Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:12:57 +0200
The war on Africa: U.S. imperialism and the world economic crisis
Mineral resources and the quest for strategic advantage guide western
foreign policy on the continent
Abayomi Azikiwe
2013-06-17, Issue <http://www.pambazuka.org/en/issue/634> 634
<http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/87805>
http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/87805
Capitalism has failed to provide adequate housing, jobs, medical,
educational and other services to many people in the West. As well, China's
global influence is rising. These are some of the reasons behind the US
quest for mineral resources and strategic dominance in Africa and Middle
East
For more than two decades the United States and other Western European
imperialist states have been escalating their military intervention in
Africa and other geo-political regions of the world. This has been taking
place during the so-called Post-Cold War era with the collapse of the
Eastern European socialist states and the Soviet Union during the late 1980s
through 1991.
Africa was viewed during the period after the Second World War II as an
ideological and political battleground between the emerging national
liberation and socialist movements on the one hand and the imperialist
states led by the U.S. on the other. One major outcome of World War II was
the consolidation of economic and political hegemony of Washington and Wall
Street.
During the Second World War the U.S. established military outposts in
Algeria, Libya and Liberia. After 1945, the struggle for national
independence in Africa, the Middle East and Asia would accelerate.
In Latin America, even though an independence struggle was waged in the 19th
century, the phenomena of neo-colonialism became the dominant character of
relations between the states in South America and the U.S. In the Caribbean,
the struggle for genuine independence was waged from the 19th through the
20th century in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica,
Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and other territories.
In the U.S. itself with the advent of Cold War ideology and political
repression under McCarthyism, perspectives and political organizing around
Africa became a highly contentious arena of struggle. The Council on African
Affairs (CAA) and the Civil Rights Congress (CRC) during the early 1950s
came under fierce attack by the U.S. government and were driven out of
existence.
Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois and Shirley Graham Du Bois, both leading figures in the
CAA and the CRC, were persecuted in the early 1950s for their interventions
in the movements for world peace and solidarity with African liberation. The
Du Bois' wrote in December 1958 for the All-African People's Conference held
in Accra, Ghana that the future of Africa lies in socialism.
The Du Bois' said that "Africa, ancient Africa, has been called by the world
and has lifted up her hands! Africa has no choice between private capitalism
and socialism. The whole world, including capitalist countries, is moving
toward socialism, inevitably, inexorably. You can choose between blocs and
military alliances, you can choose between political unions; you cannot
choose between socialism and private capitalism because private capitalism
is doomed!" (The World and Africa, p. 307)
IMPLICATIONS OF U.S. DOMINANCE IN THE WORLD IMPERIALIST SYSTEM
Later during the 1960s when the various national liberation movements and
independent African states embarked upon the armed struggle as a necessity
to fight the U.S. and NATO backed colonial and settler-colonial states in
Africa, Pan-Africanist and socialist strategist Kwame Nkrumah identified
U.S. imperialism as the major force in the movement for genuine territorial
sovereignty on the continent. The U.S., although paying lip service to
supporting the anti-colonial movements, sought to stifle and manipulate the
national liberation movements for the benefit of Wall Street and the
Pentagon.
Nkrumah wrote that "The modifications introduced by imperialism in its
strategy were expressed through the disappearance of the numerous
old-fashioned 'colonies' owing exclusive allegiance to a single metropolitan
country through the replacement of 'national' imperialism by a 'collective'
imperialism in which the USA occupies a leading position." (Handbook of
Revolutionary Warfare, p. 5, 1969)
Nkrumah continued noting that "The US-European post-war alliance not only
enabled the USA to benefit from the advantages of the European market, which
had hitherto been largely closed to its penetration; but also opened up new
horizons in Asia, Africa and Latin America where the USA had already
superseded European supremacy and established neo-colonialist domination.
The militarization of the US economy, based on the political pretext of the
threatening rise of the USSR and later of the People's Republic of China as
socialist powers, enabled the USA to postpone its internal crises, the first
during the 'hot' war (1939-1945) and then during the 'cold' war (since
1945)" (ibid., p. 6)
The postponement of these internal crises has apparently run its course.
