Sunday, September 4, 2011

What does Africa need from the U.S. and China?

The Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., is hosting a conference on what Africa needs from the United States and China November 3-4, 2011. It is open to the public.

You can register on-line at www.vmi.edu/africa.

I have been asked to make a presentation on “U.S. and China in Africa: Advancing the Diplomatic Agenda” on November 4.


The Eagle & the Dragon in Africa: Stability and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Thursday, 3 November & Friday, 4 November 2011


Virginia Military Institute - Center for Leadership and Ethics, Lexington, Va.

Thursday, 3 November

1 p.m. - Opening Session
· Welcoming Remarks - GEN J. H. Binford Peay III, U.S. Army (Ret.), VMI Superintendent
· Keynote - Ambassador Jendayi E. Frazer, Ph.D., Distinguished Public Service Professor and Director, Center for International Policy and Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University

2:25 p.m. - Africa’s Interest: What the U.S. and China mean for Africa’s Development
· Kwesi Aning, Ph. D., Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, Ghana
· Soji Adelaja, Ph. D., Professor, Land Policy, Director of the Land Policy Institute, Michigan State University

4 p.m. - U.S. and Chinese Interest in Africa: Competitors or Collaborators?
Chair: Charles Horner, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
· Raymond Gilpin, Ph. D., Associate Vice President, Sustainable Economies Centers of Innovation, United States Institute of Peace
· Howard Sanborn, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, International Studies and Political Science, VMI

5:30 p.m. - Reception - Festival of Sub-Saharan music and food

7:30 p.m. - Keynote Remarks (TBA)

Friday, 4 November

9 a.m. - U.S. Approaches to Sustainable Development in Africa
Chair: Paul Hebert, Ph. D., Winner of the VMI Jonathan M. Daniels Humanitarian Award, 2011
· Christopher LaMonica, Ph. D., Associate Professor of Comparative Politics at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy
· LTC Nancy Jean-Louis, U.S. Army, USAFRICOM Military Representative to USAID

10 a.m. - War & Peace in Africa
Chair: Ambassador Louis J. Nigro, Jr. (Retired), Former U.S. Ambassador to Chad
· Reuben Brigety, Ph. D., Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, U.S. Department of State
· COL James Hentz, Ph. D., Professor and Chair, Department of International Studies, Virginia Military Institute

11 a.m. - China and U.S. Strategic Relationships with Africa
· Ian Taylor, Ph.D., Professor, School of International Relations, University of St. Andrews, U.K.
· COL Tom Sheperd, USA, Director of African Studies, National Security & Strategy, U.S. Army War College

12 p.m. - Keynote Speaker - Ambassador Johnnie Carson, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, State Department

1:30 p.m. - U.S. and China in Africa: Advancing the Diplomatic Agenda
· J. Peter Pham, Ph. D., Director, Michael S. Ansari Africa Center, Atlantic Council
· David Shinn, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University

2:45 p.m. - Chinese Approaches to Sustainable Development in Africa
Chair: Yoon Jung Park, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate, Rhodes University
· Deborah Bräutigam, Ph. D., author of The Dragon's Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa
· Joseph Riley, Jefferson Scholar, University of Virginia, Class of 2013

4:30 p.m. - Military Parade - VMI Corps of Cadets

Agenda as of 31 August 2011: www.vmi.edu/africa