At World Defense Review J. Peter Pham speculates as to what an Obama administration might mean for Africa (and what Africa might mean to an Obama administration. Here is a sample:
Senator Barack Obama's election as the forty-fourth President of the United States is, of course, a historic milestone in America. But it is also a major moment in African history as well. The president-elect's unique personal history means that he is the first son of Africa in the diaspora to be entrusted with the leadership of any major power, much less the chief magistry of what is still the world's political, military, economic, and cultural superpower. As I traveled in Africa over the course of the past year, the excitement of many Africans at the mere prospect of an Obama presidency was palpable. The spontaneous celebrations that broke out as word of the Democratic candidate's victory spread across many parts of the continent, including in Kenya, the president-elect's father was born on the shores of Lake Victoria and raised in the nearby village of Nyang’oma Kogelo in Nyanza Province, attest to the incredible emotional investment which many Africans have made in the contest and the attention with which they have followed its vicissitudes. What remains to be determined, however, is what role Africa will actually play in the foreign policy of President Obama and what approaches he might adopt in with respect to the continent.
The whole article can be found here.
