[ad_1]
Last December, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton outlined the Trump administration’s new Africa strategy in a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. According to BoltonHe believes that the United States now faces “great power competitors” – namely Russia and China. In his view (they both)
is rapidly expanding its financial and political influence in Africa…to gain a competitive advantage over the United States.
Bolton’s description of great power competition sounds like the Cold War, when the United States and communist countries led by the Soviet Union competed for influence over the emerging colonial powers in sub-Saharan Africa.
At the end of the Cold War, the United States withdraw Almost all of them come from Africa. In the 1990s, Washington distanced itself from a region in which it no longer saw any vital interests.
However, in the 21st century, the US policy has undergone a major shift. The US once again regards sub-Saharan Africa as a carrier of US geopolitical and commercial interests.
This reversal is based on three factors. First, the growing importance of new oil supplies from Africa. Second, the alleged role of terrorists inLarge areas of uncontrolled, governmentless areas” Sub-Saharan Africa. The third is the rise of middle-class African consumers, a potential new market for U.S. exports.
Oil
During the George W. Bush administration, the United States recognized that African oil in the Gulf of Guinea had become “Important factors that determine the state of the oil market”
Africa also go home
Some border oil fields may become hot exploration areas in the next decade.
These countries include Sao Tome and Principe, Gambia, Liberia, Togo, Benin and Niger.
Washington has launched a plan to increase transparency in the oil sector in Africa’s major oil producers. Make these nation
better able to undertake the huge investments required to develop energy resources and make a more reliable contribution to our own energy security.
Energy security concerns have led to an increase in U.S. military activity in the Gulf of Guinea. In 2004, Charles Snyder, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, called West Africa Coastal Security Plan, because
Many of these new oil fields are located offshore, and unless we develop an African coastal fleet, no one will be able to protect them.
This led the U.S. Navy to initiate Africa Partnership Station 2007 Helping Gulf of Guinea countries secure the region from maritime security threats.
Energy security has been a major concern during the Obama administration. Operation Obangam Express,as well as African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership Training Gulf of Guinea countries to protect offshore energy.
Both have continue under Trump administration.
Counter-terrorism
The terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001 added a new counter-terrorism dimension to the U.S. security strategy in sub-Saharan Africa. The region began to be seen as a “Unstable Arc“It stretches from Latin America to Africa and the Middle East, all the way to Asia. Its”Ungoverned spaces and undergoverned territories” may provide “Terrorist haven”
To prevent this from happening, the Bush and Obama administrations developed a series of programs aimed at strengthening border security and building internal security. Washington believes that African countries are vulnerable to infiltration by terrorists, so they have launched a number of initiatives to strengthen the security capabilities of these countries.
These include, to name a few, Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (2002-Present), East African Regional Counter-Terrorism Partnership (2009-Present) and Counter-Terrorism Partnership Fund (2014-Present).
In 2007, the United States established a new military command structure in Africa, marking the continued expansion of its military presence in Africa. Africa CommandAFRICOM is responsible for directing all U.S. military activities on the African continent, including Somalia bombing.
Commercial Driver
Finally, in recent years, the United States’ interest in Africa has been driven by commercial considerations. In April 2012, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Florizel Lieser said, Tell Congress Sub-Saharan Africa
Many of the world’s fastest-growing economies have rapidly expanding middle-class consumers.
They are increasingly demanding high-quality American products.”
One result was a law passed in 2012 requiring Growing U.S. jobs by increasing exports to Africa.
Business opportunities in Africa were also at the center of the first U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in 2014. The summit launched Doing business in Africa Activity.
What should we do now
Trump Administration Expanding bombing of Somaliaits continuation of Bush- and Obama-era counterterrorism programs, and its new strategy for Africa suggest that policymakers continue to view the continent through a geopolitical lens.
What’s special about Trump’s response is that he has highlighted the competition the US faces from China—but this is hard to imagine because China has just There is a military base in Africa.
But the Trump administration must learn from the recent mistakes made by Bush and Obama, including the negative consequences of U.S. actions in some cases. Its support The 2006 Ethiopian invasion of Somalia and The Ethiopian-led occupation forcesThese actions help The development of the Youth PartyAn extremist Islamist group that merged with al-Qaeda in 2012 and began launching attacks in other countries.
A U.S. Senate Report The conclusion is:
Al-Qaeda has now become a more sophisticated and dangerous organization in Africa… The involvement of Western countries and their allies has likely facilitated its foothold in Somalia.
The US airstrikes on Somalia are likely to “only increase popular support for al-Shabaab.”
More broadly, Washington’s internal security and capacity-building initiatives have not been effective. If anything, terrorism in Africa deterioration along with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb In Mali and Boko Haram In Nigeria.
U.S. policymakers need to rethink whether a security agenda based on U.S. priorities and choices can always solve the problems facing sub-Saharan African countries.
[ad_2]
Source link
