The article investigates the role of America in Africa, or rather lack thereof. It looks at the influence that China and other investing nations have gained, and notes that the Obama administration has done little but warn of accepting too much investment. The author, Todd Moss, goes on to advocate increased investment from the US in the developing continent.
One line in particular that stood out to me is "Finally, whoever occupies the White House for the next four years will
have to resist knee-jerk efforts to counter Chinese influence in Africa.
This is not a new Cold War. U.S. and Chinese interests only rarely
conflict..." It's a concept that I've noticed in American politics when dealing with China for quite a while, and is frankly dumb. Yet should America attempt to escalate things into a Cold War state, I can see three major battlegrounds. First, the Middle East and in particular Iran. Next, possible Venezuela- but given the close proximity to Brazil, I seriously doubt this would happen. Finally, and most relevant to this class, I fear Africa would become the host of Cold War grandstanding.
The next question the article raised in me, is to what extent foreign investment is harmful versus beneficial. There is little doubt that building up infrastructure helps raise the standard of living. Nobody argues that. What the article didn't adequately address (in my opinion) is to what extent the debt of African nations will be exploited in the future and how effectively that investment is being utilized.
It's an interesting article however, and a good read.
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138158/todd-moss/missing-in-africa?page=2
It's also worth noting that under the Author Biography in the article,
"TODD MOSS is
vice president and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development.
From 2007 to 2008, he served as deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau
of African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State."
So he was employed during the Bush presidency, and may present politically charged views.
I think the fear of over investment is in fact real and should be contemplated by many African countries. It would certainly benefit them in the short run but could be detrimental in the long run in a continent that seems to be plagued by everything and anything.
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