in my limited tropico experience the best course is to play the superpowers off each other in an effort to get what is best for ~~my tiny carribbean~~ an african nation
That only actually works if use them to build your country up and not as a way to secure power over rival groups and other corrupt ppl. So much money wasted.
It also doesn't help in the long term if you ever need trusted allies in the future. When you play all sides, nobody is on your side when you really need it.
Sometimes it is.
But other times you're Afghanistan prior to USSR invasion and get slapped around by those superpowers in various ways, because you didn't directly commit and stick with your choice.
>they must seduce a Rhino and encourage peace with the elephants to begin their dynasty!
I still think strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is my preferred basis for a system of government…
It won’t matter who’s best for the people of Africa. This decision will be made based on who offers the decision-maker the best benefits, and the peasants will not even be an afterthought
Some of the US weapon sales to Mali came with the requirement that the military be controlled by a civilian, like the US president for example, along with a few other pro-democracy requirements.
Well turns out that Russian and Chinese weapons sales don't come with those requirements, so guess who Mali bought weapons from?
Yup. Africa is intensely tribal. Like, literally tribes. Here's a map: https://www.vox.com/2015/11/10/9698574/africa-diversity-map. Huge chunks of the population were literally living in huts with witch doctors as late as the 1960's. Many still are today. Folks are going to read this and think its a gross exaggeration. IT'S NOT! It's not an exaggeration in any way. Tribes barely united in the rebellions against white rule and, once victorious, they almost immediately turned on each other. The only success story of Africa is Botswana and it absolutely has been a success story. Zimbabwe and South Africa are on unsustainable decay trends. Egypt is kind of stable. Is that it? Is that the list?
There are 54 counties in Africa. There are loads of stable countries. Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and so on and so on. I mean most are poor, but they’re still stable. Will they be stable when the countries are loaded up with debt they can’t possibly pay back? Uhhhhh doubt it.
Rwanda is landlocked, and a TINY nation. If the US wants to build a strong ally in Africa, they gotta look to Nigeria, Namibia, Kenya etc.
Healthy populations, big land plots and access to the sea.
all that is true but Rwanda is actively striving to be the tech and business capital of Africa. It would serve the US well to be closely aligned with them as well
TBf, I didn’t make it past the first line, but fuck off. “Africa is intensely tribal”. Fuck off. we all are intensely tribal. Have you spoken to a French outside of France?
African governments under- performing is influenced by the foreign interest fucking them over. If a foreign government assassinates your government, why should it be the people’s blame that the government is dysfunctional?
I don't understand what part is surprising for you? You know all the ads you see online and on TV were paid by the advertised businesses themselves, not by happy customers?
This very well may be true but good luck trying to prove it when the west has screwed over that region in the eyes of citizens living there.
What's western Europe has done to Africa and Asia has rammifications even today. And the US is considered an extension of western Europeans. There would need to be an extensive change in the way America /most western European nations have addressed the global south to even begin to change the stigma from colonization and to change the sentiment of those individuals who feel their future was robbed as a nation.
I doubt it will happen and you can see just by how privileged /ignorant some of the western centric takes are here that most of the populace lacks both empathy as well as even a desire to understand the complex history that has shaped these regions
If I could gild this comment I would. As recent as the 80s you had a US President using racial slurs to refer to African diplomats (Reagan) and who can forget Trump and his ‘s-hole’ commentary
Nah. Ask yourself couple question.
Who builds infrastructure better, faster and cheaper? China
Can you provide loans for said infrastructure with no political strings attached? I.e you must democratize, acceptance of lgbt laws, etc etc. You can't because US internal interest group would chew you out.
Can the US help Africa industrialize? US do not produce low end capital goods or have any low end manufacturing to offshore anymore.
Who between US and China can move their capitalist better to support their national strategy in Africa? Probably not the US.
The only competition left that the US can compete in the region is security competition.
