US in My Back Yard (USIMBY): A Lone Most Likable Voice Beating The Path of Democratization and Institutional Building In Africa

The talk that Russia, China and Europe are steadily kicking out USA from Africa, is unfounded. US in my back yard (USIMBY) is as true for Africa as it is for Mexico and Canada.

There are 6 faces of USIMBYISM:

1.       Shedding the suit and donning the farmers’ gumboots, hoe and pitchfork. The Appeal game

2.       Investing in people and entrenching the desire for quality life outcomes. Quality Life Outcomes game

3.       Training Black Africans in international relations law, economics and political jargon. It should be noted that, Africa has natives who are White and Brown of Asian/Arab descent. But, the Blacks were disadvantaged as far as education qualifications that enabled them to sit at boardroom tables and negotiate deals that were made to bring dignity, prosperity and sustainability to Africa. Brown Egypt and Sudan can now see Black Ethiopia as equals. Colonial historical errors will be corrected as far as the Renaissance Dam goes.  This is the critical gate keeper game.

4.       Establishing think-tanks that are guiding narrative, direction and recognition for growth and development in Africa. The institutionalization game.

5.       Raising and nurturing critical number of persons who can carry out long term policy formulation for Africa. The numbers game.

USA has given Africa the:  Appeal; Quality Life Outcomes, Gate Keeper; Institutionalization and the numbers game Hegemony in Africa. 

These are the faces of American soft power and the catalysts for resilience. This still gives USA, the edge over any other country.  Russia may be entertained, China may be liked, Europe may be confided in, but USA is revered. A Primus inter-pares!

Russia has the: Non resource-non energy and the Mineral, Energy and geopolitics positioning Hegemony in Africa.

China has the:  China Towns in Africa- CTIA- Hegemony in Africa. China has shown USA, what it should have done in the 1940s-1960s. China has flipped US CIA-laced diplomacy into CTIA diplomacy.

Europe has the: Social Autonomy Long Term Programmes-SALP-Hegemony. These have replaced the SAPs, which were deliberate impoverishing deals thrown down Africa's throats in vengeance and for lack of boardroom skills, inexperienced political wherewithal and a post-independence bitterness the Colonialists still had about them.

Under newer arrangements now, Africa is getting what she did not have and giving up something too. Hopefully, she is not repeating old mistakes where Africans were given mirrors and ornamental trinkets in exchange for land.

Africa can now see herself as a continent negotiating with the America, China, Russia, and Europe (ACRE) nations.

 As a continent it is a collective power and bargains as a single bloc whose laws and authority fronts a diamond hard visage. This is unlike when the Berlin Conference cut up Africa without representation and in your face “Black faces” able to speak the languages.

As single countries, they bargain as Sovereigns garnering the respect and courtesy Sovereigns exchange with each other.

The US, is the country which can embargo top African government officials from visiting America. This has profound appeal and it makes news. Supporting human rights to civil society organizations, clearly touches the African people who may not enjoy or be occupying the positions of power.  The US, categorically makes press releases about so many issues. This reinforces the power to dream in many Africans. That soft power is almost the only reliable and stable enviable entity non politician Africans can go home with.  The instances when USA talks truth to African power that come to mind are those when affronts to freedom of assembly, speech and expression are made. Beating Africa into line, will need the US in the back yard. When Russia, China and Europe have flexed their muscles, the US remains to be the trusted broker. A broker whose word is sought after even when deals are made in far away China or Russia. This is why for instance, Ethiopia un deterred by any barriers, Sudan and Egypt, chose to meet in Washington DC to discuss matters around the Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia.  Ethiopia has always been the destination for the High Grade Political and Economic meetings because it is home to the AU headquarters. Russia chose Egypt to host the Great Export Zone to serve Africa. This has significance which will force both Ethiopia and Egypt to measure their words when talking with each other. There are advantages of having a one stop Political and Economic Center at the AU headquarters. It is my hope that, we shall not have this split into two.

President Trump's Tweet about the meeting between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt

Russia on the other hand is not concerned about how African governments are scoring on the democratization scale. Russia is leading in what they call the non-resource and non-energy (NRNE) and Mineral, Energy and Geopolitics positioning (MEG) hegemony. Russia is looking forward to investing in a mega-export zone in Egypt. This is making it possible for African countries to trade as a bloc, with Egypt as a go-between to access goods and services sourced by Russia. This means Russia can supply mega-land borers to build tunnels, ground borers to reach deep sources of ores or construct large bridges over say, the rift valley. Africa can open up urbanization and housing estates in areas formerly thought to be remote.

Europe, like USA, is also rebuking African governments when they steadily tighten nuts and create contexts eroding due process.  Europe is investing heavily in Social services making it possible for communities far away from the central government to have the necessary autonomy on longer term. This would mean, job security, businesses and employment can go at local government levels.

China is introducing to Africa technologies to construct almost autonomous combined shopping mall-type structures. These storied structures are built in a few months, completed with glazing and cobbled streets with fast moving lifts/elevators. These are known as China Towns in Africa (CTIA). In 2018, China announced $60bn worth of investments. This followed another $60bn committed in 2015. It included infrastructure projects as part of the Belt and Road initiative to build global trade routes. According to the 2018 World Investment Report, China invested a total of $45.1 billion in greenfield projects for the 2016-2017 period, up close to $40 billion from the 2013-2014 period. 

How can Africa strategize? 

