The US policy in Africa is centered on endless military intervention and bombing civilians and infrastructure (for instance, Somalia, Sudan, Libya, and nations of Sahel for over 30 years), even while terrorism and Islamist militancy have expanded. This policy has distracted Africans from socioeconomic development. While the US seeks to expand its footprint and ‘terrorism’ justification, Some African nations are seeking a new future by partnering with Russia and China for lasting security solution and economic development. Surprisingly, Washington insists on presenting China and Russia as boogiemen instead of correcting its failed policy.
Washington Living in Parallel Reality
Washington’s attempt to regain credibility in Africa by creating boogiemen out of Russia and China is based on its chauvinism of forcing destructive influence over African’s real interests. The US military has lost justification for continued presence in Sahel; as seen in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger seeking and developing security partnership with Moscow. However, the west’s mainstream media (MSM) hides US policy’s complete failure in Africa, and spins the narrative with articles such as “U.S. Loses Soft Power Edge in Africa” in Gallup, April 2024 and “US Losing to Russia and China in War of Global Opinion” in Newsweek, in September 2023. With such headlines, some are left wondering when the US ever exercised soft power. Washington’s sending military to destabilize countries, bomb infrastructure (roads, bridges, and pharmaceuticals factories), and aid terrorists to kill African leaders that develop their countries is not ‘soft power’ at all. Africans’ response to Washington’s disruption since 1992 is not solely about opinion, but decision and action to move on. It is time Washington starts comprehending that some Africans were just tolerating it for lack of options, but not anymore.
MSM describes Washington’s loss of influence in Africa as regrettable, despite Africa continuing to gain investment in infrastructure, industry and new markets to boost people’s incomes, showing the West’s loss of touch with reality. Washington aims its information campaign to harangue Africans to accept being dominated, even against their own interests. Reduction of the US influence spells the end of its persistently distracting African governments from development using unending wars, but states in Sahel are leading the way in rejecting manipulation. Predictably, MSM tries to diminish the real significance of the Pentagon’s being shown the door. With Washington still in denial, the Atlantic article titled The New Propaganda War in June 2024 continues to cast how the contest between the US on the one side, and China and Russia on the other relates to propaganda as seen in its subheading “Autocrats in China, Russia, and elsewhere are now making common cause with MAGA Republicans to discredit liberalism and freedom around the world” (here). Authors should note that it is Africans choosing between China, Russia, and the US based on their past behavior, and the preference for the former two should make the third review its imperialist approach. However, these Atlanticist authors display their unfortunate colonial hangover, stating that the US liberalism of forever wars across non Western countries, bombing civilians and infrastructure, and expanding terrorist groups is ‘freedom’, such that, those that think otherwise are autocrats alongside China and Russia. Atlanticists insist that African governments must submit to remain distracted by fighting unending terrorists and militant groups that expand alongside the US military footprint, and hence postpone development forever. The Atlantic article’s authors are a solid proof that Africa is better off without so-called liberalism and freedom around the world, and needs to seek partners that help in advancing social, and economic development.
Mudslinging Russia and China will not Reverse Anything
The western establishment’s failure to adjust their policy but instead discredit Russia and China will continue to erode its credibility. The Atlantic and Gallup articles mentioned earlier explain US failure in Africa by pointing at China and Russia, instead of admitting to America’s being stuck in militarism and disrupting Africans from addressing social and economic developmental needs. By western admission, some African nations prefer Russia and China’s partnership for security and development (here, here, and here). For instance, Western media beamed images of Nigerien protestors decrying US, and French inability to fight terrorists and calling for Russia to intervene, which shows that Africans want the terror threat to end and not expand as it has when Washington has been purporting to fight it. Also, a Gallup article stated that many Africans viewed the Chinese favorably, which can relate to how the Chinese are seen building infrastructure and investing in the economy across the region and not engaging in forever wars. Despite this crisp clarity that Russia and China are preferred for presenting practical solutions to security, and social and economic development needs, Washington’s establishment continues to discredit Africa’s new partners instead of changing its ways, efforts that will fail. Its actions show that it does not believe in free speech as it claims. The Atlantic article mentioned earlier engages the reader in a long and winding tale of how communist governments collapsed due to lack of “freedom of speech”. It presents such freedom as a special gift of western countries, alluding that other European and Asian countries cannot develop, and it seems Atlanticists think Africans cannot use it. Therefore, they cast Niger’s ‘freely speaking’ to demand that the US forces leave is not ‘free speech’ according to MSM’s forked tongues. This parochial mentality will lead the West to further lose touch with Africans.
Africa’s Needs; Security and Economic Development
The three Sahel states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, after seeking security assistance from Moscow are expressing their future orientation, suggesting that they will not be entirely focused on fighting the terror threat. Their action shows belief that security threats will be addressed conclusively with the new partner, Moscow. These states will choose to have Russia and China to help in genuinely addressing security threats and promoting economic development, and Washington’s attempts to cast Moscow and Beijing as peddlers of ‘Malign influence’ will be ignored. Some Sahelian states are already prioritizing modernization of agriculture, industry and energy, complete with the Burkina Faso president requesting Russia’s assistance in developing a nuclear power plant, showing how the mentality or fighting terrorism has been shunned, all to Washington’s dismay. Niger is proceeding in demanding fare trading of its resources, including Uranium, also to the significant disappointment of US’ deputy, France that is used to free resources. The success of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger with their new partners will usher in a new era of expanded freedom and development in Africa, where Washington’s forever wars will have even less credibility.
Simon Chege Ndiritu, is a political observer and research analyst from Africa, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
