SYDNEY and KUALA LUMPUR, August 23 (IPS) – After four years of Trump’s ‘America First’ isolationism, US President Joe Biden has announced “America is back“. His White House has since tried to find allies against China and Russia.
But it is not found much, especially in the Global South. His Summit with Southeast Asia Leaders were fully in attendance, but promised little. Worse yet, his Summit of the Americas shows that US influence is fading in their long-term backyard.
Biden’s strategy explicitly seek to “counter the harmful activities” of China and Russia, and “expose and highlight the risks of the negative activities of the PRC and Russia in Africa”. But it offered no evidence of such threats.
It asserts that China “sees the region as an important arena for challenging the rules-based international order, promoting its own narrow geopolitical and commercial interests, undermining transparency.” and openness”.
Similarly, it asserts that “Russia views the region as an easy environment for paramedics and private military companies, often destabilizing for strategic and financial gain.”
Presenting Biden’s SSA Strategy in South Africa (SA), US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken declare“Our commitment to a stronger partnership with Africa is not about trying to surpass anyone else.” “Our point is not to say you have to choose,” he stressed.
While “fun“America does not force Africa to choose, SA foreign minister Naledi Pandor remind The Blinken Mission no single African country can be “bullied” or threatened as a result: “Do you choose one or the other?. The host also reminded his guests of the plight of the Palestinian people and life under the apartheid regime.
Pandor describes the US Congressional bill, the ‘Act Against Russia’s Malicious Activities in Africa’ as an “insulting act”. Bill, 2021 Strategic Competition Act and US Competition and Innovation Act are all criticized by Africans, including governments, as “Cold War“.
Call for diplomacy, not war, Pandor urge“African countries want relations with China, let them do so, whatever the particular form of relationship.”
The credibility of the United States is in doubt
Biden’s SSA strategy has four clear goals – fostering openness and an open society, delivering democratic dividends and security, promoting pandemic recovery and economic opportunity, and supporting protection conservation, climate adaptation and an equitable energy transition.
US strategy report mentions G7 2022 Global Infrastructure and Investment Partnership (PGII) promises $600 billion. Confident that PGII will “enhance the national security of the United States“, the White House has pledged $200 billion “to deliver game-changing projects to strengthen the economy”.
After all, the promise of the G7 Gleneagles Summit in 2005 – doubling aid by 2010, to $50 billion annually for Africa – remains unfulfilled. Actual aid was amazingly shortwith no transparency or accountability reporting.
More than half a century ago, rich nations promised to support the development of 0.7% of national income. America long ago lowest rating in G7spend only 0.18% in 2021. Worse, US aid the effect is the worst among the 27 richest countries in the world.
Meanwhile, rich countries greatly reduced In 2009, they pledged to provide $100 billion in annual climate finance through 2020 to help developing countries adapt to and mitigate global warming.
After stillbirth Rebuild the world for the better initiative, many people doubt how much Congress will pass, and what the SSA will look like. Likewise, by mid-2021, the Biden administration promised to help contain the pandemic.
But it does not support developing countries’ request to the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a temporary waiver of related patents. WTO Agreement June 2022 nothing more, nothing less”shameful“.
Supplies for Covid pandemic needs from China and Russia have been criticized as “vaccine diplomacy“. Sanctions against Russia have disrupted the country’s contract to supply 110 million doses of vaccines. Here jeopardize UNICEF’s efforts to vaccinate many countries, including Zambia, Uganda, Somalia and Nigeria.
With 43.87 doses of vaccine per 100 people – less than a third of the world average of 157.71, or less than a quarter of the US average of 183 doses per 100 people – Europe Africa has the lowest Covid-19 vaccination rate, as of mid-August. Year 2022.
SSA’s strategic report highlights the HIV-AIDS partnership between the United States and Africa. But it is silent about Big Pharma getting a US sanctions threat against SA for the production of conventional HIV-AIDS drugs. America only backed down from the worldwide backlash when Nelson Mandela stood his ground.
The West still exploits Africa
Biden’s SSA strategy promises to “engage with African partners to expose and highlight the risks of negative PRC and Russian activities in Africa” in line with the 2022 National Defense Strategy of the United States.
But it ignores why Africa remains underdeveloped and poor. After all, Africa has about 30% of the world’s known mineral reserves and 60% of arable land. However, 33 of its 54 countries are considered least developed countries.
New colonialism The report shows that British companies control Africa’s key mineral resources, with 101 mainly UK companies listed on the London Stock Exchange with mining operations in 37 countries. join the SSA.
Together, they control more than a trillion dollars in value, while $192 billion is withdrawn from Africa annually through profit transfers and tax evasion by foreign companies.
France retained control of the former colonies’ monetary system, requiring them to deposit foreign exchange reserves with the French Treasury. It has never hesitated to overthrow ‘unfriendly’ governments through coups and its military.
Recently, the United States promise to continue to provide intelligencesupport surveillance and reconnaissance from Africa to France, using the country’s advanced drone and satellite technology.
As the foreign colonial powers continued to control and exploit the SSA, policies imposed by donors, the International Monetary Fund, and multilateral development banks ensured poverty and underdevelopment. its continued development.
Once a net food exporter, Africa has become a net food importer. With more clarity Washington Consensus Policies Since the 1980s, food insecurity has worsened. The SSA has also de-industrialized, making it more resource-dependent and vulnerable to fluctuations in international commodity prices.
Forget the past?
Many Africans have suffered greatly due to colonialism, racism, apartheid and other oppressions. Pan-Africanism contributed much to the non-alignment movement during the old Cold War. Julius Nyerere famously declared in 1965, “We won’t let our friends choose our enemies“.
Half a century later, Mandela reminded the West not to assume that “the enemy must be our enemy“. Older Africans still miss the former Soviet Union and China for their support in past struggles, when much of the West remained on the wrong side of history.
Africans are precisely wary of new promises and “gift-bearing Greeks”. While most do not want a new Cold War, many people see China and Russia offer more specific benefits. Not surprisingly, 25 of Africa’s 54 countries did not support a United Nations General Assembly resolution in March 2022 condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
IPS UN Office
By @IPSNewsUNBureau
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© Inter Press Service (2022) – All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
