The RUSI conference on AFRICOM and US-Africa relations covered a broad range of topics on American relations with Africa, as well as other international actors. This report is a summary of the presentations and discussion.
The RUSI conference on AFRICOM and US-Africa relations covered a broad range of topics, including: US defence policy on Africa; the African response to AFRICOM; aid, security and development in Africa; and international security relationships.
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The first two sessions gave the American perspective on AFRICOM from key figures General William Ward, commander of AFRICOM, and Theresa Whelan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs.
- AFRICOM is a command under construction, and is still evolving
- It will assist the creation of indigenous capability through partnership
- Training is a key component of partnership to build sustainable security
- The focus is on long-term, sustained engagement
The third session switched to the African reaction to the command’s inception. Panellists considered the perspective of civil society, a West African regional perspective and the need for foreign actors to understand and appreciate the political nuances of involvement.
- There are fears that AFRICOM will operate shrouded in secrecy; the US must do more to reassure through openness and broad consultation
- Within ECOWAS, there are competing views of AFRICOM’s role; some, however, do see it as an opportunity for meaningful capacity-building
- It is vitally important to understand context when considering involvement in African affairs; problems are regional, and demand informed solutions
Session four discussed the conceptual dimensions of Western approaches to African security. The paradigm of human security was outlined and evaluated, while another presentation deconstructed Western involvement on the continent.
- Human security is the security of individuals and the communities in which they live, and blurs traditional distinctions between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ security
- The concept is vital in establishing a shared narrative to generate institutional coherence within the donor community
- We must be wary of imposing inappropriate Western solutions out of context
The final session placed African-US relations in a wider international context. Global systemic factors and state failure were considered.
- There are drivers of change in the international system that may reduce AFRICOM’s impact
- Approaches to state failure lack coherence and an appreciation of the scale of the challenge; demand for intervention is high, but resources are limited