THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The lesser angels of human nature seemed to have dominated the matrix of American politics for the past four years. However, the morning of November 7th, 2020 was historic for three reasons.
On one hand, Americans had just come out in the largest numbers in living memory to vote for their 46th president. Secondly, they had elected the first woman to the position of vice president of the United States. Lastly, they had elected Joe Biden, the oldest president-elect at age 77 and only the second catholic president elected to the presidency since John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK).
As a result of these unique factors, the global community waited with great interest for the results of the election. Africa was not left out of the suspense. However, what does Joe Biden’s win mean for Africa?
Biden’s win means that multilateralism is the new game in town. Trump focused on unilateralism – American First. While Biden and Trump both look to advance American interests in their dealing with the Africa, they opt for different methods in pursuing those vital interests.
Biden will emphasize multilateralism and Trump unilateralism. The Trump Administration has preferred unilateral pursuit of American national interests through bilateral trade negotiations with individual countries on the continent.
Ironically, individual countries on the continent gained great traction with the Trump administration.
The US is looking to expand its economic footprint on the continent to check the advances of the Chinese and Russians. Morocco for instance already has a free trade agreement with the United States and looked to deepen this even further. Kenya, on the other hand, benefits from the ongoing bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United States. In addition to this, during the Trump administration, Kenya launched the first direct flights between Nairobi and New York. The USA is the number one source market for tourists to Kenya.
The irony in Trump’s departure is that policy makers are not sure how the new administration will approach these negotiations. Critics of this bilateral diplomacy of the US with individual African nations have pointed out how it undermines continental trade agreements like the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Secondly, Biden’s win will mean a focus on democratic governance in Africa. This is something to keep in mind because of the fact that Africa has witnessed several disputed elections in Guinea, Ivory Coast and Tanzania in 2020. It is due for more elections in 2021 in Uganda and 2022 in Kenya.
Washington will be looking to use quiet diplomacy to coerce the bickering political rivals in Guinea, Ivory Coast and Tanzania to expand the democratic space for the opposition and allow for more transparency for future elections.
Lastly, the Biden Administration will make human rights one of the core pillars of its foreign policy in Africa. President-elect Joe Biden has close to half a century of experience on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Biden will look to hold human rights abusing governments on the continent to account for their actions. How might this emphasis on human rights affect Africa specifically?
The Biden Administration can opt to use the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague as a means to try politicians suspected of being behind electoral violence, repression and crimes against humanity. Already, the sitting Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto have faced crimes against humanity charges at the ICC. Other African leaders that have faced the wrath of the court include former Liberian President Charles Taylor and a high ranking official of the former Rwandese government Felicien Kabuga. Former President of Sudan Omar Al Bashir could also faced possible charges at the ICC. Al Bashir is of particular interest to the US for his support for terror groups attacking American interests in the region.
Large states have power, but equally, smaller states have agency. When their interests are in concert, things happen.
The morning of November 7th, 2020 has shown the world that America’s long light nightmare is finally over, and better angels of our nature have prevailed. Biden’s foreign policy towards Africa will continue to evolve over the next four years.
Prof Monda teaches political science, international relations and American government at the City University of New York (York College), New York, USA. He can be contacted at dmonda1@york.cuny.edu
