Russia Exerts Growing Influence in Africa, Worrying Many in the West

What a crew we've got: Lindsay who talks out of both sides of his mouth as a feckless sycophant for Traitor Trump, and Esper who belongs back at Raytheon lobbying for more military contracts.

"designed to increase Russian influence in southern Africa and to enable Russian access to Mozambique’s natural resources, including natural gas, coal and oil" Yes, the never ending destructive nature of fossil fuels. The quicker we can relegate fossil fuels to non-power generation the better for everyone - except Putin, MbS and Saudis, Iranians, Exxons and coal producers of the world, and the rest of their ilk. No doubt our retreat around the world is in coordination between Putin and trump - what else do they talk about in their secret meetings? Indeed, if Lev Parnas can manipulate trump into maliciously smearing and firing Yanukovitch, imagine what Putin can convince his mark to do for him!

Four decades ago, the USSR was a powerful presence in Africa supporting independence movements against Western Colonialisms. As the USSR collapsed so did Russian influence although positive memories of Russian support in fights for freedom, and memories of being educated in Moscow linger on The current Russian campaign is opportunistic and aims to convince the Russian population that Putin is making Russia great again. It is enabled, dollar wise , by the recovery of Russia's economy makes - a recovery which US interferes tries to retard by fighting the export of natural gas to Europe Unlike the China, Russia has no long range goals. China, on the other hand, does, and is investing billions of dollars in economic ventures to dominate the African transport infrastructure to insure continued access Africa's oil and (a full quater of China's investments go to the oil rich states of Nigeria and Angola) and African minerals. In the fight who shall dominate the 21‘st century, China or the US, Russia does not play a significant role. In Africa, the US needs to concentrate on China

Didn't trump, not too long ago, take our forces out of Africa? We used to have Africom as a Commander. Guess that took too much money away from golf.

“Outside of selling arms for their own economic benefit, China and Russia are not doing much to help counter extremist groups seeking to rob Africans of their future,” The US with its choice to see military intervention as the way to resolve conflict, and its Forever War is the culprit in creating and metastisizing ISIS throughout the world. Both Russia and China are cultivating allies in their challenge to the current United States and Euro-Atlantic-dominated world order. The US led world has made a wreck of the world, and challenges to it are understandable and needed. Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton even suggested in a 2018 speech, that “predatory practices pursued by China and Russia stunt economic growth in Africa, threaten the financial independence of African nations, inhibit opportunities for U.S. investment, interfere with U.S. military operations, and pose a significant threat to US national security interests.” Russia and China have every right to engage with Africa. Regrettably, the US in its chosen role as the Exceptional World Leader, has equated leadership with militarism and leads the world with arm sales of $10.5 billion, Russia follows with $6.4 billion. Better world leadership would take the focus away from militarism and selling weaponry, to focusing strategies for thriving, climate resilient societies. But the US is incapable of leading such change because it thrives on militarism.

The Chinese have been busy in Africa for decades, developing trade and business. The Russians come with military supplies to support dictatorships. The Americans aren't interested unless there's air-conditioning in the hotels. Nothing new here.

While Americans are busy looking into the mirror trying to “make America great” Putin is putting on his sneakers and rushing through every corner of the world that Americans are ignoring. Narcissistic presidents spend more time and effort in cosmetics and image than in infrastructure and research and development. They are, however, incredibly destructive and retrograde. At this historical juncture the worst possible attitude is dress rehearsal. I consider it traitorous but I understand it’s a personality flaw. But It increases my suspicion that it was Putin that put him in this role.

A particularly vacant and even stupid statement from Sukhanin about the value of Russian forces in Africa. Since Western military has absolutely failed to achieve any success in Somalia and MENA, the African states are looking elsewhere. The situation in the Sahel is deteriorating rapidly, and Western forces - including the US - have no idea whatsoever how to help fight this; the issue is immense. And because the French/ UK/USA total failure in Libya very much accelerated the deterioration, it is hardly surprising African leaders look in other places. Why the RF would want get involved in this is another issue: we shall see. What's more worrying is the incredible incompetence of western projection across the world.

