[France24] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in South Africa on Sunday to kick off a three-country tour that will also take him to DR Congo and Rwanda, aimed at "developing a strategy to counter Russian efforts to undermine democracy in Africa", according to a France-based political scientist. Could a better example of an oxymoron be found than "South African Democracy?"
Russia, France, and now the US. "It's like a new Cold War is playing out in Africa," William Gumede, director of Democracy Works, told AP, ahead of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's three-nation African tour.
It follows the tours of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who visited Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia and the Republic of Congo to rally support for Russia amid its ongoing war in Ukraine, and of French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau with the aim of renewing France’s relations with the African continent. US Agency for International Development head Samantha Power and US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield also embarked on Africa tours of their own.
Be sure to get back to us on exactly what was accomplished on these trips. Stopovers in Paris possibly ?
The trip is Blinken’s second to Africa since being appointed secretary of state. His first visit in November 2021 was aimed at "resetting US-African relations following Donald Trump’s presidency, demonstrating the US’ commitment to democracy and showing that the US cares about its relationship with African countries", according to Douglas Yates, a political scientist specialised in African politics who teaches at the American Graduate School in Paris.
Blinken visited Kenya, Senegal and Nigeria during his 2021 tour, three countries that "meet the minimum requirements for democracies and have all come out of military rule," Yates said.
"Meeting minimum requirement" really is the key.
Since Trump’s presidential term, during which the US pulled out from a number of initiatives important to South Africa, including the Paris Climate Agreement and the Green Climate Fund, South Africa has seen the US as an "unreliable partner", Yates said.
We simply must stay ahead of these people. They are virtually everywhere.