Imperialist war no long delays the impact of the inherent failures of
capitalism related to its incapacity to provide housing, jobs, medical
services, education and municipal services to the majority of its people.
Nonetheless, in its destructive character, imperialism continues on the path
of endless war and pursuit of ever-rising rates of profit.
Since the advent of the first Gulf war in 1990-91, going through the
occupation of Somalia during 1992-94, through to the failure of U.S. policy
in Egypt to the second occupation of Somalia through proxy between 2006 to
the present period, where in the aftermath of the war on Libya and the
imposition of sanctions against Zimbabwe and Sudan, the capitalist system in
the West continues to decline economically. No matter how many Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) field stations are constructed or drone attacks
carried out throughout Africa, Washington has not been able to address the
rising rates of poverty, joblessness and austerity throughout the capitalist
states in Western Europe and North America.
The U.S. ruling class through its quest for mineral resources and strategic
dominance has focused a tremendous amount of attention on Africa and the
so-called Middle East. The founding of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in
2008 under Bush has enhanced its operations under Obama.
The first full-scale operation of AFRICOM was the war of regime-change
carried out against Libya in 2011 in cooperation with other European
imperialist states and their allies. It is no accident that Libya has the
largest known oil reserves in Africa and had under the Jamahiriya, the
highest living standards on the African continent.
In Somalia, the CIA and AFRICOM have been involved in propping up the
Ethiopian occupation and the latter Transitional Federal Government regime
since 2006. The African Union Mission to Somalia, AMISOM, is largely a
U.S.-controlled military operation which is financed by Washington and
provided with political, intelligence and diplomatic cover. Somalia is the
source of oil and other strategic interests for imperialism and both the
U.S. and NATO have large-scale naval vessels off the coast of the Horn of
Africa nation in the Gulf of Aden.
The intervention into Somalia of the Kenyan Defense Forces in 2011 had been
planned by the Pentagon for at least two years. Despite efforts by
Washington and its allies, the situation in Somalia is by no means stable. A
French Special Forces commando unit's attempt to free intelligence officials
from Paris being held in Somalia proved to be a disaster as Al-Shabaab wiped
out the entire crew and eventually executed the leading commander of the
failed raid.
In Mali and Niger, the U.S. is backing up French military intervention. The
Pentagon had trained the Malian army prior to the March 2012 coup and is
largely responsibility for the incapacity of the national military to
address the Tuareg rebellion in the north.
Niger is now another location for a U.S. drone station and at least 100
Special Forces are operating inside the country. During December 2012, the
Obama administration announced that 3,500 Pentagon troops would be deployed
in at least 35 African states over the course of the year. Nonetheless,
France and the U.S. have been unable to halt armed actions against foreign
forces in Mali and Niger. In Mali, the resistance to French occupation is
widening with mass demonstrations recently in Gao and the open criticism of
the Hollande doctrine of military intervention throughout the region of West
Africa.
The presence of U.S. military and intelligence forces in Africa is designed
to bolster the strategic mineral and territorial interests of Wall Street.
Africa is now supplying greater amounts of oil, natural gas and other
essential minerals to economic interests of the ruling class.
AFRICA AND REGIONAL BLOCS OF THE GLOBAL SOUTH
With the growing role of the People's Republic of China on the continent,
Washington and Wall Street are concerned that they will lose their
post-World War II advantage in Africa. Hence due to the declining economic
influence of the U.S., the capitalist are relying more on aggressive
military and intelligence operations to undermine Africa's long term
interests which are more in line with other continental states as well as
other geo-political regions of the world including Asia, the Middle East and
Latin America.
