{UAH} Diplomacy prepares the ground for other forces to do their part

Listeners on Radio Munansi have heard of late vicious attacks on champions of diplomatic networking for failing to unseat NRM regime that has been in power for 28 years. These are people who don't have a plan of action of their own to unseat NRM but spend time blaming others.

From time immemorial diplomacy either works to prepare the field for other operators to do their complementary work or comes in when war can't solve the problem. The consolidation of Italian and German nationalism illustrates how diplomacy and war worked together.

Cavour, a champion of Italian nationalism allied with France (diplomacy) before attacking Austria and secured the unification of most of Italy. Bismarck allied with Austria (diplomacy) to defeat Denmark. Bismarck then allied with Italy (diplomacy) to defeat Austria and finally to defeat France and unified the Germans.

On many occasions diplomacy has worked when war has failed to solve the problem witness some instances in former Yugoslavia civil war. For instance, as fighting spread there was outside diplomatic intervention and in 1995 a ceasefire agreement was concluded at the Dayton (Ohio USA) conference.

For Uganda, UDU has done good diplomatic and civic work to prepare for other forces to come in but they are nowhere to be found. Right now, Uganda is very vulnerable but Plan B champions are nowhere to be found. Diplomacy and civic education constitute the mobilization phase to be complemented by other plans that apparently have not materialized. Criticism should therefore focus on complementary forces – some of them well known and have received financial support – that have not risen to the occasion.

Eric