The twenty first century announced more promising for the black continent as the US turned massively and determinedly to Africa. Despite previous attempts by former administrations, it was the Bush administration which showed more interest in an economically and politically distressed area for so long. In the light of the international competition over the continent’s resources, the United States possesses clear and compelling national interests in Africa. There are vital security, economic, and humanitarian interests, including reliable long-term access to energy, shared largely by the African people and the international community.
Yet, despite the rhetoric, did the Bush Administration really work to bring about a fairer and more just Africa? One of the central questions which need to be asked is to what extent did President Bush’s policy to help the African nations solidify the overall US policy? Or was his project implementation influenced largely by narrow American realpolitik perspectives thus missing the opportunity to lay the foundation for a well established Wilsonian idealism?
Although George W. Bush’s administration claimed to have made major new contributions to public health, promoting development, fostering democracy and peace in Sub-Saharan Africa : aid has increased in several areas and a major AIDS initiative launched, many scholars argued that foreign aid is losing its focus on development as political priorities come to the fore. Increasingly military approaches to fighting the “Global War on Terror” in Africa and securing energy imports carries serious risks for the region.
This paper will first examine the enunciated objectives and rational for the Bush’s policy project. Then, this will be followed by an assessment of the effect of these measures on the development of the continent and to which extent the rhetoric matches with reality.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Africa's New Strategic Position
- Location of Africa in the New American Strategy
- Bush's Enunciated Promises
- The Unfulfilled Promises
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to examine the rhetoric and reality of the Bush administration's policy toward Africa, specifically focusing on the claimed contributions to public health, development, democracy, and peace in sub-Saharan Africa. The paper seeks to assess whether the Bush administration's policies brought about a fairer and more just Africa, and to what extent the rhetoric matched reality.
- US Foreign Policy towards Africa
- The Role of Rhetoric in US Policy
- The Impact of US Policy on African Development
- The Relationship between Aid and Development
- The Influence of Realpolitik and Idealism in US Foreign Policy
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction highlights the renewed interest of the US neoconservative government in Africa during the Bush administration, contrasting it with the prior view of the continent as less vital to US interests. It outlines the shift in US foreign policy towards Africa, particularly after 9/11, with increased engagement in military, intergovernmental, economic, and humanitarian areas.
The chapter on Africa's new strategic position analyzes the continent's rising significance in the global context, focusing on its geopolitical location and its potential to address US strategic interests. This section examines the role of Africa in the US's evolving foreign policy landscape.
The chapter on the location of Africa in the new American strategy further deepens the examination of Africa's geopolitical position within US strategy. It delves into the strategic significance of Africa within the framework of US foreign policy, exploring the interplay of economic, security, and political factors.
The chapter on Bush's enunciated promises outlines the stated objectives and justifications for the Bush administration's policy towards Africa, particularly emphasizing the commitment to promoting development, democracy, and peace. This section explores the rhetoric employed to justify the policy initiatives.
The chapter on the unfulfilled promises analyzes the discrepancies between the proclaimed goals and the actual implementation of the Bush administration's policies toward Africa. It examines the critique of the administration's approach, particularly highlighting the perceived influence of realpolitik and the challenges faced in achieving stated development objectives.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper explores the key themes of US foreign policy, rhetoric, Africa development, democracy, aid, and alliances, with a particular focus on the impact of the Bush administration's policy on the African continent.
- Quote paper
- Assistant Professor Abdelkrim Dekhakhena (Author), 2013, A New American Century for Africa: Rhetoric or Reality?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/277318
