The long-forgotten continent.  Every past President has devoted limited attention to the activities of one of the largest landmasses on earth.  Every career politician only focuses on African health.  China is certainly not ignoring this resource-rich market, and Africa is changing – only U.S. strategy is not keeping up.  U.S. interests in Africa are constantly and successfully being undermined by China, Russia, and other regional powers.  Attention needs to be brought if we are serious about countering China’s $10 billion soft power initiative and competing with global players.     

We have an opportunity to change course and positively shape the legacy of U.S.-Africa relations.  If the Biden administration focuses on areas of strong U.S. competitive advantage and crafts a values-based foreign policy that takes into account Africans’ preference for accountability and democracy, the United States still has a chance to outperform China on the continent—but it has to act fast.

Original source can be found here.