US champions short-term security over long-term stability in Africa
4 Min Read
A new report sheds light on why the US must change its security assistance strategy in African states.
-
US military forces during an exercise at Adazi, Latvia, on April 29, 2023 (AP)
According to a new analysis by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, reported on by Responsible Statecraft, the recent string of military coups across the Sahelian area should drive a significant reconsideration of US military and security support to weak African nations, which calls for a far larger focus on improving governance.
The report details that “military action might suppress the problem of terrorism, but it will not relieve the underlying conditions that feed it,” highlighting that “only improved governance can address these grievances, which means good governance is the foundation for long-term stability.”
"It's time to flip the script," the report's authors suggest, detailing that the US has for a long time given priority to short-term security at the expense of "long-term stability by prioritizing the provision of military security assistance."
However, this policy has neither benefited African security nor lessened challenges to the US and its interests.
The report, titled “Less is More: A New Strategy for US Security Assistance to Africa,” details several case studies and expresses concern that the new paradigm of "great-power competition" between the United States and Russia or China may lead to an increased reliance on military support.
Read next: US desperate for meddling in Africa, where Russia, China stand strong
"The rise of great-power competition exacerbates the risk that the US national security establishment will double down on its security cooperation strategy in the region out of concern that doing otherwise would leave a vacuum that America's competitors might fill," the paper states. "In reality, however, the argument for being more selective in distributing security assistance is even stronger with the return of great-power competition, as values and reputation become increasingly important in attracting support for the United States over other great powers."
The report follows how the coup in Niger, which holds a drone base of about 1100 US soldiers, has received nearly $500 million in US security and military aid.
This was the sixth coup in the Sahelian and West African regions since 2020.
Read more: RS: The fate of US troops in Niger
US officers played roles in coups in Mali, Guinea, Chad, and Burkina Faso as well, with the report citing that only a limited impact has been made on human rights and civilian authority.
The report further explains that the US should recognize that security assistance in such states is "innately risky," emphasizing that assistance should only be provided in the case that the benefits greatly outweigh the long-term costs.
The paper includes country case studies for Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Ethiopia. In the analysis, in all three nations, the US failed to "prevent or end the terrorist threat that US assistance was meant to combat, facilitated abusive behavior by the partner country's military, and ultimately contributed to greater instability in the long term."
More rigorous vetting and oversight were suggested, as well as proper documentation of human rights abuses in order to avoid prolonged instability.
Additionally, the paper suggested that all new assistance programs be given proper risk assessment in order to ensure US interests in the long-term are not hindered.
It also demands far larger and more rigorous Congressional scrutiny of US security aid programs, as well as the closure of loopholes in the so-called Leahy statutes, which prohibit assistance to repressive units.
Lastly, the report suggests prioritizing non-military assistance and providing more assistance to regional bodies such as ECOWAS than directly getting involved. In other words, the report confirms what American citizens and the global audience have been advocating for decades: the US should reduce its foreign meddling as it is not only harming other countless nations and their innocent people but also ultimately harming its image and own people.
