National Journal – The Biden administration launched a vast diplomatic offensive this week to bring African leaders into long-term partnerships with the United States as China and Russia court leaders of the fastest-growing continent.
“One of the biggest issues in the relationship with different African countries has been this narrative that African countries are backward, useless, and of no merit, and are generally a net drain or drag,” said Uzodinma Iweala, the chief executive officer of the Africa Center, a nonprofit based in New York. “It’s an old narrative that has been persistent until this day and has unfortunately governed, whether explicitly or implicitly, the way folks do foreign policy.”
“If you want a good relationship, you have to think of the continent as a place of opportunity and start with a foreign policy that recognizes the agency and importance of African countries, leaders, and people,” Iweala added. “I think this is the U.S.’s attempt to reset.”
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