Would Obama Pay Reparations to African Descendants of Slaves?

Yesterday, the Government of Italy officially apologized to Libya for damage inflicted during its colonial occupation of Libya from 1911-1943. Italian Prime Minister Silvio BerlusconiSilvio Berlusconi committed to five billion dollars of invesment by way of reparation. It was the first official apology and commitment for reparations by a colonizing Government to a former colony.

With an African American on the verge of becoming the President of the USA, this raises important questions about the culpability of descendants and inheritors of former rulers and exploiters. Certainly the magnitude of the genocide and tragedy inflicted on American Slaves was an order of magnitude higher than that the Libyans suffered through -- if indeed these things can be compared in any way.

The quest for reparations has a strong and historic resonance among middle and lower class African Americans; with the historic decision of Italy and with an African American possibly occupying the White House, the issue may well come to the fore front.

But any plan would need to answer some key questions:

What is the culpability of slavery in the greater poverty, lesser education and more broken homes in the African American community?

What measure would be used to determine if someone is a descendant of slaves?

How would potentially similar claims for reparation from other historically disadvantaged groups like American Indians or Irish Americans be handled?

The answers to these questions will inform the debate on programs for urban renewal and for hiring and education discrimination and incentive policies -- if not on more directive compensation.