Regime change not imaginary

diplomatically astute China.
For as long as countries like Zimbabwe continue challenging and blocking the US’ intentions through realistic black empowerment projects, they will be considered rogue elements and anti-democracy. 
Recent years have witnessed a radical shift of Africa’s role — not as a new important global player, but rather as an important playing ground for the new “Great Game”. And the country that has really changed the global attitude towards the continent is China.
The big difference in China’s attitude as compared to the West and primarily the US, is that it used the so called “soft power” creating a positive impression of itself rather than twisting the arms of its partners and expanding military presence . . . Feeling that they might lose the competition with China if it continues to move along economic rails only, the West has resorted to the time-tested tactics of increasing its military presence.
While shifting the focus of its strategy to the Asia Pacific (i.e. to China’s immediate neighbourhood), the US is ready to start a scramble for influence on “distant playgrounds” as well. Speaking this week at a conference attended by representatives from African nations, General Carter Ham, head of US Africa Command, said that the US is carefully expanding efforts to provide intelligence, training and at times small numbers of forces to African nations, to help counter terrorist activities in the region. Counter terrorism is just disguise.
He also said that co-ordinated moves by several Africa-based terrorist groups to share their training, funding and bomb-making materials are worrisome and pose a threat to the US and the region.
“Do we collect information across Africa? Yes, we do,” said Ham, singling out the Lord’s Resistance Army and its leader Joseph Kony operating in Uganda and in neighbouring countries.
General Ham also made special reference to Libya where “Al-Qaeda and other terror groups want to establish a foothold”, and where “the US is seeking a partnership — not a large military presence.”
He also briefly mentioned Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, where the US has a military base stationing about 2 000 US troops and “small, temporary” troop presences in other nations, like Liberia, Morocco and Cameroon. Altogether, Ham said, the US has trained as many as 200 000 peacekeepers and enforcement personnel from about 25 different African nations.
The General’s statement at the conference came only a couple of weeks after The Washington Post published a lengthy article on the US military expanding covert intelligence operations in Africa.
According to that story, the US military is expanding its secret intelligence operations across Africa, establishing a network of small air bases to spy on terrorist hideouts from the fringes of the Sahara to jungle terrain along the equator. At the heart of the surveillance operations are small, unarmed turboprop aircraft disguised as private planes. The operations have intensified in recent months, as part of a growing shadow war against Al-Qaeda affiliates and other militant groups. The surveillance is overseen by US Special Operations forces, but relies heavily on private military contractors and support from African troops.
In fact, both reports reflect the changing reality in the African continent which for many years was regarded as “forgotten land.” While the global economy and politics were focused elsewhere, the countries of the continent (most of which gained formal independence in early the 1960s) were by and large neglected by leading world powers and looked upon only as a source of cheap mineral resources.
But recent years have witnessed a radical shift of Africa’s role — not as a new important global player, but rather as an important playing ground for the new “Great Game”. And the country that has really changed the global attitude towards the continent is China.
In recent years China has become the main trading partner for quite a number of African countries. In terms of investment, it still lags behind the US and the European Union, but is swiftly narrowing the gap.
The big difference in China’s attitude as compared to the West and primarily the US, is that it used the so called “soft power” creating a positive impression of itself rather than twisting the arms of its partners and expanding military presence.
In any case, such developments have posed a serious threat to Western interests in Africa. Feeling that they might lose the competition with China if it continues to move along economic rails only, the West has resorted to the time-tested tactics of increasing its military presence.
Whether such development and the substitution of China’s “soft power” by the US “hard power” is in vital interests of the affected countries themselves, is for the latter to judge. But one thing is clear — while shifting the focus of its strategy to the Asia Pacific, the US is ready to start a scramble for influence on “distant playgrounds” as well. — DayAfrica.com.

Professor Mukoko Mukuta writes for DayAfrica.com