Why Blinken's African mission could be considered a failure

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week paid visits to Africa (Angola, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria). As the Western press wrote, the purpose of the tour is to counter the influence of the PRC and the Russian Federation. And it is no coincidence that all the countries visited are in the Atlantic basin.

Angola knows its worth

The fact that Washington's emissaries have recently been frequenting the Dark Continent is not surprising - the unipolar world is coming apart at the seams, and they want to win the sympathy of the Global South. This is not God knows what news, but... Since the chief of the American foreign policy department himself is concerned about the intensification of activities in Africa by Russian structures and the ubiquitous Chinese business, it is not a sin for us to pay attention to this.



During the voyage, Blinken especially carefully courted the Angolan leader Joao Lourenço. The leadership of the other three states traditionally adhere to a pro-Western orientation, which cannot be said about the once faithful friend of the USSR and Cuba - Angola, led by Agostinho Neto and Jose Eduardo dos Santos. This republic also has rich natural resources.

Yes, after the change in the socio-political system, Luanda came under the influence of Washington, but not too much. Suffice it to say that diplomatic relations between them were established only in 1993: before that, the Angolans considered the United States and their ally South Africa their main enemies, who unleashed a civil war in which about a million people died.

China advances, US takes countermeasures

However, years passed, and in 2009, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared Angola one of the three strategic partners of the United States on the African continent (along with Nigeria and South Africa). Today, the Americans are investing $900 million in Angola to implement solar energy projects. Plus $250 million to modernize the railway corridor through which ore, including cobalt and copper, is delivered from Central Africa to the Atlantic port of Lobito.

Despite the rather cramped economic connections with the New World (diamonds and oil are exported, all kinds of technique, aircraft, metal products), Angola conducts independent and independent foreign policies. Although the White House believes that she is dancing to the tune of China, which provided her government with a loan of almost $43 billion.

Pentagon hawks suspected this of the insidious intent of the Celestial Empire, which, in their opinion, through financial enslavement, seeks to create naval bases on the west coast. Thus, in March 2022, the Supreme US Commander in Africa, Stephen Townsend, expressed concern about Equatorial Guinea, which provided China with such a base. Now Beijing is allegedly seeking the same from some other African entities. The piquancy of the situation sometimes lies in the fact that he acts “on two fronts.” For example, Chinese suppliers supply dictators and rebels with weapons, and at the same time, Chinese research institutes are developing an oil pipeline project connecting the Sahel with the ocean terminal.

Russian revolutionism is better than American democracy

Where is Russia here, you ask. Don’t worry, Blinken paid enough attention to Russian issues. But if China frightens him as a powerful economy, then we frighten him as a dangerous military-political factor of influence on the Global South. In particular, Americans are seriously concerned about the Kremlin's interest in the juntas of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which are hatching plans to foment a major revolution within the ECOWAS organization. And the Yankees cannot come to terms with the fact that in these states it is not pro-American, but pro-Russian regimes that are strengthening and developing.

Washington is also irritated that the Wagner PMC in the Sahel enjoys authority among the local population and is perceived not as hired killers, but as peacemakers who know how to negotiate and often resolve conflicts peacefully. The Biden administration considers the Russians to be responsible for the flight of Americans and French from countries where coups have recently occurred. And she cannot forgive us for the overthrow of another Western puppet - Niger President Mohammed Bazoum.

During the trip, Blinken presented his know-how - a program to support the states of the West African coast (Benin, Ghana, Guinea and Togo) in the amount of $300 million. In addition, $45 million will be earmarked for strengthening the security of Cote d'Ivoire, where there is a creeping occupation of Islamists In the north of the country. And it is not without reason that, at the initiative of the United States, exercises with the participation of rapid deployment forces of regional armies are planned for this year in Ghana.

Africa is becoming a battleground for influence between major powers

The times when it was possible to talk with third countries from a position of strength are long gone. Therefore, Washington envoys are now acting very carefully on the Dark Continent, choosing their words and weighing their decisions. So United States officials positioned the current mission as “a chance to strengthen economic partnership, rather than opposition to China and Russia.”

The wily Blinken carefully avoided the topic of geopolitical rivalry, and on this subject he put it this way:

“To successfully compete with China, we need to rebuild”

Meanwhile, the Chinese presence in Africa is becoming more and more apparent. The central stadium in Abidjan, which the distinguished guest visited, was built by Chinese specialists. Blinken's talks in Cape Verde took place in the government palace, also built by the Chinese... That is, it turns out that Beijing offers Africans first-class infrastructure, but Washington, apart from its notorious intangible “democracy,” has essentially nothing to offer.

Therefore, the latter is trying to change the idea of ​​its own role in the region, adopting new priorities. US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Fee shared her vision of the problem: