of Ukraine was predictable, and the political elements that made it possible have been brewing for decades,” observes Dr. David D. Schein, an attorney and Professor at the Cameron School of Business of the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

“We – The United States of America and the West – have played a significant role in making Putin’s genocidal war possible,” Schein maintains, adding, “and the West sent him the ‘All Clear’ message when he annexed Crimea in 2014. But that’s not the first time we – America – had the chance to stop a tyrant in his tracks and failed.”

His first book, The Decline of America: 100 Years of Leadership Failures (2018), revealed the stunning errors shown by many of our Presidents that had a profound impact on history, “frequently showing the United States to be weak. For example, no one can forget the pitiful way Jimmy Carter allowed 52 American diplomats to be held captive for 444 days and tortured by religious extremists in Iran.

“Our military advocated for an ultimatum: Release the Americans within 24 hours or face the destruction of one of your cities. Carter wimped out.”

His just-published, tremendously well documented new book, Bad Deal for America, shows how politicians are, in effect, “living in a casino” where the chips they play with are paid for by us, through our tax dollars. He shines a brilliant spotlight on games U.S. politicians are playing with our money in a political system that is broken.

With each page Schein gives us insight into why things don’t just seem bad, but are more dysfunctional – dangerously so – than we usually hear discussed.

When I read Bad Deal for America – already a best seller – one word came to mind: kleptocracy. This is a government by those who seek status and personal gain at the expense of the governed.

Think of it as government of thieves whose purpose in life is to remain in power. Like a bloodhound, Schein follows the money – shows us personal financial statements – and we see how some of the most visible names in politics live lavish lives but pass themselves off as humble public servants.

“This isn’t what our Founding Fathers had in mind,” Schein said during our interview.

“The people who established our nation would turn over in their graves if they saw how Job Number One for most of our representatives is to keep themselves in office, not serve the public who elected them.”

An Important Read at this Stage of our History

I asked why he wrote Bad Deal for America, and why he feels it is such an important read at this stage of our history. He listed these reasons:

1) We need to return to citizen legislators. Our elected officials should go to Washington for brief periods of time, and then come home and live under the laws they created.

2) We need to break the power of lobbyists in Washington. Stop the revolving door.

3) We do not need to increase the salaries of people in Washington. It has been proven they can live in their districts, use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, etc., and when their presence is required in Washington, to only go for as brief a period as possible.

4) We need to reform the system of seniority. It is just a bad system. Putting someone in charge simply because they have played the Washington game longer – not because they are experts on a subject or better qualified – is just plain dumb!

A Perfect Play Book for Disaster

As a lawyer who represents business interests, Schein points to “direct parallels to the horrible events in Ukraine and the business world that can be summarized with these few words: ‘Fail to deal with a bully and your cowardice will pay dividends in money and blood.’

“When good people permit evil to thrive, bad things happen. But when challenged, and put in their place, business thrives and the world is a safer place,” he points out, citing Germany just prior to World War II.

“Years before Hitler waged war on Europe, it was clear that Germany had violated terms of the Versailles peace treaty and other agreements limiting the size of its armed forces. Historians have documented that action taken then would have stopped his war machine from ever seeing the light of day.

“But European leaders allowed Hitler to chew off a large piece of real estate, claiming that Germany needed ‘Lebensraum,’ space to grow.”

In the business world, “A competitor or former employee steals formulas or lists of customers, and when becoming aware of the thefts or lost business, typically a company will have its lawyers issue a Cease and Desist letter that says, “Cut it out or we will file suit!”

And if they continue?

“You’ve got to go to court, request an injunction to prohibit the former employee from working for that company – enforcing your non-compete agreement which I hope you had in place – or the continued use of stolen customer information. But you’ve got to move now, not months from now, he underscores.

“Sadly, as Ukraine crumbles, once again the West can award itself an Emmy for ‘cowardice where action was needed.’”

Once you start reading Schein’s book, you will not put it down.

Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield and enjoys hearing from his readers. Contact Dennis Beaver.

