OBAMA AND AFRICA BY BOB EJIKE President Obama’s first main tour of sub-Sahara Africa cost American taxpayers over $60 million, and many of them called for cancellation of the journey. Nevertheless, such opposition is myopic, especially in this period when the United States needs Africa most. The African continent is a rising geopolitical power. In the economic sphere, it is home to the world’s fastest growing economies- including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia and Mozambique, and it is predicted that Africa as a continent will surpass global growth for over the next three years. Concurrently, the rise of fundamentalists antagonistic to U.S interests, especially in Somalia and Northeastern Nigeria, infers that Africa also presents unprecedented necessities in the security scope. Still global power shifts since 9/11 brought about the worsening of U.S-Africa affiliation. The United States’ super hegemonic, monopolistic global manifestation from 1991 brought a trifling “democratization-for-aid” policy which their failures in Somalia and Rwanda notwithstanding, produced habitually positive rapports. But due to the economic, political and military growth of African and non-African states, and tainted U.S image in Africa, American influence has been tapered in hypothetically detrimental manners. America snobs Africa at America’s peril, because there is increased interest in the African continent and new global players are arriving in the continent with gusto. Leading the pack of Africa’s substitute buddies is China, whose spectacular upsurge on the continent since the year 2000 has been underscored by such magnificent feats as funding the new African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and building roads and railway networks across the continent, without interference in the internal affairs of the receiver nations. Several other averagely powerful countries are taking advantage of Western disregard for Africa to step into the continent. Turkey, utilizing its Islamic credentials, is fixing its scope on Somalia’s post-conflict reconstruction, successfully wooing a populace that has long been a strategic apprehension for America. Even sanction-bitten Iran is in Africa searching for uranium and geopolitical associates, and seeking buyers of nuclear technology, and nations not enamored of the West like Sudan, Eritrea, and Zimbabwe are giving her ear. Another major threat to American influence in Africa is Japan, which just announced a more forceful Africa approach centered on mutual energy interests, and Brazil, which recently forgave Africa of a huge $900 million debt. President Obama must also cope with past legacies. George Bush left a shabby American image around the globe, but he tripled health aid to Africa, consequently Mr. Bush is popular in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this pro-American feeling, together with Obama’s Kenyan lineage and African origin, made Africans love both him and the United States as manifested during his short visit to Ghana in July 2009. Today, Africans have seen Mr. Obama’s true colour and are less excited by his charisma which has brought so little to them despite their deification of America’s first black president. In spite of Obama’s African ancestry most cerebral Africans know that the real black president was Bill Clinton who despite being white appointed many blacks to office, cared for Africans and visited most African nations during his tenure as president. Under the Obama administration America fervor is waning and “Obamania” is in deterioration due also to Obama’s security-based, antiterrorist program, signposted by an overwhelming U.S. military presence, not excluding the ubiquitous drones, and Obama’s persistent snubbing of Nigeria, the African giant and even his father’s land, Kenya. Africa is traditionally the least considered in foreign policy issues for most powerful nations, but whether those Americans protesting about the cost of Mr. Obama’s visit to Africa like it or not, Africa is an indispensable ally. Get more from National Edifice magazine, ask your vendor!
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 08:20:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015