{"id":102277,"date":"2017-10-03T18:47:39","date_gmt":"2017-10-03T16:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/trumps-africa-policy-is-still-incoherent-but-key-signals-are-emerging-the-conversation\/"},"modified":"2017-10-03T18:47:39","modified_gmt":"2017-10-03T16:47:39","slug":"trumps-africa-policy-is-still-incoherent-but-key-signals-are-emerging-the-conversation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myza.co.za\/press\/trumps-africa-policy-is-still-incoherent-but-key-signals-are-emerging-the-conversation\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump’s Africa policy is still incoherent, but key signals are emerging | The Conversation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trump’s Africa policy is still incoherent, but key signals are emerging<\/a>: <\/p>\n

US President Trump addresses the 72nd UN General Assembly in New York.<\/span> Reuters\/Brendan McDermid<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Africa\u2019s leaders, along with everyone else interested in US-Africa relations, have waited eight months for US President Donald Trump\u2019s administration to explain its Africa policy. We aren\u2019t there yet. <\/p>\n

But in recent weeks Trump has indicated the level and extent of his interest. And, senior African affairs officials at the State and Defence Departments are at last attempting publicly to outline US goals and objectives toward Africa. This, apparently without much guidance from their president.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s inaugural address to the UN General Assembly said little about Africa \u2013 barely one paragraph towards the end. One sentence praised African Union and UN-led peacekeeping missions for \u201cinvaluable contributions in stabilising conflicts in Africa.\u201d A second praised America, which<\/p>\n

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continues to lead the world in humanitarian assistance, including famine prevention and relief in South Sudan, Somalia and northern Nigeria and Yemen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The next day Trump hosted a luncheon for leaders of nine African countries \u2013Cote d\u2019Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, and South Africa. Only his welcoming remarks have been published but they are nearly devoid of policy content or guidance. His opening gambit reminded me of a 19th century colonialist hoping to become rich, as he proclaimed: <\/p>\n

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Africa has tremendous business potential, I have so many friends going to your countries trying to get rich. I congratulate you, they\u2019re spending a lot of money\u2026.It\u2019s really become a place they have to go, that they want to go.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Trump called on African companies to invest in the US. Then, shifting to security cooperation, he urged Africans to help defeat Islamist extremists and the threat from North Korea.<\/p>\n

The American president proposed no new presidential initiatives for Africa. But, at least, he did not say those launched by predecessors were a waste of money and would be ended. Nor did he mention opposition to foreign assistance generally. He also did not mention his renunciation of the Paris Climate Accord and refusal to fund Green Climate Fund. Both are crucial for Africa\u2019s adaptation to global warming.<\/p>\n

Hints of a policy taking shape<\/h2>\n

A \u201cUS-Africa Partnerships\u201d conference at the US Institute for Peace in Washington in mid-September provided additional clues to how this administration will conduct Africa policy. <\/p>\n

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Tom Shannon, offered the first high level official statement on Africa. Shannon, a highly accomplished Foreign Service officer, emphasised policy continuity. But, he implicitly affirmed Trump\u2019s apparent desire for minimal engagement in Africa. <\/p>\n

Shannon and Acting Assistant Secretary Donald Yamamoto at a later session, stressed the four main pillars that have framed Africa policy for many years, would remain. These are: <\/p>\n