Hillary Clinton is reaching the end of her trip to Africa. Her last major stop came in Nigeria, where she predictably encouraged Nigerians to clean up their political system, most notably the way the country runs its elections. Some have claimed that Clinton made a gaffe when she referenced the 2000 election fiasco in the United States. It seems to me that it is wise when trying to tell people to reform their system also to be humble enough to recognize that one’s own country is not perfect. That simply preempts the inevitable accusations of hypocrisy. Of course Republicans are predictably fake-outraged (fakeraged?) but then again, “predictable Republican fake outrage” just about defines the Grand Old Party these days.
It is hard to disagree with the assessment that Clinton’s trip broke little new ground, but I am not certain that breaking new ground was the goal of the trip. But what little new soil has been turned (yeah, I’m killing this metaphor that is a cliche to begin with) seems to have come in the form of tone. The Obama administration has huge opportunities in Africa, and as an introductory tour, Clinton could have done worse. It remains to be seen if the Obama administration can pull off the delicate carrots-sticks balancing act that quite clearly are at the heart of its approach to African affairs. But fakerage notwithstanding, Clinton seems to have accomplished most of her goals on her tour of Africa. let’s hope that Africa does not now disappear off the administration’s radar screen.