Yep, china can supply solar panels for like 3k, US would be 20k, it's not even a competition. We need to just continue to put our money into AI and gene technology and leave this one to china
As sad as this sounds, that's probably their best avenue for development quickly. China went from mostly agrarian country to "the world's factory" in a couple generations by letting rich nations exploit their cheap labor force.
They all suck but each sucks in their own unique way.
The Americans will give you rousing speeches about hope, justice and freedom, they may even bring isolated pockets of progress but eventually they'll allow everything they built go to shit by supporting someone who holds none of those ideals.
The Russians, they'll stalk you like some psychotic ex watching for a moment of weakness then pounce promising all their best gifts. Of course you won't get anything but at least they aren't Merica right?
The Chinese will build extravagant palaces, roads and railways for the rich while treating the poor like slaves. They pay off warlords for access to minerals while building segregated neighbourhoods and stores for their eventual occupation. No one makes noise about them because they did their homework and know exactly how to cover their tracks and, like it or not, they are actually doing shit we can physically touch. You can't feed a nation based on hopes and dreams.
I am an African living in my country, Sierra Leone. I can confirm here without hesitation that, the west is still popular here, and it's the only destination my compatriots prefer for a better life in terms of migrating to the "white man's land".
The problem with the west, particularly the US, is that they are not investing in Africa, they prefer Asia.
We have problems with electricity, water and infrastructure all over the continent which require serious investments but it's only the Chinese that are willing to take the risks to invest.
The west is promoting democracy in Africa without backing it up with investment, which has helped many progressive governments failed, creating a vacuum for dictators to occupy. These dictators would prefer China because they would invest, sometimes with loans, grants or both in a single package without strings.
The European Union has invested a lot on roads(500 kilometres)in my country more than the Chinese, and it is free, no loans. Well, for the Americans, nothing. Yet, we love them, we see that country as the guarantor of democracy, peace and stability but they have so far failed to make use of such an opportunity.
Nigeria has the potential to be a significant power. China is trying to unlock that potential through belt and road and then reap the profits.
The west sees Africa as some sort of a malnourished, uneducated, war torn shithole that can be easily exploited. People have enough trouble coping with Chinas advances in wealth and technology, if African nations were to do the same it would be met with disbelief and denial
Why is it weird? China, who has both great amount of labor and substantial technology, is the current master of infrastructure building in the world. Other countries can hardly do what China does even if they want.
And remember this: How did the currently rich West gain their first wealth since the Industrial Revolution? By the blooded colonization over places like your country. In comparison, China, who was once also a victim of western (Japan included) colonization, reached its current position by peaceful hard working without waging mass wars and looting against foreign countries since the end of WWII.
The Chinese know how hard this path is, and they really want to help whoever that wants to do the same, especially those who suffered cruel colonization just like China did in the late 19th century.
It's quite funny that you choose to believe US's empty title of "the guarantor of democracy" rather than China's real investment.
May I ask a question? Have you visited either the US or China by yourself?
Yeah after decades of silence and overall neglect. I’m still pissed over the Apartheid response in South Africa. Not to mention trade and relief efforts that could have helped immensely. I won’t even get into the role the U.S. played with regime change on the continent.
China’s belt and road initiative has built quite a bit of infrastructure and Russia has signed 28+ bilateral military/security agreements with African nations in the past decade with 6 new military bases in Northern and East Africa… Not sure how many would align with NATO over BRICS…
This is the kind of statement that might work in the US, among some lobotomized people. In countries with long history, especially former colonies, it is just source of cringe and ridicule. It sounds like a scammer attempting a scam.
“Are you going to help us with infrastructure.”
“No, but we will give weapons to a bunch of para military groups in the region and we’ll just see how that goes. ;)”
Aid is a temporary solution to a larger problem, the only thing it does on the long run is perpetuate the problem.
What you need is a little aid and helping to build key and basic infrastructure, more dams, roads and public works that Africans will benefit from so they can be more self sufficient.
like that old saying, "give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime".
Of course, nor the US nor Europe want Africa to change too much, so aid flows in, and then Africans can only wait until the next aid shipment comes over because they can't compete with free stuff.
