https://sputnikglobe.com/20241201/bidens-lame-duck-push-to-poach-angola-symptomatic-of-us-persistent-misreading-of-africa-1121062883.html
Biden’s Lame-Duck Push to Poach Angola ‘Symptomatic’ of US’ Persistent Misreading of Africa
Biden’s Lame-Duck Push to Poach Angola ‘Symptomatic’ of US’ Persistent Misreading of Africa
Sputnik International
With less than two months to go before he's out office, Joe Biden is embarking on his inaugural trip to Africa as president, traveling to Angola December 2-4. The White House says the visit is about reaffirming "our commitment to strengthening our partnerships across Africa." But Africans are not so gullible, a leading local observer says.
2024-12-01T18:13+0000
2024-12-01T18:13+0000
2024-12-01T18:13+0000
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"This is a historic trip. We are excited about it," a White House official said in a press call with journalists on Sunday on the eve of Joe Biden's Angola trip."Together, the US and Angola are working closely to expand impactful, high-standard economic opportunities and improve regional peace and security," the official said, highlighting Angola's place in the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, the 2022 policy document outlining Washington's efforts to preserve the West's hegemony in the region by stopping China from "challeng[ing] the rules-based international order," and preventing Russia from using "its security and economic ties" in regional countries to challenge the US narrative on Ukraine.Biden's Angola trip, which will also include a brief stopover in Cabo Verde off the West African coast, is the second chapter of his administration's last-minute appreciation for Africa's existence of the outgoing year. In May, the president invited Kenyan President William Ruto to Washington for the first-ever state visit to the US by an African leader in over a decade-and-a-half to sign a controversial security pact.Too Little, Too Late?“Biden’s visit is admittedly intended to counter the growing influence of China on the continent, but it does not take a rocket scientist to understand that it’s too late for anyone to weaken, let alone break the bond between China and Africa,” Professor Alexis Habiyaremye, Research Chair in Industrial Development at the University of Johannesburg, told Sputnik, commenting on the true purpose of Biden's trip to the region in the twilight of his presidency.In the case of Angola, the US may be looking to sway the country away from China on energy (China accounts for nearly 3/4 of Angola’s oil exports), according to Habiyaremye.“Russia is the main competitor in terms of security, and Angola still suffers from the trauma of past US support to its destabilization by UNITA rebels,” the academic recalled, referencing the 70s-80s CIA proxy war against Angola, which left up to 800,000 dead and much of the country in ruins.Ultimately, the same sort of neocolonialist approach to Africa can be expected from Biden’s successor, Habiyaremye believes, recalling the “disdain” Donald Trump showed toward Sub-Saharan Africa in his first term, including his vile remarks in 2018 labeling regional nations as "s***hole countries."
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why is biden really going to angola, what does biden want from angola, what does us want from africa
why is biden really going to angola, what does biden want from angola, what does us want from africa
Biden’s Lame-Duck Push to Poach Angola ‘Symptomatic’ of US’ Persistent Misreading of Africa
With less than two months to go before he's out office, Joe Biden is embarking on his inaugural trip to Africa as president, traveling to Angola December 2-4. The White House says the visit is about reaffirming "our commitment to strengthening our partnerships across Africa." But Africans are not so gullible, a leading local observer says.
"This is a historic trip. We are excited about it," a White House official said in a press call with journalists on Sunday on the eve of Joe Biden's Angola trip.
"It marks the first visit of a US president to Africa in nearly a decade, since 2015. And also, importantly, this is the first-ever visit by a sitting US president to Angola," the official added.
"Together, the US and Angola are working closely to expand impactful, high-standard economic opportunities and improve regional peace and security," the official said, highlighting Angola's place in the US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa, the 2022
policy document outlining Washington's efforts to preserve the West's hegemony in the region by stopping China from "challeng[ing] the rules-based international order," and preventing Russia from using "its security and economic ties" in regional countries to challenge the US narrative on Ukraine.
Biden's Angola trip, which will also include a brief stopover in Cabo Verde off the West African coast, is the second chapter of his administration's last-minute appreciation for Africa's existence of the outgoing year. In May, the president invited Kenyan President William Ruto to Washington for the first-ever state visit to the US by an African leader in over a decade-and-a-half to sign a
controversial security pact.
“Biden’s visit is admittedly intended to counter the growing influence of China on the continent, but it does not take a rocket scientist to understand that it’s too late for anyone to weaken, let alone break the bond between China and Africa,” Professor Alexis Habiyaremye, Research Chair in Industrial Development at the University of Johannesburg, told Sputnik, commenting on the true purpose of Biden's trip to the region in the twilight of his presidency.
“Coming in his lame-duck period, while he is also physically diminished, is symptomatic of US persistent misreading of what Africa is and what the relationship between China and Africa is,” Habiyaremye emphasized.
“Biden hopes to convince Angola and other African countries that US is a better investment partner than either China, Russia or India. However, Africans know from experience that US investors don’t bring any developmental benefits to the continent since their primary goal is making profits at any cost,” the academic said.
In the case of Angola, the US may be looking to sway the country away from China on energy (China accounts for nearly 3/4 of Angola’s oil exports), according to Habiyaremye.
“Russia is the main competitor in terms of security, and Angola still suffers from the trauma of past US support to its destabilization by UNITA rebels,” the academic recalled, referencing the 70s-80s CIA
proxy war against Angola, which left up to 800,000 dead and much of the country in ruins.
Ultimately, the same sort of neocolonialist approach to Africa can be expected from Biden’s successor, Habiyaremye believes, recalling the “disdain” Donald Trump showed toward Sub-Saharan Africa in his first term, including his
vile remarks in 2018 labeling regional nations as "s***hole countries."
“Without any long-term vision for cooperation, it is unlikely that Biden plans to lay any groundwork, since the US only sees Africa as a space for geopolitical confrontation. The main aim is countering China rather than building anything of their own,” Habiyaremye summed up.
