Trump Administration's National Security Strategy and Africa

 The Foreign Policy Research Institute published on 6 January 2026 an analysis titled "The Africa Blind Spot: The US National Security Strategy and the Risks of Retreat" by Christopher Faulkner and Raphael Parens.  

The Trump Administration's National Security Strategy document represents a significant shift in how the United States will approach Africa in the near term.  It reflects a preference for transactionalism, driven by the president's pursuit of the Nobel Peace Prize.  

The limited discussion devoted to Africa (about a half a page) does not inherently reflect a lack of interest in the continent.  Instead, it demonstrates that the administration's interest in Africa will be constrained, selective, and dependent on what Africa can offer in an increasingly competitive world.  This effectively constitutes strategic disengagement.

The authors conclude that navigating between selective engagement and strategic retreat will not likely reduce the pressures that will draw the United States to the continent.  Instead, it risks deferring engagement, ensuring that future interventions, when they become unavoidable, are costlier and less effective.  

Africa Mostly an Afterthought in US National Security Strategy

 The White House released this week the Trump administration's "National Security Strategy of the United States of America" dated November 2025.  

Africa receives relatively brief attention at the end of the 29-page report, although the introduction does include the Egypt/Ethiopia conflict as one of the eight conflicts President Trump has settled in his first eight months in office.

Rather than spread liberal ideology, according to the strategy paper, the US should instead look to partner with select countries to ameliorate conflict, foster mutually beneficial trade relationships, and transition from a foreign aid paradigm to an investment and growth paradigm. It should favor partnerships with capable and reliable states committed to opening their markets to US goods and services.  The US should seek good returns on investment in the energy and critical minerals sectors.  The US should avoid any long-term American presence or commitments. 

Comment:  The short section on Africa clearly reflects the Trump administration's "America First" strategy.  A policy towards Africa based on trade and investment is a noble goal, but largely dependent on the willingness and ability of the American private sector to implement it.  Past history demonstrates that without significant US government incentives, this policy is likely to disappoint.  

The inclusion of the conflict between Egypt and Ethiopia as one of the eight resolved by President Trump in his first eight months may come as a surprise to Ethiopia and Egypt.  

Proposed Head of US AFRICOM Appears before Senate

 The U.S. Department of Defense posted on 22 July 2025 a press release titled "China, Russia, Terrorist Networks Destabilizing Africa" by David Vergun.

Air Force Lt. General Dagvin R.M. Anderson, who is being considered as the new commander of U.S. Africa Command, appeared before the Senate Committe on Armed Services.  He expressed concerns that Chinese and Russian efforts to increase influence in Africa could threaten U,S. national security.

State Department Layoffs Threaten U.S. National Security

 National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A) posted on 7 July 2025 a statement warning that State Department layoffs threaten U.S. national security.  It argues that the elimination of some 2,000 positions will result in a loss of critical expertise, surrender global leadership, and is being done without any clear strategy for going forward.  

No National Security Justification for Dismantlement of USAID

 The July/August 2025 issue of the Foreign Service Journal contains an article titled "USAID Is Vanishing" by Jim Bever, 35-year veteran of USAID.  

This is an account by a former USAID mission director (4 times) on the impact of dismantling the US foreign aid organization.  He emphasizes that no national security strategy has been offered to explain or justify this decision.  

The Price of Tossing USAID into the Woodchipper

 The Hill published on 23 April 2025 a commentary titled "USAID Went into the Woodchipper, And We're All Paying a Price" by Jim Kunder, deputy administrator of USAID during the George W. Bush administration.  

Most of the allegations used to dismantle USAID have been proven false.  The furor of the past several months over the destruction of USAID has crystalized awareness that America's foreign aid soft power is critical to national security.

American Academy of Diplomacy Supports Collective Bargaining Rights for National Security Agencies

 The American Academy of Diplomacy issued a statement on 1 April 2025 titled "Ending Collective Bargaining Rights for National Security Agencies is a Profound Mistake."

The American Academy of Diplomacy issued a statement that opposes the President's executive order ending collective bargaining rights for employees of national security agencies, including the Department of State.  The executive order opens "the federal workforce to intimidation, harassment, and mistreatment" and is an attempt "to politicize a professional workforce that has been a faithful and nonpartisan partner of our elected leadership for over 100 years."  

Text of Legal Injunction to Stop Dismantling of USAID

 The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) filed on 6 February a Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief against Donald Trump, the US Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, the United States Treasury Department, Marco Rubio, and Scott Bessent.

The action seeks "injunctive relief with respect to a series of unconstitutional and illegal actions taken by President Donald Trump and his administration that have systematically dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)."  The plaintiffs "seek a temporary restraining order directing Defendents to reverse these unlawful actions and to halt any further steps to dissolve the agency until the Court has an opportunity to more fully consider the issues on the merits."

Trump-appointed federal judge Carl Nichols of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved on 7 February a limited temporary restraining order that would block USAID employees from being put on administrative leave.  Details on the pause will follow in a forthcoming filing.

The Implications of a USAID Shutdown

 Brookings published on 4 February 2025 a series of essays titled "Implications of a USAID Shutdown."

This is a series of short essays by a variety of experts on how the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID will impact US foreign policy.  The introduction, written several days ago, suggests the administration may be walking back the dismantlement.  More recent information suggests this is not the case.  On the contrary, it appears to be stepping up the disintegration of the organization.  

China's Foreign Policy in the Arctic and Africa

 The latest issue of Arctic Review on Law and Politics published a study titled "The Arctic and Africa in China's Foreign Policy: How Different Are They and What Does This Tell Us?" by Christer Pursiainen, Chris Alden, and Rasmus Bertelsen.  

Just when you thought every conceivable China-Africa topic has been covered, we have this piece that compares China's policies towards the Arctic and Africa.  It concludes that China's regional strategies aptly reflect the overall grand strategy of a country that is slowly but surely aiming at taking on the role of leading global superpower.  

China's Military Strategy

China's State Council issued in May 2015 "China's Military Strategy," which is a surprisingly frank document.  The strategy has implications for Africa. 

The Diplomat published on 5 June 2015 an analysis of the document titled "The Big Story behind China's New Military Strategy" by Alexander Sullivan and Andrew S. Erickson.  It identifies some of the implications of the strategy for Africa.