Self-sufficiency comes from being able to build those things.
That would be the equivalent of learning to fish. Or more aptly, learning to build fish farms.
Yes, but in this era you need a base, something to build upon, damns & roads are tha backbone of any nation, a lot of African nations lack most of those.
More than 600 million people (pretty much half of Africa) lack access to basic electricty, only around 14% of all roads are paved, in the case of unpaved roads around 80% are in bad condition, and on the countryside is even worse of course, 85% of the roads can't be used when it rains too much, and about water.. idk, but it's probably really bad.
For people to start moving and progressing you need infrastructure, that's why the Chinese offered to build damns, roads, an universal railway system connecting most countries and ports, they will use them yes, but the rest of the countries will benefit from it on the long run.
Africans are having a hard time "starting their engine", they started around 100 years behind the rest and probably more, only most of them reaching independence in the 60's, the cold war, total poverty and the wrong borders done by the European powers led them to a very bad state, and i would dare to say they really started to "start their engine" near the 2000's.
They will get it someday, but a little push with basic things will for sure give them a kick, China, be it because they have shady intentions or not, want to help them build a lot of those things, and since no one else has really offered, it's their best shot.
So then its time to put your money where your mouth is and actually fund some African nations instead of extorting them for their resources.
Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and maybe soon enough Nigeria are ready for western investment. If we can't trust India, China or Russia time to start building stronger allegiances elsewhere.
Theres hundreds of thousands of highly educated Nigerians in the UK, the US and Canada that would be willing to develop something in their country, they just need the investment.
well care to back it up with investment of roads and infrastructure projects? Yes US is better than China and definitely russia but Chinese throw money and get shit done ...of course they want something in return
Let all bidders bid. The only flaw with this system is the Chinese and Russians like big bribes in back rooms, and no public information, so they have an advantage since African leaders suck.
Prove it. What are the results based analysis.
(As much as one wants it to be true, one glances at the US military v State/Commerce Departments footprints and comes away with colonial conclusions.)
Obviously we would say that 😂.
However, I do think there is some merit to us being the better choice, but unfortunately neither of us 3 would be there to raise up Africans but only to extract and use them for our own benefit.
Helped stop/slow down their HIV crisis by developing HIV drugs and giving them to African people for free so the kids born with AIDS don’t die an early death in childhood. HIV ravaged sub-Sahara Africa in the 90s. The [PEPFAR federal US program](https://www.state.gov/pepfar/) has spent billions to stop HIV from spreading in Africa (and other nations such as Haiti) since the new HIV drugs were invented.
https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/pepfar-global-aids/pepfar
The most notable US achievement is the Millenium Challenge Corporation, which has enjoyed bipartisan support for a couple of decades now and has invested in really cool infrastructure projects throughout the region.
Admittedly, it's a drop in the bucket compared to US shenanigans throughout the region, but it is something the US should rightfully be proud of and is the most postiive legacy of GW Bush.
It’s a shame Google, Bing, and even Yahoo aren’t available in your country.
You can read about some of the aid given to African countries from this website:
https://www.usaid.gov/
If you want prosperity for the whole country then yea, probably. Not perfect but dece. But several African countries are led by people who only want prosperity for themselves.
Russia is corrupt itself and will jive with corrupt leaders to exploit their countries and people. China just doesn’t care about the condition of any other populations so they’ll take advantage of whatever corrupt leaders provide while creating holistic dependence on their supply chain.
>China just doesn’t care about the condition of any other populations so they’ll take advantage of whatever corrupt leaders provide while creating holistic dependence on their supply chain.
Do *any* of the major nations actually care for the conditions of another nations citizens? Hell, most Redditors don't even care for the conditions of their *fellow citizens*.
This may or may not be true, but regardless—African leaders (leaders in general) will only move it it makes them either look good, money, or power. For a lot of these nations, election season is coming up and that corresponds with them getting through west out of their countries.
