National Public Radio posted on 4 December 2024 an article titled "D.R. Congo's Mining Capital Is at the Heart of Biden's Bid to Counter China in Africa" by Emmet Livingstone.
A small mining town in the southern Democratic Republic of the Congo is at the center of US-China competition over critical minerals in Africa.
The New York Times published on 28 November 2024 an article titled "One of Biden's Closest Allies in Africa Is Ready to Court Trump" by John Eligon.
Angolan President Joao Lourenco commented in an interview that his government is no longer interested in taking loans from China that are tied to repayment in oil. He added that Angola does not believe it is necessary to choose between China and the United States.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies published on 10 October 2024 a commentary titled "Two Railroads, One Vision" by Judd Devermont.
The US has mobilized over $4 billion to develop the Lobito Economic Corridor, including refurbishing Angola's Benguela rail line and supporting a rail line expansion between the southern DRC and Zambia. This project will improve the movement of minerals and goods to the Angolan port of Lobito on the Atlantic coast. China is making available $1 billion to revitalize the Tanzania-Zambia Railway built in the 1970s that terminates in Dar es Salaam in the Indian Ocean.
While these projects are being framed in the context of great power competition, they offer the possibility of serving as an example of great power cooperation and one that accomplishes a Pan-African goal for a transcontinental rail link from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic that will expand economic development throughout the region. This could be done by connecting the two projects if all parties were to agree.
The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal published on 18 October 2024 a commentary titled "Why President Joe Biden Is Going to Africa--It's Not (Just) about China" by Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs in the Trump administration.
President Joe Biden's belated trip to Angola in December is not only about competition with China, but also an effort to showcase an attractive Western development project in the Lobito Corridor that links Angola with the DRC and Zambia.
The Council on Foreign Relations blog posted on 26 September 2024 a commentary titled "Washington's Mixed Messages on Fueling the War in Sudan" by Michelle Gavin.
Following a meeting between President Joe Biden and UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the White House issued a statement that included positive language about working to end the conflict in Sudan. It does not, however, account for the fact that the UAE has been supporting one of the antagonists--the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
World Politics Review published on 17 September 2024 a commentary titled "Harris--and Walz--Could Shift the Focus of U.S. Policy on China" by Mary Gallagher, Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame.
Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, and her vice-presidential running mate, Tim Walz, could shift the way Washington looks at China. While Harris has relatively little experience concerning China, Walz has had a long relationship with the country. The author speculates this combination of background could result in a China policy that is tougher on Beijing's human rights record than was the case in either the Biden or Trump administration.
The White House published on 17 September 2024 a "Statement from President Joe Biden on Sudan."
President Biden called on the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to pull back their forces, facilitate unhindered humanitarian access, and re-engage in negotiations to end the war.
He noted the United States previously determined that members of the SAF and the RSF have committed war crimes, and that members of the RSF have committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.
NBC News published on 23 August 2024 an article titled "Harris Transition Team Takes Shape with a Biden Official in Key Post" by Aaron Gilchrist.
The Kamala Harris campaign tapped Ethiopian-American and current ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Yohannes Abraham, to head the presidential transition team if she wins the upcoming election against Donald Trump. In 2020, Yohannes was the executive director of the Biden transition team. He was born in Virginia; his parents immigrated from Ethiopia.
Tigrai Press posted on 28 July 2024 a one-hour podcast with me hosted by Bisrat Kebede. The conversation focuses initially on the election campaign between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, implications of the election for Africa policy, and Project 2025. The remainder of the podcast deals with many of the ongoing issues in the Horn of Africa.
Aljazeera's Inside Story posted on 24 May 2024 a 27-minute panel program titled "What Do African Countries Stand to Gain from William Ruto's US Visit?"
The panel consisting of two persons in Nairobi and one in Washington discussed a range of issues concerning President Willim Ruto's state visit to the United States and US policy in Africa. The moderator also focused on competition the United States is facing from China and Russia in Africa.
CNN published on 23 May an article titled "Biden Looks to Counter China's Influence as He Rolls Out Red Carpet for Kenya" by Kevin Liptak and Kayla Tausche.
