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- iHaveNet.com: Africa Current Events
Superpowers Making Strategic Moves in Africa
The United States may be close to joining the French in taking on the Chinese -- in Africa.
According to my sources in the French government, Obama made it clear to both British and French leadership at the onset of his presidency that he was going to leave it to them to protect unstable African countries while he focused on Sino-American relations. Perhaps Obama realizes that Africa is just an extension of China's backyard.
In a letter to
The tribal infighting currently plaguing the world's newest country, which only officially obtained its independence in 2011, presents an opportunity to reset the geopolitical chessboard. But the question is whether it's worth it.
We're not in the 1980s anymore. North America is almost entirely energy-independent, so the protection of potential energy resources is no longer a motivational factor for the U.S. Much like Syria, which was ultimately tossed to the Russians for safekeeping, countries such as South Sudan have become little more than geopolitical bargaining chips for America.
Granted, there is considerable incentive for the U.S. to compete with China for new defense-client nations. But the most direct benefit of America's
And China would love for America to buzz off from South Sudan.
The region has been described as "oil-rich," and it relies almost exclusively on oil exports for its economic welfare. But the fact is, almost all of South Sudan's oil belongs to China. According to the
If 99 percent of South Sudan's revenues come from oil, then China literally owns the country. Of the three South Sudanese oil consortia, China owns 40 percent of the
In 2011, the
Under most circumstances, China's influence would make South Sudan a hard target for Western nations, but the West has been able to gain a foothold under the guise of security or humanitarian interventionism. Further working in the West's favor is the fact that it's directly next door to the Central African Republic, where the French are currently leading an effort to protect the majority Christian population from a minority Islamic guerrilla onslaught.
But let's face it: There's an underlying economic impetus beneath efforts to calm the tribal and religious turmoil in African countries. There has to be. There's no other reason for a country like France to invest so heavily in matters so far away from home. Europe needs oil. So does China. And therein lies the reason that both countries are currently neck-deep in African conflicts -- albeit with different strategies. Europe waits for an opening before moving in under the guise of humanitarianism or security. China, by contrast, just opens its wallet and buys its way in. The world tends to only take note of the former, even though the latter maneuver is every bit as effective.
None of this is of pragmatic concern to an energy-independent America. Unless, of course, it's looking to secure a future playground for defense contractors, or a negotiating chip to use against China in the larger global game.
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Article: Copyright © Tribune Content Agency
Superpowers Making Strategic Moves in Africa