Thanks for this, Judd. For many years I expressed some of the same concerns you have that China's role in Africa was being misunderstood by US policymakers. Anyone who has spent some time on the continent can see what the Chinese presence looks like, that it is not entirely malign. The Afrobarometer polling supports this. But as you observe, it was not a popular point of view.
I came here to make these same points. You already did so eloquently and succinctly. This is a fine article I plan to deploy in my grad school course on global policymaking. @ Judd: Great job!
Thanks for the very helpful insight Judd. Agree that the starting point for any credible re-examination of the PRC advantage in Africa is repairing the immense state-to-state as well as public diplomacy blunders the Trump Administration is carrying out. I also share your view that not everything the PRC is doing in Africa should be considered as a negative/malign activity (which I am sure they have enough of). Our ultimate goal should be how can we commercially compete with China to level up the enormous exporting and importing advantages they currently have in Africa as you identified in your piece.
Thanks for this, Judd. For many years I expressed some of the same concerns you have that China's role in Africa was being misunderstood by US policymakers. Anyone who has spent some time on the continent can see what the Chinese presence looks like, that it is not entirely malign. The Afrobarometer polling supports this. But as you observe, it was not a popular point of view.
I came here to make these same points. You already did so eloquently and succinctly. This is a fine article I plan to deploy in my grad school course on global policymaking. @ Judd: Great job!
Thanks Larry!
This was a great read. It answered a lot of questions I had about the shaky US-Africa relationship.
Judd, please keep thinking out loud! Agree 100% that focusing on who we are, and not who/what we oppose, is when we are at our best.
Thanks for the very helpful insight Judd. Agree that the starting point for any credible re-examination of the PRC advantage in Africa is repairing the immense state-to-state as well as public diplomacy blunders the Trump Administration is carrying out. I also share your view that not everything the PRC is doing in Africa should be considered as a negative/malign activity (which I am sure they have enough of). Our ultimate goal should be how can we commercially compete with China to level up the enormous exporting and importing advantages they currently have in Africa as you identified in your piece.