Most African nations, sadly, are run by kleptocratic oligarchies with the average citizen being dirt poor, sick, malnourished, undereducated and politically neutered. As hard as it might be to believe, that's a fact. Many of these kleptocracies support a facade of democracy, easily pierced by any observant person. So don't be surprised that kleptocratic dictators are all too happy to accept multi-million-dollar payoff's from China and Russia, along with massive loans to fund bridges, dams, airfields, ports and the like while turning over their natural resources to whichever of these countries pays the most in bribes?

I think more and more African and other countries are getting increasingly tired of US and EU shenanigans in the region, which is the main factor that is creating an opening for the likes of China and Russia.

This morning, Mike Pompeo stormed into the Oval Office with a blank map. That is, it had no country labels or boundaries. Later, on official State Department letterhead, Secretary Pompeo was pleased to report that president Trump was able to correctly point out the country of Africa.

Sure, why not turn Africa over to Russia? Trump withdrew from Syria as Putin wanted and handed that region over to him, Turkey and Iran. He’s withdrawing the US from the world and we are losing.

The nations of Africa were once the recipients of Peace Corps volunteers, agricultural programs, public health initiatives and educational programs, all sponsored by the US. Now our main interest is who can sell the most arms, the US or the Russians? The United States has always had a checkered relationship with the nations of Africa. For most of our history we supported European colonialism. That subsided somewhat in the 1950's but by the late 60's Africa became a territory of contest between the US and the Soviet Union. This resulted in rhetoric for democracy, but polices supporting the last remnants of colonial rule and apartheid in South Africa. Sadly, little has changed. The nations of Africa are seen as places for extractive industries and markets to sell weapons to oligarchs. We make little or no effort to help build democratic institutions, promote education or save the environment. When the Ebola virus hit west Africa the tiny nation of Cuba sent 3,000 doctors. We sent an army mobile hospital. Yes, a hospital was needed, but anyone could see that we were using a humanitarian crisis to also conduct a military field exercise. The Russians may not be any better. But our challenge is to be better. And so far the simple steps that we could take in that direction have been lacking.

Why can't we accept the fact that Russia is a regional power with legitimate interests in Europe and the ME? Putin has reached out to the West and has cooperated with the Obama administration but the West slapped his hand down. Whatever happens in the world it must be bad Putin's doing, that is the tool in our political toolbox. If we talk about the Crimea, we must also talk about the WB and the Golan Heights and the Palestinian problem in an honest way. By all appearances, the Trump administration and Israels Netanyahu will heap another load of illegal annexations on top of that to help Trump and Netanyahu to deal with their own domestic problems. That too will not help to fight antisemitism while we hold Holocaust 75 year memorials.

Another instance of the republican party's leader, trump, to give the advantage to Russia and his ally, Putin. Thanks a lot, republicans, on letting this happen. Another loss for America on your watch. Moscow Mitch and his allies must be voted out in 2020.

Maybe I am wrong.but at the end of the day most African countries still prefer the US to Russia and China.

Are we expecting Africa, rich in natural resources and friendly to warlords and despots, to remain immune to Russian influence - when we, rich in natural resources and friendly only to big business - are not? Putin is all but installed as a permanent desk within republican high command and the white house, and regarded more favorably than fellow Americans who vote democrat. Do we expect more out of Zimbabwe and Congo?

Everything Trump does benefits Putin and Russian interests, not ours. No surprises that we are ceding African national security interests to the Russians, as well as to the Chinese who are exploiting commercial interests everywhere in Africa.

The Neocons and their liberal-interventionist fellow-travelers came to see Putin as a major and unwelcome obstacle to their dreams of permanent U.S. dominance over the planet, which they would promote through what amounted to permanent warfare. (The main distinction between Neocons and liberal interventionists is that the former cites “democracy promotion” as its rationale and the latter justifies war under the mantle of “humanitarianism.”) In February 2015, American oligarch George Soros laid out his “Russia-regime-change” vision in the New York Review of Books with an alarmist call for Europe “to wake up and recognize that it is under attack from Russia” – despite the fact that it has been NATO encroaching on Russia’s borders, not the other way around. Soros’s hysteria amounted to a clarion call to his many dependents among supposedly independent “non-governmental organizations” to take up the goal of destabilizing Russia and driving Putin from office. As a currency speculator, who is not welcome to speculate in Russia, Soros recognizes the value of inflicting economic pain as well as military punishment on a target country.

