Under Joe Biden, America struggles to reassert itself in Africa
As Chinese and Russian influence rise, the odds are against it
Judging by events in the Sahel over the past few years, America’s standing in Africa has taken a severe knock. It has patently failed to stop the spread of coups across a belt stretching from Guinea in the west to Sudan in east, all now run by military men. American efforts to nudge Sudan from military dictatorship to democracy have ended in a bloody civil war. Last year Niger’s generals told America to close down its base, from which it provided intelligence in the war against jihadists linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “An uphill struggle”
From the May 11th 2024 edition
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Africa’s scary new age of high-tech warfare
The proliferation of new technology could make conflicts even longer and deadlier
The war in Sudan is spilling over its borders
Fighting in the desert between Libya and Egypt will make the conflict even harder to end
China is trying to win over Africa in the global trade war
As America slaps tariffs on African goods, it is offering zero duties
Will the Iran war trigger a refugee crisis?
People are fleeing the big cities. The borders are quiet—for now
Inside the spy dossier that led Israel to war
We review its secret intelligence on Iranian nukes
Trump draws ever closer to strikes on Iran
The president demands “unconditional surrender” from the clerical regime