There is talk doing the rounds: Economic prosperity, good policies, country ownership, impact measurement, armaments, nuclear energy, aviation, machinery,  context-specific, right stakeholders, bankable deals, domestic mobilization, engaged all-embracing finance conversations, cash-in-advance, SMEs, infrastructure needed for growth, emerging markets, mitigating risk, global market place, Agriculture, energy, infrastructure, oil, universal agreements are some of the thematic and physical developments Africa needs to look into.

To China, Africa has to be ready to pay back by giving up large tracts of land, sand, clay, marram, lakes, Oceans, fish, sea air, swamps, rain catchment areas, shorelines, ports and highways. It is understood, this is how African governments could only pay back the huge loans attached to these CTIA structures. But, Africa is giving up part of her Sovereignty in the process. There is a narrative we do not look into though. When China invests in Africa, how much of that goes to training Africans in areas where Africa lacks qualified personnel. How much goes into facilitating logistics and  attendant equipment?

To Russia, Africa has always been an ally. As a way of contributing to Africa's transformation, Russia will add to Africa's Arms, Intellectual think-tanks, Machinery (AIM) and organize her as a trade-bloc with Egypt being the Country of contact. President Vladimir Putin is committed to contributing to Africa's energy, transport and communication infrastructure. 

The African Union is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Perhaps, Russia would have chosen Ethiopia since it is seat of African Union, i.e. Political Addis Ababa. Instead, Russia chose Egypt. The Suez is going to be the Economic Addis Ababa. This will create two power centers in Africa. The Political and the Economic Addis Ababas of Africa. Long range plans indeed! With their AIM approach, it is hoped that Russia will put money in personnel qualification development too. Hopefully, not a proliferation of Military instructors. Otherwise, Africa may end up having more Generals and less battalions.

Africa-Russia relations augur well for a mutually fulfilling friendship. Russia, is teaching Africa that infrastructure deficiency and anomalies have to be addressed, such as in the Nuclear energy area. Russia is giving Africa a boldness to report America or even China when they misbehave in Africa. Africa can have Economic and Political Power Think Tanks. This will help Russia direct development in Africa through Infrastructural determinism.  It is high time African countries got plots in the Suez. This has geo-political ramifications in the region too. The Saudi Arabian Peninsula will now be accessible to Africa and vice versa. China built an ultra-modern African Union Secretariat in Addis Ababa. Perhaps, Russia will not only facilitate an Export Zone but will build the first African Economic Secretariat too.  Africa, will soon see a proliferation of Russian-made Sukhoi Super jets used for civil purposes too and landing strips to boot. 

To Europe, Africa is provided opportunities for opening up peripheral areas such as places far away from central government or the cities. Social services in form of hospitals, courts of judicature, education institutions and other social structures are being sponsored jointly by European countries. This will also help stem migration not only from rural to city but to European borders from Africa.

The US, is quire markedly invested in the economic prosperity appeal; quality life outcomes, gate Keeper; institutionalization and the numbers game hegemony in Africa. The US has termed this approach the Prosperity Africa whose pillars are: working with government agencies; leverage agencies to identify resources; build capacity through private sector engagement.  What this means is that the US, has shed the big combine harvester notion and now has gone to meet the small scale farmers  (with the goal of country ownership, a notion of the Millennium Challenge Corporation). US, is now seen leveraging grass roots work sponsored through USAID. We shall hear of prosperity, security and stability (PSS). To America, it is no longer quantity but quality. Food, will now be talked of as nutritious meals; we shall be talking in terms of efficiency and not effort; we shall not measure governments by how democratic they are but by how well they position communities to be enablers of enjoyment of life and pursuance of happiness. There is a shift from insistence on democracy to insistence on governance. There is a shift from insistence on institution building to institutionalizing economic growth through technical expertise growth. Otherwise, institutions may fail to be translated into direct individual citizen growth. Development will not only be measured by how much money a government has, but by trade policies leading to a critical number of productive individuals in Africa who can save or invest in other development ventures. As well as, how well governments, society and communities can afford to look after people. People in turn will be able to lead quality lives.  But, it gets interesting. The US, will build the critical numbers of professional persons in Africa. A soft power hegemony will rise in Africa. African faces at International Tables (AFAIT) will increase. These can be broken down into: Black African Face at International Tables (BAFAIT); African-Arab Faces at International Tables (AFAIT); African Black Face at International Tables (ABFAIT); African Youth at International Tables (AYAIT); African Women at International Tables (AWAIT); Whites of African-descent at International Tables(WAIT); African Indians at International Tables (IAIT); African Disabled Persons at International Tables (ADPAIT). The US has invested in this kind of demography and it is helping build capacity of Africans to negotiate for quality life and a better quality of life too. The US, is doing very well on ideology and social-biology scores in Africa. Even, if the USA cannot allow to assemble International and John Deere Tractors in Africa. It has not chinked in anyway the US Popularity armour. If USA, invested in a large John Deere assembly plant, this means that Africa could open up more land for agricultural industrialization. Perhaps, this will be the next American Dream in Africa (ADIA).

The Toast of Africa

The US, has positioned herself so well to work with Africa. The US is still in the back yard, and the talk that USA is leaving Africa is unfounded. Yes, US is in my back yard (USIMBY). Already, talk that President Trump will "cut the ribbon" during the commissioning of the $ 4 billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is warming up many African hearts. 

Tom R. Muyunga-Mukasa is an African-American Political Scientist. Read more of these blogs please. Thank you.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (waving) with some of the heads of state who attended the first Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, Russia. SEFE-EPA-Pool/Sergei Chirikov

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt's foreign minister confirmed Tuesday that his country would take part in mediated talks in Washington next month over a controversial dam Ethiopia is building on the Nile.