On April 18, Aude Darnal published an article in Just Security on how the war in Ukraine illustrates the weakness of US policy toward Africa. She argued that Russia’s war in Ukraine has not led to a global front backing the US position. African states are navigating this conflict based on their own interests and their UN votes illustrate that they choose their partners and issues strategically.
“While the United States remains stuck in old ways of doing business, other actors — Russia, China, Turkey, India — are taking the opportunity to explore multiple avenues of engagement. There are indeed many promising sectors for cooperation, including tech and telecommunications, health, banking, clean energy, agriculture, and infrastructure. If this means that African states can benefit from a wide range of partnerships, this also means that the United States is perceived as less of a strong partner than it hopes to be, with less leverage to rally diplomatic and economic support in times of need. To change this dynamic, U.S. leaders should change their approach to developing countries and start viewing them as full-fledged players on the international scene, and build with them meaningful and mutually beneficial relations that will support prosperity for all.”