China.org.cn
By Wang Wei
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
During Obama's visit to Ghana last year, the President emphasized that America is committed to establishing a US-Africa partnership focusing on democracy, economic development, opportunity, public health and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's subsequent seven-country tour of Africa also conveyed a clear message: Washington wants to be a partner of the African people.
But there is a gap between what the administration would like to do and what it can actually achieve. The US-Africa partnership advocated by America is little more than a publicity campaign and will not solve the problems facing the nations of the African continent.
Africans hope the United States will lift the sanctions it has imposed on certain countries and allow them to find African solutions to African problems. But U.S. will not readily agree to this. Since the establishment of the Zimbabwe unity government, America has been providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Zimbabwe, but it still maintains its overall sanctions against Zimbabwe.
Expanding exports to America and securing foreign investment to develop their economies is a major priority for many African nations. But the US-Africa partnership lacks financial support, and is unlikely to meet the exaggerated expectation that the United States will end African poverty.
From the political perspective, Africa does not need American-style democracy and Africans hope the United States will not seek to impose a system of government on other nations. Africans have their own democratization process and development path; western-style democracy has proved to be a tough sell on the African continent.
But African nations hope the United States will become involved in mediation and conflict resolution at the local level, for example in the Somali Civil War.