Russia is not the Soviet Union it no longer has the clout it once had and is not to be overestimated.

As long as Trump keeps getting advice from his best pal Putin, Russia is in like flint. America not so much.

If we or Russia have not learned from our constant interfering with any number of nations that ended in disaster, they will never learn. Two of the latest were the Russian disaster in Afghanistan and our disaster in Iraq 2 war. Stay as clear away from these areas as possible. Offer friendship, ties and aid if called for and only get involved, and preferable in a multi lateral way, if agreed upon crimes like genocide, torture, starvation etc. are going on.

more proof, as if we needed any, that putting "america first" ends up leaving "america last" in global influence and intelligence. such outsourcing of diplomatic, military, and commercial engagement is childishly dangerous with negative consequences for decades.

Strategy? What strategy? The overriding impression of USAmerican policy is deinitely a total lack of Strategy. The Middle East has been lost long ago, and the idiotic attempts to force solutions onto Israel and the Palentinians just makes matters worse. Every attack on NATO and European leaders means further distance from old, trusted and reliable allies. Only acting when it finds direct acceptance with local voters is fine for internal politics, but then you can close shop for the rest of the world. And that is the basis of MAGA. A complete and utter lack of strategy, just big words, much noise, drum beating and shortsightedness. I am no fan of Mr Bolton but he had a clear strategy. Putin must wake up every morning thanking the american voters for the administration they have installed.

MILITARY SPENDING: Russia 2016: $69 billion (since Reduced by 25%) France 55 billion, Britain 48 billion, Germany 41 billion. These three NATO/European countries together alone spend more than double what Russia does on defense.  (The US has more than ten times the Russian Defense budget.) Some might say that the West squanders its money and doesn't get as much value for it as Russia does. Consider this: Russia has ONE aging aircraft carrier, while the U.S. alone, about a dozen, without counting those of its allies. In absolute numbers, Russia's military strength doesn't eclipse that of the West, not even Europe's. If any people would be justified in feeling threatened, they would be the Russians, not the Western crybabies.

Sphere of influence and regional proximity should be the deciding factor. And that points directly to Western Europe, not America. The lingering impact of European colonialism also creates obligation. Western Europe (pre-Brexit) is a region with 500M+ population and a GDP equivalent to the US. It has capability. The European Union presently has military missions in sub-Sahara Africa. They should be expanded. And Britain (withdrawing from the EU) should provide equitable assistance.

I agree that China is much more of a threat to our global interests than Russia. Building infrastructure that can make African countries increasingly dependent on China and willing to allow them to establish naval bases is a smart approach for China. This is how the Europeans took Africa in the late 19th Century. I am less concerned about Putin sending security forces into African countries to help fight terrorism. As demonstrated by the Russian experience in Afghanistan and our experience in Vietnam and elsewhere, this is not an intelligent way to increase global power. These kind of wars tend to drain a country economically and hurt domestic support for rulers who make these kinds of decisions.

China has been taking over Africa for quite some time now, beginning with Nigeria. With Trump they have someone with no knowledge of Africa. They have taken over most countries with "streets and schools" which are built but under loans with usurious rates. The leaders/dictators are paid off in the millions. At the oil fields and mines, the top jobs are given to imported Chinese. Low-paying jobs are for blacks. Russia is a latecomer.

It would be short-sighted for the US to abandon its restraining role on Russia and China and let a political vacuum emerge. At least, it could enable the African Union to play a greater role by among others, bringing African nations together in conferences and developing national agendas based upon the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It would also be incumbent on the African leaders themselves to challenge the three major foreign nations in their commitment to the SDGs for African countries, particularly the one dealing with renewable energy sources specifically solarization. A good political strategy to playing one against the other would be an obvious one in the pursuit of specific SDGs objectives and programs.

Let them. Our military should not be tasked with being the world's police. In Iraq we spent billions and lost many lives to make it safe for China to swoop in and manage oil refineries. It seems we do the work and they reap the rewards. Let China send in troops from now on.