For decades, many officials in the United States government have refused to recognize sub-Saharan Africa as an important piece of the international security framework.  By neglecting strategic concerns on the African subcontinent, conditions threatening to peace and security that were allowed to fester now greatly imperil U.S. interests.  Among them:

  • Islamofascists have come to recognize the tremendous potential to advance their agenda in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Tens of billions of dollars have been poured into the region by Middle Eastern states in support of Islamist activities, steadily radicalizing Africa’s Muslim populations.  As a result, prominent international terror groups such as al Qaeda and Hizballah operate extensively in the region. 

  • Ethnic and religious rivalries make prevalent inter-communal violence that has led to genocide on a massive scale, as in Rwanda and the Darfur region of Sudan.
  • Corrupt and authoritarian leaders – such as Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe – repress their citizens, deny their countries the ability to emerge from the economic abyss, and make the possibility of regional wars a constant reality.
  • Leftist political forces , as in Latin America, are assuming greater control and moving their countries away from the United States and toward ideologies and nations opposed to American interests. 
  • Communist China has recently emerged as a major player in the continent’s affairs, in an attempt both to put a stranglehold on Africa’s natural resources and to cultivate political alliances that will increase its weight in the international political arena.

The Center’s African Peace & Security Project intends to educate policymakers and the public on the nature of these threats, as well as the steps the United States must take to combat them.

Frank Gaffney, Jr.
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