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Anne, my paralegal, grew up in British Hong Kong and learned to speak Chinese.

The other day while we were having lunch at the office — and watching a TV documentary about Kenya — it showed two brothers, 9 and 14, preparing an authentic Chinese dish while speaking perfect Mandarin to each other.

From the time they began school, Chinese language classes were part of the curriculum.

Anne commented, “Their fluency is a positive for the two boys, shows a high degree of involvement by China in Africa, but what risk this could be for the United States? As an important source of minerals for things like cell phones and other electronics comes from Africa, what if China forced one of these producing counties to stop selling to us or raised the price they charge dramatically? That would hurt the average American.”

Why the U.S. Needs to Pay Greater Attention to Africa

Retired Ambassador and former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Herman Cohen, based in Washington D.C. agrees with my paralegal’s concerns:

“The degree of China’s educational, cultural and financial involvement in Africa is mind-boggling. Among other challenges is a potential threat to the supply of key, rare minerals, and that is why we need to realize that Africa is so important to the United States.”

And if there is anyone in Washington D.C. who knows Africa, it is Cohen. Over the years, he knew every first-generation African leader – from Mandela, to Mobutu, to Moammar Gaddafi.

His just released book, “U.S. Policy Toward Africa – Eight Decades of Realpolitik”, takes readers on an exciting trip through the history of our relationship with its 55 countries.

His 2015, “The Mind of the African Strongman: Conversations with Dictators, Statesmen and Father Figures,” has us meeting some of the most interesting, and cruel men on the planet, answering the question, “Despite access to vast natural resources and decades of international development aid, why have so many African countries failed to keep the promises made to their people?”

In our interview, Cohen pointed out that “The U.S. depends on Africa for certain things that we cannot produce, or not in sufficient quantities to meet our needs, such as coffee, cocoa, palm oil, peanut oil and peanuts. And most people have never heard of the mineral coltan, which mobile phones, personal computers, automotive electronics, and cameras require. One of the few places where this is produced is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Electric cars, and solar powered buildings need batteries which require cobalt, which comes from Russia and the Congo. This means we must establish ourselves as reliable, honest and trustworthy trading partners with the African nations producing it. We can’t afford to be held hostage by Russia or any country under its influence who might refuse to sell us these needed minerals.”

And, of course, let’s not forget lithium ion batteries. “A significant source of lithium is Africa,” Cohen adds.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub And a Cup of Joe

We take a bar of soap and cup of coffee for granted, but Cohen reminds us that “Palm oil is used to make soap, and Africa is a major producer of palm oil, in addition to coffee and cacao from which chocolate is derived. In fact, 60% of the world’s cocoa comes from the Ivory Coast. Ethiopia and Kenya produce Arabica which is a superior grade of coffee.”

Strategic Issues To Watch Out For

“China has made its intentions clear of wanting to dominate world trade and achieve global dominance. Anyone looking at how it trampled the freedoms it guaranteed Hong Kong residents should hope that the United States will be able to convince African nations that a truly democratic government, with open and free elections, helps all people to prosper. But you can’t do this by being weak.

“Geopolitically, 40% of the world’s shipping passes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Maintaining security and stability in these areas is of great importance to our country.”

And, of course, the sea lanes around South Africa have a direct impact on the United States and the West in general. As Cohen observes, “A great deal of crude oil shipped from the Middle East to the West goes around the South African coast. Maintaining security of those sea lanes is important to us all and the United States has a vital role in that area.”

Looking to the Future

Cohen is optimistic about Africa and the United States:

“The Chinese do not treat Africans well – in fact, they are downright insulting and racist. We do not engage in similar tactics and are much more popular.

“The younger generation coming out of universities are improving their economies. When you see VW assembling cars in Kenya it is proof that things are getting better.”

Cohen’s books should be required reading for all political science majors and CEO’s interested in the vast potential that Africa offers the world.

Dennis Beaver practices law in Bakersfield and enjoys hearing from his readers. Contact Dennis Beaver.

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