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CAIRO — US President Joe Biden is seeking a reboot in relations with African leaders at this week's summit in Washington and ahead of a Presidential trip to the continent next year.
Dozens of African leaders are attending the three-day-summit, Biden's first for the continent, as he tries to renew its commitment to the continent after years of disengagement. Axios reported on Tuesday that the US President is planning a visit to Africa early next year, and it will include sub-Saharan countries.
Senior US officials have stressed that this week's summit is anchored in the recognition that the future of the international system is currently at stake, that the next few years will be decisive in defining how the world will be ordered and that Africa is a key geopolitical player of growing importance in shaping this future.
Although officials have avoided hostile rhetoric, the meeting will take place as China is already far outpacing the United States on the continent in terms of trade, investment and lending, and as Russia seeks to expand its clout, often through military, security and arms deals. Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are also an emerging force in Africa. Aware of this delicate balance, US officials have insisted that the summit is not about choosing sides.
“We work very hard to make sure that the United States defines our relationship with Africa on African terms. We’re engaged in Africa for our mutual benefit and to advance our mutual interests. It should not be a battlefield for external powers,” Molly Phee, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said in a briefing prior to the summit.
In the US administration, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa fall under two different branches of the State Department. But on this occasion it has sought to transcend these bureaucratic divides in order to address regional and global issues hand in hand.
“Nations such as Egypt, Algeria and Morocco are emerging as a gateway to Africa and as key actors due to their growing military, economic and political footprints in Africa,” Mohammed Soliman, director of the Center for Strategy and Emerging Technology at the Middle East Institute, told Al-Monitor.
During the summit, Biden will announce his administration’s support for the African Union (AU) to become a permanent member of the Group of 20 nations (G-20), in a bid to strengthen the continent’s presence in forums where global issues are discussed. Some announcements are also expected on trade, investment and increased support in areas of great interest to North African states such as food security and energy, as part of the $55 billion that the United States will commit to Africa over the course of the next three years.
Yet no major political announcements or diplomatic breakthroughs are likely to come out of the summit, which could lead to some disappointment. This is especially the case for North African nations, which have featured far less prominently than other regions of the continent, including the Horn of Africa, in remarks made by US officials in recent days.
“If countries came looking to advance a specific issue there is going to be disappointment. If you look at the agenda, this is not a summit about problem-solving. This is not a summit where there is going to be a side meeting on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, for example. This summit is clearly not designed to tackle specific regional problems that the US is already involved in,” Cameron Hudson, senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies specialized in African affairs, told Al-Monitor.
This is largely because the issues that the United States intends to address in the summit are many, and include everything from economic ties to political instability, insurgent groups, food security, democratic backsliding and the effects of climate change and pandemics.
“Unlike China or Russia or Turkey — which have very narrow interests in Africa, whether it is selling weapons or building infrastructure projects — Washington is trying to demonstrate that our interests are much broader,” Hudson said. “The challenge is how do you describe all of that and make it seem more than the sum of its parts,” he added.
US officials have suggested that there are no bilateral meetings scheduled with Biden. But quick, informal encounters are not ruled out. On Dec. 14, after the US-Africa Business Forum, there will be an official dinner at the White House. And Dec. 15 is reserved for several discussion sessions, a working lunch and a family photo.
“One important thing autocrats [from North Africa] want from this summit are the photo ops of them on the world stage, demonstrating their regional and global importance,” Seth Binder, director of advocacy at the Washington-based Project on Middle East Democracy, told Al-Monitor. Egypt also intends to bring up the GERD crisis.
In fact, only a handful of countries have been left out of the gathering. These include Sudan, Guinea, Mali and Burkina Faso, which remain suspended from the AU due to recent unconstitutional goverment changes; Eritrea, with which the United States does not have full diplomatic relations; and Western Sahara, which it does not recognize.
The absence of Sudan, whose coup generals have made efforts in recent months to improve their international status in the eyes of the West in order to break with their diplomatic isolation, is the latest setback for the military junta that still rules the country.
Washington’s guest list has nevertheless drawn some criticism for including autocrats and leaders accused of war crimes, despite human rights and democracy being on the agenda. “By and large, the administration has not centered democracy and human rights with North African partners as it has promised,” Binder said.
Phee has acknowledged these concerns, but she has stated that Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken want to engage with as many leaders as possible to address common challenges. Biden is only scheduled to host at the White House Dec. 14 a small group of leaders of African countries that will hold presidential elections in 2023.
The summit in Washington comes less than a week after the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Saudi Arabia, where the first China-Arab states summit was held last Friday. Among those present at the meeting were leaders from Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and Djibouti. Jinping also held brief bilateral meetings with many of them, as well as the chairman of Sudan’s Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. In June, Beijing also appointed its first special envoy for the Horn of Africa.