The advent of regional blocs such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation
(FOCAC) has served to provide the African Union member-states with both
economic and political alliances that are outside U.S. and European Union
influence. In regard to China, the socialist state has provided direct
economic trade and development assistance which is far superior to the
traditional relations established by the imperialist countries which
enslaved Africans and colonized the continent for centuries. FOCAC has held
five summits since 2000 and this is paralleled by the fact that now China is
Africa's largest international trading partner.
China supported both Zimbabwe and Sudan when the U.S. and Britain sought to
impose even harsher sanctions on these states through the United Nations
Security Council. Zimbabwe maintains a "Look East" policy which has been
significant in the survival of the Southern African state in the aftermath
of its land redistribution program beginning in 2000 that prompted the West
to enact draconian sanctions and regime-change plots against the ZANU-PF
government.
The U.S. and Britain have sought the overthrow of the National People
Congress (NPC) government in Sudan through the partition of the country in
2011 and the ongoing conflict in Darfur. Sudan prior to the partition was
the largest geographic nation-state in Africa and is an emerging
oil-producing country with close links to China and Iran. Israel and the
U.S. have bombed Sudan on numerous occasions because Khartoum does not
support Washington's foreign policy objectives in Palestine and throughout
the Middle East.
Uprising in Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Algeria during 2010-2011 saw the
U.S. attempting to manipulate these developments to maintain Cairo, Tunis
and Rabat in their own sphere of geo-political influence. The government in
Algeria was able to resist these efforts while Libya faced an all-out
onslaught that resulted in the destruction of the national infrastructure of
this North African state, the theft of its foreign reserves and the
abolition of its leading role on the African continent.
Other economic and political alliances have surfaced in the last few years
which have impacted U.S. militarist policies toward Africa. The Southern
African Development Community (SADC) has maintained its support of Zimbabwe
which has been critical in its survival and economic recovery.
The Africa-South America Summit has held three gatherings, the latest of
which was in March, in order to enhance cooperation and to form a bloc
against U.S. efforts to undermine anti-imperialist governments in Latin
America and developing relations between Africa and non-Western regional
entities. Iran has also strengthened its relations with Africa and Latin
America causing serious concerns on the part of the U.S.
The joining by the Republic of South Africa of the Brazil, Russia, India,
China (BRICS) grouping has resulted in new initiatives being discussed
including the creation of a development bank as well as independent foreign
policy positions on Syria and Iran that are at variance with U.S.
imperialism. The failure of U.S. foreign policy toward Syria has been
greatly determined by the role played on the part of Russia, Iran, China and
Hezbollah in southern Lebanon along with other regional forces of the Global
South who do not want another war of regime-change in the Middle East. Such
wars could very well be carried out with greater determination in Sudan,
Zimbabwe, Nigeria, South Africa and Somalia which would be against the
interests of the peoples of Africa and working and oppressed peoples
throughout the world.
THE PRINCIPAL AND PRINCIPLED ROLE OF THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED
STATES
Our role in the United National Anti-War Coalition (UNAC) has been centered
on developing and maintaining a clear anti-imperialist position that views
U.S. imperialism as the principal threat to world peace. Africa is a focal
point for military intervention by the Pentagon, the CIA and NATO and the
anti-war and peace movements in the U.S. must be concerned about these
trends and take decisive actions to thwart them.
UNAC at its founding conference in Albany in August 2010 unanimously passed
a resolution opposing U.S. military intervention of any kind in Africa. We
opposed the war of regime-change in Libya and have gone on record against
the French invasion and occupation of Mali.
This coalition is by far the largest and most representative peace alliance
in the U.S. We must build upon our successes in order to widen the
organizations and grouping that we encompass so that we can further
influence the anti-war struggle throughout North America and Western Europe.
Through our efforts in solidarity with the peoples of Africa, the Middle
East, Central and South Asia, Korea, the South Pacific, Latin America and
the Caribbean we enhance the capacity of the 99 percent to confront the
owners of capital who are the principal purveyors of death and destruction
throughout the world. It will be through this unity of purpose and action
that war and exploitation can be eliminated throughout the planet.
* Abayomi Azikiwe is Editor, Pan-African News Wire
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