– The US approach to Africa has been the same for quite a long time. “Africa is an important continent, but not that important”. Now there has been a change. The US now sees Africa as an important strategic partner. That’s what Gilbert Khadiagala, who heads the African Center for the Study of the United States, and who is professor of international politics at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, says. Fewer index fingers than before This week, the professor is keeping a close eye on US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is traveling from capital to capital in Africa. Blinken started in South Africa, where he presented the USA’s smoking hot Africa plan. The trip then went to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, before the journey ends in Rwanda. Khadiagala believes that the US’s new plan also shows a fairly new American approach to Africa. He believes that Foreign Minister Blinken so far on his trip to Africa has shown that the US has decided to talk about topics that the US and Africa have in common, instead of pointing the finger and talking about the topics on which they disagree. Welcome, says a poster in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa. On the poster is a picture of Anthony Blinken. Photo: Andrew Harnik / AP South Africa’s foreign minister will not be “coddled” with In the new US Africa plan, it is true enough that the US will work for open societies to counter “harmful activities from China, Russia and other foreign actors” . But instead of persuading African countries to turn their backs on China and Russia, the professor believes that Blinken would rather use his energies to bring out what the US can offer. – Blinken was very subdued in his criticism. And I think it was a well-thought-out strategy to emphasize the themes that unite Africa and the USA, says Khadiagala about the meeting in South Africa at the start of this week. Kenyan Gilbert Khadiagala has worked to understand Africa’s role in the world for several decades. Now the professor is based in Johannesburg in South Africa. Photo: Columbia University And some may indicate that Blinken chose the right strategy. Because when he and South Africa’s foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, held a press conference, the South African minister was clear about what she thinks about dictates from major powers. – One thing I definitely dislike is being told that someone else has to do this, or that… I don’t want to be coddled in that way, and I don’t think other African countries want that either, Pandor told the press corps present, according to the Washington Post. Professor Khadiagala believes that Pandor’s comment reflects what many African countries think. They are open and interested in cooperation with the USA, but they will also be able to decide for themselves whether they want to cooperate with other countries. Sergej Lavrov and Anthony Blinken have the same job. But the two foreign ministers stand for quite different policies. Earlier this year, they both attended the ASEAN Summit in Asia. Photo: Andrew Harnik / AP The major powers are queuing up And there is no shortage of countries that want to cooperate with Africa. France sent its president on a trip to Africa earlier this summer, and the old European superpower has seen its former colonies as important cooperation partners ever since colonial times. For many years, China has had its many engineers in place to build a wide range of buildings, as well as roads and railways. In addition, China invests heavily in African natural resources. And in the last couple of years, Russia has strengthened its cooperation with certain African countries, and it is in particular mercenaries and weapons that the Russians offer. Khadiagala believes that Russia’s diplomatic efforts in recent years gained strength when many African countries voted blankly when the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution with extensive criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. – It was expected that many countries would be critical of Russia. But that vote has given Russia faith that Africa can be mobilized to lean against Russia, says Khadiagala. Russia’s foreign minister has also been on a tour of Africa this summer. Sergei Lavrov was on a tour of Africa at the same time as the French president, Emmanuel Macron. In total, ten African countries have been visited by the three powerful men. Leaders from three countries have visited ten African countries in a few weeks. – There are very clear differences in how the USA and Russia relate to Africa, says Khadiagala. While the US talks about democracy and openness, Russia has far less of a problem talking to authoritarian and undemocratic regimes, the professor believes. – Putin is an authoritarian himself, so he has no interest in talking warmly about things that he himself does not stand for at home. And therefore Russia has no problem getting involved in countries such as the Central African Republic, Mali and Uganda, says Khadiagala. Russia with a different approach For Russia, the Africa investment has bought a lot of weapons and security. At the end of this week, Mali received new combat aircraft from its new Russian friends. In the past, mercenaries and weapons have been something that Russia can offer to both Mali and several other states in Africa. While Russia has to tolerate being criticized for its lack of democracy and respect for human rights, Western leaders are constantly reminded of what the history books tell about the white man in Africa. And it is the colonial era in particular that is highlighted, also by Sergei Lavrov when he spoke on his tours around Africa in July. According to Deutche Welle, he was told that Russia has never “stained itself with bloody, colonial crimes” and has been “stalwart supporters of Africans’ struggle to be freed from colonial oppression”. Demeke Mekonnen and Sergej Lavrov drank coffee together when the foreign ministers met in Ethiopia in July. Photo: RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY / Reuters – New, cold war Lavrov also knows that many Africans still remember that the Soviet Union played an important role for some liberation groups. This is especially true in Mozambique and Angola, where rebel groups received weapons support from the Soviet Union to defeat Portugal. To this day, there is still a communist symbol in the flags of the two countries. During the Cold War, African countries became important pawns and allies in the US and Soviet Union’s struggle for world supremacy. With the war in Ukraine and a tense international situation, one can see tendencies towards the same thing again, believes Khadiagala. – It is a new, cold war. Russia has very clearly reverted to its earlier way of thinking that it needs partners all over the world, and also partners who are not necessarily enemies of the United States. Emmanuel Macron was, among other things, in Benin when he visited Africa this summer. Photo: LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP The many visits from top politicians from far and near will be followed up in the near future. US President Joe Biden has invited African leaders to a summit in Washington DC in December, and Vice President Kamal Harrid will attend a large business meeting in Marrakech. Russia will also organize another major Africa summit, as they had in Sochi in 2019. A new meeting was planned for this year, but since Russia has gone to war against Ukraine, the meeting has now been moved to 2023.
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Now the great powers are fighting for Africa’s favor – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