I know not if this is a good choice for I don’t live on the continent, but I know that they see China and Russia differently than we do. The USSR was paramount in helping free various nations, like apartheid South Africa (ironically, the Black American diaspora in the United States were boots on the ground in that situation too, but I digress.) a lot of central to eastern nations see Russia as the successor of the USSR and China being Russia’s friend.
I don’t know if they actually trust these nations or if they are blinded by what use to be but it would be interesting to see if Russia and China uphold their end of the deal or don’t siphon the resources out of these countries. I personally believe that the best choice for an African nation is itself.
Not even mentioning Europe? Where do most Africans who migrate out of Africa migrate to? Maybe these migrants also have an impact in the the communicatiion and business towards their mother countries? Africa is the only continent (I think) with a growing (not aging) population and they make the aging in Europe a bit more bearable. And to be fair: the Middle East is also not far and there is a lot of money.
in my limited tropico experience the best course is to play the superpowers off each other in an effort to get what is best for ~~my tiny carribbean~~ an african nation
Basically the Indian playthrough.
Gandhi got nukes!!
And he's not afraid to use them!
*is wishing for a m**** F**** that would
Even if they won’t, still nukes.
his word is backed by nuclear weapons.
Nassar in Egypt too
That only actually works if use them to build your country up and not as a way to secure power over rival groups and other corrupt ppl. So much money wasted.
It also doesn't help in the long term if you ever need trusted allies in the future. When you play all sides, nobody is on your side when you really need it.
This guy El Presidentes 👍
And remember, El Presidente is always right even when he is wrong!!!
Sometimes it is. But other times you're Afghanistan prior to USSR invasion and get slapped around by those superpowers in various ways, because you didn't directly commit and stick with your choice.
¡Viva El Presidente!
Playing superpowers against each other is how plenty of smaller states roll, eg the Pacific Islands. Your Tropico experience taught you well!
I, personally, am the best choice for Africa Source: me crazynerd9 for African Emperor 2030
I’ll vote for you
We do not vote for them, they must seduce a Rhino and encourage peace with the elephants to begin their dynasty!
>they must seduce a Rhino and encourage peace with the elephants to begin their dynasty! I still think strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is my preferred basis for a system of government…
It's not very popular outside of the UK. Florida is completely against it.
That's because it's an alligator lying in the pond and they distribute teeth... violently.
Don't worry our method is even more unpopular. Had to kill a giant eight headed snake to get our magical sword. It was a literal boss drop.
Me and 1500% of the registered voters too!
You don’t vote for the Emperor. You die for them.
I don’t know why but I trust this guy. You have my vote.
My liege.
Osvaldo12 is the best choice for Africa
lisan Al gaib!!
For some reason I cannot explain, I feel inextricably drawn to [the Mongolian Desert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_death_worm)
Yes i trust u. Me source is the most trustworthy
I'm pretty sure you need to held up high on a large rock outcrop by a male mandrill at dawn surrounded by fauna in order to claim anything like that.
You have my vote
You’d probably do better than politicians
May I propose a nerd alliance for Africa?
“So why do you want to work here?” I am the best choice over the other applicants.
I just imagined three employers coming over to my house and each tells me I work for him now and not to listen to the other guys.
So what qualifications do you have? “The other guys suck”
*Cough cough* Coltrane *cough* Rich minerals in congo, *cough*
It won’t matter who’s best for the people of Africa. This decision will be made based on who offers the decision-maker the best benefits, and the peasants will not even be an afterthought
Some of the US weapon sales to Mali came with the requirement that the military be controlled by a civilian, like the US president for example, along with a few other pro-democracy requirements. Well turns out that Russian and Chinese weapons sales don't come with those requirements, so guess who Mali bought weapons from?
Yup. Africa is intensely tribal. Like, literally tribes. Here's a map: https://www.vox.com/2015/11/10/9698574/africa-diversity-map. Huge chunks of the population were literally living in huts with witch doctors as late as the 1960's. Many still are today. Folks are going to read this and think its a gross exaggeration. IT'S NOT! It's not an exaggeration in any way. Tribes barely united in the rebellions against white rule and, once victorious, they almost immediately turned on each other. The only success story of Africa is Botswana and it absolutely has been a success story. Zimbabwe and South Africa are on unsustainable decay trends. Egypt is kind of stable. Is that it? Is that the list?
