Where Is The Administration On Africa?
Eight months in, the continent has barely been mentioned.
With many senior posts still unfilled, the State Department remains a hollowed-out institution. Among the most glaring of the open positions is the post of assistant secretary for African Affairs. Now, as FP’s Dan de Luce and Robbie Gramer report, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is blocking the likely nominee. But that vacancy is just one example of the Trump administration’s failure to demonstrate any signs of commitment to strategic planning on Africa.
With many senior posts still unfilled, the State Department remains a hollowed-out institution. Among the most glaring of the open positions is the post of assistant secretary for African Affairs. Now, as FP’s Dan de Luce and Robbie Gramer report, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) is blocking the likely nominee. But that vacancy is just one example of the Trump administration’s failure to demonstrate any signs of commitment to strategic planning on Africa.
On this week’s second episode of The E.R., FP’s executive editor for news Sharon Weinberger is joined by Reuben Brigety, former ambassador to the African Union, and FP’s Dan de Luce and Colum Lynch to discuss the Trump administration’s policy on Africa, or lack thereof. Is the United States prepared to respond if ongoing humanitarian crises worsen? And will the president’s silence threaten longstanding diplomatic ties and cede key commercial opportunities to the Chinese?
Reuben Brigety is dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University and is an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. From 2013 to 2015, he served as the U.S. ambassador to the African Union and U.S. permanent representative to the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa. Previously he served as the deputy assistant secretary of state for African Affairs and also for population, refugees, and migration. He is the author of Ethics, Technology, and the American Way of War. Follow him on Twitter: @RealDeanB.
Dan De Luce is FP’s chief national security correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @dandeluce.
Colum Lynch is FP’s award-winning U.N.-based senior diplomatic reporter. Follow him on Twitter: @columlynch.
Sharon Weinberger is FP’s executive editor for news. She is the author of The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency That Changed the World. Follow her on Twitter: @weinbergersa.
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