The American Foreign policy in the recent past (say in the aftermath of 9/11) has been contradictory at times, and this is an obvious understatement. Most of all this contradiction has been highlighted in the debacle in the Middle East vis-a-vis the lofty American ideals of human rights. And the Worse is yet to come for the parts of the world that are yet untouched by the ubiquitous ‘war on terror’.
What is being referred to, of course, is the Dark Continent-Africa. By militarizing its African policy, US is looking to stretch its global crusade against Islamic radicalism, and at the same time elevate its interests in this region to the same level as in the Middle East and Asia, U.S.A. plans to do this by establishing a new headquarters, somewhere in the Horn of Africa. AFRICOM - a strategic command center - will be much on the lines of CENTCOM in Florida and will integrate counterterrorism policy with a humanitarian program.
U.S. is fast tracking its search for a potential location for this command center and more likely than not, it will be located in either of these nations- Ghana, Liberia, Tanzania or Ethiopia. Do these names ring a bell? Yes, you reasoned it out right, the dreaded human rights once again. It is not a mere coincidence that the American allies in Africa have poorest track records on humanitarian grounds. Ethiopia, for instance, has become a proxy for the Americans in the raging civil war in Somalia.
But the race to establish a strategic command center was a natural progression from the expanding military footprint of the Americans in central and western Africa. Since 2001, the troop presence has expanded in this long-neglected nook of the world.
As with any other US act these days, this one, too, is being sold as an effort to remove the breeding grounds of terror. Moreover, the US is trying to improve its intelligence network on potential terrorist activity and provide a presence that could be expanded or exploited should more direct action be needed. America may justify this, having learnt a lesson the hard way in 1990s, when bin Laden made Africa his home and targeted the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
More importantly perhaps, the Americans are looking to counter the growing influence that the Chinese are acquiring with their diplomatic and economic efforts in the region. The Chinese interests are primarily commercial, mainly concerned with the resources on offer, but at the same time one cannot ignore the fact that China is also looking to establish political and military foothold in the continent.
Of course, the AFRICOM might actually turn out to be yet another US effort to quench its unending thirst for oil. As the clamor against the US exploitation of oil reserves in Iraq grows, are Americans merely moving on to the next pumping station? This question is yet another argument loaded against an increased American presence.
The debacle in Middle East has seen serious questions being raised against the ability of the Americans to successfully intervene in the world affairs. Already, some African leaders and the European allies of US are against the idea of Africom since this would mean that the flow of arms would be more than the flow of aid in the weaker political states of Africa. Needless to say, this is a highly undesirable scenario and would further destabilize regions prone to civil wars.
Also, in last year or so the US has intervened militarily in Somalia with no success whatsoever. It has only managed to worsen the already dire affairs, resulting into a worsened civil war. This reason alone could thwart any efforts to win allies I on this agenda.
Washington has failed terribly in its efforts to rid the world of the menace of al-Qaeda. It has, however, managed to alienate several quarters quite successfully. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to see which nation, if any, would offer to bear the brunt and be the Africom base. Aid coupled with arms would be a difficult bait to refuse. Nevertheless, risking an Afghanistan-like situation is also a trade-off worth some serious consideration.
The American-agenda these days comes in obscure packages. To decipher it with all the underlying meanings and messages is very tough. I would dismiss as yet another excursion of the Bush administration aimed at shaping the multi-polar world of today. Maybe it’s just a distraction for the world as the US tries to make an unobtrusive exit from the muddled affairs in Mid-East.