The article places the state visit to the United States by Kenyan President William Ruto in the context of competition between Washington and Beijing for economic and political influence in Africa.
Comment: While competition with China is often a sub theme of US policy in Africa, it is a mistake to conclude it is the driving factor. Washington needs and wants to develop stronger relations across the continent for its own interests, which extend far beyond what China is doing in Africa.
Foreign Policy published on 23 May 2024 a commentary titled "Kenya and the U.S. Need Each Other More Than Ever" by Caroline Gray.
The author suggests that the visit to the United States by Kenyan President William Ruto is focused on increasing American investment in Kenya, renewing the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, and moving forward with the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership. President Ruto also explained concerning his countries ties with China and the United States that "we want to be friends to all and an enemy to none."
The Washington Post published on 1 March 2023 a feature titled "Jill Biden Went to Africa, and All Anyone Wants to Talk About Is 2024" by Jada Yuan.
Jill Biden seems to have had a successful visit to Kenya and Namibia in spite of the fact that many wanted to focus on President Biden's political future. Hers is a precursor to visits to Africa later this year by Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden.
The Global Times, which speaks for the Communist Party of China, published on 7 December 2022 an opinion piece titled "Be It a Show or Sincere Help, African Countries Can see Through the US."
The commentary argues that Washington is hosting the 13-15 December African Leaders Summit "for show" and "it reveals the consistent duplicity of US policy toward Africa." The commentary continues that the United States has never had a detailed plan for Africa, only "empty strategic slogans." After praising China's approach to Africa, the author concludes that Washington is not serving the needs of African countries but is utilizing "them to engage in strategic competition with China."
Comment: The last Forum on China-Africa cooperation took place in Dakar, Senegal in November 2021. Because of COVID-19, President Xi Jinping addressed it by video link from Beijing. At least President Joe Biden will be physically present for the event.
Politico published on 2 December 2022 an article titled "No One-on-Ones Yet Scheduled Between Biden and African Leaders Heading to D.C." by Alexander Ward, Nahal Toosi, and Phelim Kine.
The article notes that there are apparently no bilateral meetings scheduled between President Joe Biden and the African leaders who are attending the US-Africa Leaders Summit. Although there will be a dinner for all the leaders and other bilateral meetings, this is seen as a missed opportunity.
Climate Home News published on 2 November 2022 an article titled "China, India Set to Snub COP27 Leaders' Climate Summit" by Chloe Farand.
More than 100 heads of states and governments are expected to attend the two-day summit session of the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt on 7-8 November. At least 33 African leaders are expected to attend the summit session.
The President of China (the world's largest CO-2 emitter), Xi Jinping, is not scheduled to be among them. The President of the United States (the world's second largest CO-2 emitter), Joe Biden, will attend the conference on 11 November but miss the summit session because it conflicts with US mid-term elections on 8 November.
Foreign Policy published on 21 September 2022 a commentary titled "South Africa Doubles Down on Russia Ties" by Nosmot Gbadamosi.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met last week in Washington with President Joe Biden. Ramaphosa reportedly held to South Africa's neutral position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and objected to proposed US legislation that would sanction Africans doing business with Russian entities that are under US sanctions.
ESAT TV posted on 13 January 2022 a 50-minute interview with me titled "Biden Calls to Abiy: Change in Approach or Policy?" moderated by Gizaw Legesse.
The focus of the interview was the significance of the telephone call between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. It also dealt with issues related to Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia.
Aljazeera published on 11 January 2022 an article titled "'More Than a Dozen Killed' by Ethiopian Drone Attack in Tigray."
A drone attack on a flour mill on 10 January in Tigray Region reportedly killed at least 17 people, mostly women.
Comment: Continued air strikes on civilian targets in Tigray Region will doom any possibility of an improvement in US-Ethiopian relations.
The While House published on 10 January 2022 a statement on President Biden's phone call with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed concerning the conflict in Ethiopia.
The phone call dealt with peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia, the recent air strike in Tigray Region, humanitarian access across Ethiopia, human rights, a cease fire, and the strengthening of US-Ethiopian relations.
