As Africa is seeing a dramatic rise in violent conflict and elected governments there are falling to coups, Chris, Zack, and Melanie sat down to discuss US policy for the region. What are America’s national security and other critical interests in Africa? What should the United States do to protect those interests? Does it matter that Russia and China are exerting military and economic influence in the region? Is it possible to both safeguard our national security interests there while upholding our professed democratic values? Chris criticizes the failure of Army officials to properly deal with a mentally-ill reservist who killed 18 people at a bowling alley in Maine, Zack condemns the Maduro regime for refusing to publish honest results from Venezuela’s presidential election, and Melanie gives a send-off to friend of the show David Pappalardo, who has completed his term as air and space force attaché at the French Embassy in Washington.

Episode Reading

• Aude Darnal, Cham Etienne Bama, Lethabo Sithole, Teniola Tayo, Natika Kantaria, “Revising the African Growth and Opportunity Act: Perspectives from Africa,” Stimson Center, July 23, 2024
• Alex Horton, “Army acknowledges lapses, inaction before mass killing in Maine,” Washington Post, July 23, 2024
• Hans Kristen, “United States Discloses Nuclear Warhead Numbers; Restores Nuclear Transparency,” Federation of American Scientists, July 20, 2024
• Brett Carter, “Why the New Cold War will Split Africa,” Foreign Affairs, September 20, 2023.
• “Meet the Victors in Africa’s Coup Belt,” The Economist, July 2, 2024.
• Anatoly Kurmanaev, Frances Robles, and Julie Turkewitz, “Venezuela’s Autocrat is Declared Winner in Tainted Election,” New York Times, July 28, 2024.

Image: U.S. Department of State via Wikimedia Commons