After Trump despised her
Africa is once again gaining the attention of the Biden administration
Tigrayans protesters in front of the United Nations building denouncing the brutal methods of the Ethiopian government towards their people.
A.F.B.
Biden renews America's interest in African issues.
Reuters
picture
After former US President Donald Trump's insults and contempt for Africa, President Joe Biden's administration is forging a new, more interactive approach to the continent.
"We are not simply moving from where we left off, as if nothing has happened in the past four years, but rather we look at the world with new eyes," said Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken, in a speech outlining the goals of his ministry.
Biden seeks as part of the ambition of his administration to make foreign policy in the service of the American middle class, while at the same time building a national consensus on international issues that will be prioritized or that will be ignored.
Among the list of the State Department, which is based on eight areas, including immigration, the "Covid-19" epidemic, relations between the United States and China, and cybersecurity;
There was a clear message that the US government was planning to return to the world stage.
Africa is expected to benefit from the State Department's interest in the climate crisis and the promotion of democracy, but the administration's focus on rebuilding alliances will be key as regions from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa will become the front lines in emerging security crises.
Statement of Work in Ethiopia
The State Department’s decision to openly raise allegations of human rights violations and crimes in Ethiopia appears to be a willingness of the administration to once again play its role as a voice of international conscience, which is a shift away from the indifferent behavior of the moral issues that the Trump administration has made towards Africa.
This week, a close ally of Biden, Senator Chris Kunz, arrived in Ethiopia "to convey President Biden's grave concerns about the humanitarian crisis and human rights violations in the Tigray region, and the threat of broader instability in the Horn of Africa."
Focus on the Horn of Africa
In a sign of the importance of the conflict, Biden is also expected to select veteran diplomat Jeffrey Feltman as his special envoy to the Horn of Africa.
"Our continued engagement at a high level - including security, global health, climate change, freedom and democracy, and shared prosperity - demonstrates our commitment, and this certainly applies to the Horn of Africa," a US State Department spokesman told Foreign Policy.
While Blinken has yet to define his Somalia policy, Feltman's expected appointment shows a willingness to be more active in the region.
Toward the end of his term, Trump ordered the withdrawal of about 700 American soldiers who had provided support to the Somali army, including dozens of air strikes targeting Al Shabaab.
The withdrawal in January came at a time when Somalia appeared to be in danger of plunging further into political chaos.
Last week, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Somali politicians to put aside their differences and continue the electoral process, which was suspended in February.
The "obstruction" of African issues
Critics fear that the further expansion of US influence in sub-Saharan Africa will exacerbate the security crisis in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Earlier this month, the State Department designated the rebel groups in both countries as terrorist organizations due to their alleged links to the ISIS terrorist group.
This designation lends itself to greater participation, as has already happened in Mozambique, where US special forces will begin training Mozambican security forces.
However, this raised concerns about what one analyst calls the "ethnicization" of the region, referring to what happened in Iraq through a military response that ignores the social and economic facts on the ground, in favor of what appears to be a quick solution. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, analysts fear The campaign against ISIS overlooks the historical roots of the decades-old conflict.
Soft power
But the US foreign policy in Africa is more than just military aid. It includes an economic relationship that was largely unbalanced, but it also includes a set of humanitarian policies that have become essential to the continent’s poor.
Former President George W. Bush had the Africa Development and Opportunity Act and the President’s massive emergency relief plan for AIDS relief, while his successor, Barack Obama, had the “African Power, Young African Leaders” initiative.
Even Trump, who was late in realizing the region’s importance, announced the "commercial welfare of Africa" program, which seeks to a large extent to divert the attention of governments and companies away from the Chinese Belt and Road initiative.
This policy is important when trying to counter Chinese influence in Africa, but these broad efforts often ignore the reasons Africans seek to strengthen their relationship with Beijing at Washington's expense.
While Obama has been appealing to the continent's youth and Trump is overwhelmingly popular among authoritarian regimes in Africa, Biden could build a legacy on the continent by prioritizing economically lagging Africans who are caught in the midst of violent conflict.
- it is
expected to benefit from the
attention of
Africa 's
Foreign Ministry climate crisis and the
strengthening of
democracy, but the US administration 's
focus on rebuilding alliances will be essential, because the
areas of the
coast to the
Horn of
Africa will become the
front lines in the
emerging security crises.
Critics fear that the further expansion of US influence in sub-Saharan Africa will exacerbate the security crisis in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news