Editorial: Our Role in Shaping U.S.-Africa Policy in Obama’s Second TermPresident Obama gave his second inauguration address on Monday, January 21, 2013. After all, as citizens, we are voters and taxpayers, and therefore stakeholders in what the United States does in Africa. Influencing U.S. foreign policy also requires a culture of respectful political discourse among ourselves, which has not been the hallmark of the Diaspora during Obama’s first term, particularly by Ethiopian pundits in the United States. In one of the many memorable lines delivered at his second Inaugural Address this week, President Obama said: “We cannot mistake absolutism for principle, or substitute spectacle for politics, or treat name-calling as reasoned debate. —Related:Obama Stresses Unity in Second Inaugural Speech (VOA News)Video: Sights and Sounds from the 2013 Inauguration (NBC)Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy—Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.