Africa beyond AFRICON

For some time I contend the wrong approach has been taken to acknowledging acts of regime change in the African continent. For the last several years, countries in Northern Africa have been engaged in processes of altering their form of government. In many cases, this has involved actions that operate beyond direct electoral participation at the onset.

Please recall the days of President George Bush admonishing Iraq that if they did not change their own regime then the United States would do it for them.

Please also recall the virtual silence of Israel leaving EUROCOM and joining CENTCOM and when this occurred.

At this time I believe it is also important to point out the manners in which the United States and European countries initially began to present their projections of the impact of COVID-19 on the countries of Africa. I made a video in May of 2020 when a series of article began appearing catastrophizing the situation in Africa. I believed at the time that such an approach was not only imprudent but potentially perilous. If nothing else, the recurrent process of catastrophizing Africa gives their "partner" countries no capacity to address the already foreseen areas of shifting power and political maneuverability. Additionally, Africa has several decades -- if not centuries -- of experience with what is labelled as "disease" and perceptions of wellness and what is inherent in responding to individual and collective biosecurity. The "ebola outbreaks" of 2015 and 2018 are instructive for all in this regard.

For the time being I will not go further into this insofar as it addresses Africa or countries and nations of Africa more directly. I will, however, acknowledge that prior to the political redefinition of the USSR, the Soviet Union was a larger trading partner with Africa than the United States and since the late-1990s Russia has been a substantial trading partner with countries of Africa. This also entails understanding there are substantial areas in which Russia and China are competing or cooperating in trade and other relations with Africa that have occurred and continue to occur without direct participation by the United States or Europe. Other countries of the "former Soviet Union" have also invested in countries in Africa, and not just in "medical assistance" or "philanthropy."

11:17 am CST

Jan. 19, 2024

Co-President Charity Colleen "Lovejoy" Crouse