Been There, Already Doing That: America's Ongoing Security Engagement in Africa

• Published in: Contemporary security policy 2009-04, Vol.30 (1), p.72-78
• Main Author: Pham, J. Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Africa; Foreign Policy; France; International Alliances; International security; Military engagements; Military Intervention; Military occupations; National security; Organizational Effectiveness; Peacekeeping; Regional security; Security Policy; Third-party intervention; U.S.A; United States of America
• ISSN: 1352-3260; 1743-8764
• DOI: 10.1080/13523260902760165

The birth of the new command has not been easy. To some Africans with memories of liberation struggles still fresh in their minds, the idea smacked of a neocolonial effort to dominate the continent anew - a notion not entirely unreasonable given the history of efforts by some erstwhile European imperial powers to continually meddle in the internal affairs of their former colonies as witnessed by France's nearly three dozen interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Others question the long-term sustainability of the effort, recalling the cyclic nature of past American engagements. Still others, noting the increased attention paid by American analysts to the role in Africa being played by China,22 India,23 and other countries, worry about the possible polarization of the continent in some sort of new scramble between the great powers of the 21st century. All these are, of course, legitimate concerns which American political leaders - including President Barack Obama, whose election was met with genuine enthusiasm across the continent - as well as the commanders of the Africa Command need to forthrightly address. However, given the long history of the American security engagements on the continent and the continuing receptivity of many African states to those initiatives, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic that AFRICOM will eventually find the welcome and acceptance that has thus far eluded it.