more than humanitarianism: a strategic u.s. approach toward africa Anthony Lake and Christine Todd Whitman Chairs Princeton n. lyman and j. stephen morrison Project Directors INDEPENDENT TASK FORCE REPORT No. 56 More than Humanitarianism: A Strategic U.S. Approach Toward Africa More than Humanitarianism: A Strategic U.S. Approach Toward Africa Report of an Independent Task Force Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations Founded in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, national membership organization and a nonpartisan center for scholars dedicated to producing and disseminating ideas so that individual and corporate members, as well as policymakers, journalists, students, and interested citizens in the United States and other countries, can better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other governments. 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For information, write to the Publications Office, Council on Foreign Relations, 58 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10021. Task Force Chairs Anthony Lake Christine Todd Whitman Project Directors Princeton N. Lyman J. Stephen Morrison Task Force Members J. Dennis Bonney Nicholas P. Lapham* Lael Brainard Rick A. Lazio Chester A. Crocker* Princeton N. Lyman Alex de Waal J. Stephen Morrison Nicholas Eberstadt* Michael E. O’Hanlon* Richard Furman Raymond C. Offenheiser Helene D. Gayle Samantha Power Victoria K. Holt John H. Ricard Gregory G. Johnson Gayle E. Smith Richard A. Joseph Christine Todd Whitman Anthony Lake *The individual has endorsed the report and submitted an additional or a dissenting view. Working Group Members Anthony J. Carroll Jeffrey R. Krilla Manchester Trade Ltd. International Republican Institute Timothy Docking Marina S. Ottaway Millennium Challenge Carnegie Endowment for Corporation International Peace Laurie J. Fitz-Pegado Dave Peterson The Livingston Group National Endowment for Democracy Christopher Fomunyoh National Democratic Institute for Carol Pineau International Affairs Tom Gibbian Witney W. Schneidman Emerging Markets Partnership Schneidman & Associates International Stephen Hayes The Corporate Council on Africa Joseph T. Siegle Center for Institutional Reform Makila James and the Informal Sector Department of State Note: Working Group members participate in their individual and not institutional capacities. Contents Foreword xiii Acknowledgments xv Map xvii Acronyms xix Task Force Report 1 Introduction 3 2005 Was the Year for Africa, But We Missed the Point 5 The Expanding Energy Sector 28 The New Playing Field: China’s Rising Role 40 Security and Terrorism Concerns 55 The HIV/AIDS Pandemic 62 Conflict Resolution and Peacekeeping 77 Democracy and Human Rights 89 Investing in Growth 105 Conclusion 127 xii Contents Additional or Dissenting Views 131 Task Force Members 135 Task Force Observers 141 Appendixes 143 Foreword This was the ‘‘year of Africa.’’ Africa figured prominently at world summits. Rock stars staged concerts to focus public attention on the continent. The industrialized democracies pledged to double aid to Africa and forgive the debt of fourteen of the continent’s poorest coun- tries. Attention and commitments, though, are not the same as results. For this reason, the Council on Foreign Relations established an Inde- pendent Task Force to examine whether the United States was getting Africa policy right. Africa is of growing international importance. By the end of the decade, for example, sub-Saharan Africa is likely to become as important a source of U.S. energy imports as the Middle East. China, India, Europe, and others are competing with each other and with the United States for access to oil, natural gas, and other natural resources. The world’s major powers are also becoming more active in seeking out investments, winning contracts, and building political support on the continent. Africa is also one of the battlegrounds in the fight against terrorism. Osama bin Laden based his operations in Sudan before setting up shop in Afghanistan. Terrorists struck U.S. embassies in Africa years before the 9/11 attacks. Africans are actively recruited for terrorist operations in South Asia and the Middle East, including Iraq. Mass killings in the Darfur region of Sudan and the persistence of conflict on the continent challenge the world’s will to spotlight, prevent, xiii xiv Foreword and stop atrocities. Africa is also the epicenter of the world’s most serious health pandemic, HIV/AIDS. The Task Force evaluated U.S. Africa policy in light of Africa’s growing importance. The Task Force’s main finding is that U.S. policy toward Africa should change to reflect Africa’s growing strategic impor- tance. Washington should maintain its historic and principled humani- tarian concerns, while broadening the basis for U.S. engagement on the continent. The Task Force also recommends that the United States advance a policy to help ‘‘integrate Africa more fully into the global economy,’’ so that the advantages of globalization no longer bypass the continent. I am grateful to two outstanding public servants, Anthony Lake and Christine Todd Whitman, for agreeing to chair this Task Force. They brought political insight, intellectual leadership, and a wealth of experi- ence to a critical but often neglected set of issues. I would also like to thank the Task Force members, who came to this effort from many different backgrounds, for the purpose of advancing the shared interests of the United States and Africa. Project Directors Princeton N. Lyman, the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa Policy Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), did a tremendous job in bringing the many issues and recommendations together into this report. I am grateful to them, as I am to the entire Task Force. Richard N. Haass President Council on Foreign Relations December 2005 Acknowledgments The Council was fortunate to have two distinguished Americans as chairs for this Task Force, Anthony Lake and Christine Todd Whitman, who brought broad experience and strong leadership to the work. They recognized the growing importance of Africa to the United States and emphasized the need for this report to speak of that importance not only to policymakers but to the American public. We also thank the members of the Task Force, who brought a wide variety of skills and knowledge to our deliberations. Throughout the past year, in meetings, written input, and many e-mail exchanges, they contributed to every aspect of the analysis, findings, and recommen- dations. Special thanks are also due to individual Task Force members who provided venues for previewing the report with business, philan- thropic, and civic organizations, and for organizing two dynamic work- ing groups on the promotion of private investment and the improve- ment of governance and institutions in Africa. The Africa Advisory Board for the Council’s Africa Studies program provided the original inspiration and guidance for the establishment of the Task Force. Members of the committee later reviewed the draft report and provided other insights. Special thanks go to the board’s chairman, Vincent Mai, and its members: Franklin Thomas, Frank Ferrari, Kenneth Bacon, Kofi Appenteng, Walter Kansteiner, Peggy Dulany, Bryan Hehir, Gay McDougall, Alan Patricof, Antranig Sarkis- sian, Frank Savage, and Carl Ware.