http://www.theroot.com/articles/politics/2014/04/oil_rich_african_nations_could_benefit_from_ukraine_crisis.htmlWhy
the Sudden Rush Into Africa? It's the Oil
Oil-rich African nations could benefit from the crisis between Russia and
Ukraine.
By: Charles Ellison
Posted: April 14 2014 2:00 AM
Kenya, Libya Uganda and Nigeria are thousands of miles removed from that
toilet of European tension known as Ukraine, but as drama unfolds in
Eastern Europe, their destinies could be closely aligned.
In essence, the more Russian President Vladimir Putin puts the grip on
Russian gas prices, the more Western powers--from NATO to the United
States--feel squeezed and desperate enough to look for oil elsewhere. Africa
fits a nice profile for that. Suddenly, there's a new sense of urgency on
the continent, with the United States stepping up its military and economic
engagement posthaste since Putin made his Crimean power grab.
Before Putin could move to checkmate the West on the geopolitical chess
map, President Barack Obama moved a few pieces to the Motherland. It's an
interesting gamble, considering Africa has less than 10 percent of proven
global oil reserves. Yet, in the search for alternative sources of energy,
the potential returns of intervention in Africa are fairly fast and
enormous. Where the Middle East, cradle of oil booms, is volatile and where
Shale Country, USA, is still in its infancy, Africa presents a quick-fix
solution for petroleum hungry Western countries that don't have time for
renewable-energy cars to fully penetrate their markets. Africa's not ideal,
but it's much more manageable than al-Qaida networks in the Middle East and
a cranky Russian dictator on a Black Sea power trip.
Oil-spilling BP can tell you all about it, "project[ing] Africa will
experience the world's fastest regional energy demand growth [with]
combined oil and gas production in Africa between today and 2035, bigger
than in any of the BRIC countries."
If BP has snake eyes on Africa, best believe everyone else does. Within a
month of Crimea, additional U.S. "special forces" troops ended up in Uganda
to augment a hundred already there in a hunt for war-lusting Lord's
Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony. And to top that, the Pentagon sent in
four freshly minted futuristic V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor hybrids to show we
mean business.
"Please note that the deployment of these aircraft and personnel does not
signify a change in the nature of the US military advisory role in this
effort. African Union-led regional forces remain in the lead, with U.S.
forces supporting and advising their efforts," Daniel Travis, the U.S.
Embassy spokesman in Uganda, deadpanned several days ago. Which could mean
that Ugandan jungles are getting lit up like that epic battle scene in
Avatar.
But the sudden speed between Putin's power act and the move of well-armed
U.S. troops to Uganda and elsewhere in Africa is more than just a nicely
photo-opped humanitarian play. Critical strategic interests in Africa are
suddenly on a front burner in the race for energy. Uganda, to unknowing
Americans who can't point to it on a map, might seem obscure, but it's not.
It's actually part of an emerging and fast-growth East Africa Federation
that includes Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. As a recent Stratfor
analysis (subscription only) noted "[n]ew oil and gas exploration projects,
along with the potential establishment of a manufacturing base in East
Africa, have created an interest in pipeline projects to carry natural gas
and crude oil to export markets or refineries."
Renewed strategic positioning in Africa is, of course, nothing new. The
George W. Bush administration was dropping $5 billion a year into HIV/AIDS
and malaria-prevention programs, essentially softening the landscape for
the eventual expansion of AFRICOM, the U.S. military command for Africa.
Hence, it was no surprise to find American planes blasting holes in Libya,
drone bases in far-flung places like Niger, Djibouti, Burkina Faso and
South Sudan, and U.S. intelligence supporting French troops in Mali. Folks
like Muammar Qaddafi needed to get out of the way, and now it's U.S. naval
ships stopping renegade Libyan oil tankers from sending black market fuel
to North Korea ("That's our oil, son, give it back").
The headline fight against rising Islamic terrorist tides in Africa is a
good pitch story. But the lesser known--yet more important--story is the
continental energy rush gradually unfolding in Africa. Western powers,
already irritated by China's aggressive entry into African
markets--highlighted by billions of dollars in investment and a $200 million
"gift" to build a shiny new African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia--are stepping up their game before the rising Asian power dominates
the whole thing.
That's happened quite fast between slow increases in U.S. troops on African
soil to the presence of more than 2,000 French troops patrolling the
war-torn Central African Republic. And just a few weeks ago, the European
Union nervously announced the commitment of an additional 1,000 troops,
which struck many as odd, given Europe's current preoccupation with Russian
troops on its doorstep. Folks seem awfully pressed to stabilize that
region, which, incidentally, neighbors Uganda and isn't all that far away
from Nigeria--another African country that accounts for 5 percent of U.S.
oil imports.
In essence, Africa is becoming refrontiered, the next--but already
charted--neocolonial play with subtle shades of humanitarianism and economic
growth to make it look good. Make no mistake about it: There are real
geopolitical intentions at work. Hunting down warlords and preventing
Rwanda genocide redux is, of course, needed foreign policy common sense.
But these are belt-tightening times for governments and their militaries
(including ours). No one's investing in Africa just to get good PR and a
U.N. shout-out.
*Charles D. Ellison is a veteran political strategist and frequent
contributor to **The Root.** He is also Washington correspondent for the
Philadelphia Tribune and chief political correspondent for Uptown magazine.
Follow him on** Twitter.* <
https://twitter.com/charlesdellison>
Received on Mon Apr 14 2014 - 11:48:28 EDT