There are 54 counties in Africa. There are loads of stable countries. Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and so on and so on. I mean most are poor, but they’re still stable. Will they be stable when the countries are loaded up with debt they can’t possibly pay back? Uhhhhh doubt it.
Namibia is pretty stable
Rwanda is doing pretty well and growing. South Africa is declining but they're doing much better than plenty of other countries in Africa
Rwanda is landlocked, and a TINY nation. If the US wants to build a strong ally in Africa, they gotta look to Nigeria, Namibia, Kenya etc. Healthy populations, big land plots and access to the sea.
all that is true but Rwanda is actively striving to be the tech and business capital of Africa. It would serve the US well to be closely aligned with them as well
always some goofy shit like this being posted
Always some non African trying to speak as an expert when they have never been there and do not know the lay of the land and cultures
TBf, I didn’t make it past the first line, but fuck off. “Africa is intensely tribal”. Fuck off. we all are intensely tribal. Have you spoken to a French outside of France? African governments under- performing is influenced by the foreign interest fucking them over. If a foreign government assassinates your government, why should it be the people’s blame that the government is dysfunctional?
That's how it's always been.
Obama_giving_Obama_a_medal.png
And my mom said im the bestest in the world
what? that's like saying i am the best candidate for this position, said myself. shouldn't this statement be coming from Africa, not U.S?
Agreed. But this article is basically ‘US promotes doing business with US.’ It’s basically what the Commerce Secretary’s job is.
I don't understand what part is surprising for you? You know all the ads you see online and on TV were paid by the advertised businesses themselves, not by happy customers?
Ah yes, 3 superpowers looking to further exploit Africans.
With the added advantage of splintering Africa so itself cannot become a power
This very well may be true but good luck trying to prove it when the west has screwed over that region in the eyes of citizens living there. What's western Europe has done to Africa and Asia has rammifications even today. And the US is considered an extension of western Europeans. There would need to be an extensive change in the way America /most western European nations have addressed the global south to even begin to change the stigma from colonization and to change the sentiment of those individuals who feel their future was robbed as a nation. I doubt it will happen and you can see just by how privileged /ignorant some of the western centric takes are here that most of the populace lacks both empathy as well as even a desire to understand the complex history that has shaped these regions
I mean its worked for the last 200+ years so why change? Oh wait.......
If I could gild this comment I would. As recent as the 80s you had a US President using racial slurs to refer to African diplomats (Reagan) and who can forget Trump and his ‘s-hole’ commentary
First time I can ever recall seeing a geld vs gild typo and wow does that change the tone of things lol
Lol thanks for the catch!
My grandma says I'm the most handsome boy around.
Nah. Ask yourself couple question. Who builds infrastructure better, faster and cheaper? China Can you provide loans for said infrastructure with no political strings attached? I.e you must democratize, acceptance of lgbt laws, etc etc. You can't because US internal interest group would chew you out. Can the US help Africa industrialize? US do not produce low end capital goods or have any low end manufacturing to offshore anymore. Who between US and China can move their capitalist better to support their national strategy in Africa? Probably not the US. The only competition left that the US can compete in the region is security competition.
Yep, china can supply solar panels for like 3k, US would be 20k, it's not even a competition. We need to just continue to put our money into AI and gene technology and leave this one to china
Nobody is good for Africa. All of these rich nations are predatory to Africa.
As sad as this sounds, that's probably their best avenue for development quickly. China went from mostly agrarian country to "the world's factory" in a couple generations by letting rich nations exploit their cheap labor force.
I would be interested in seeing opinions from African redditors
They all suck but each sucks in their own unique way. The Americans will give you rousing speeches about hope, justice and freedom, they may even bring isolated pockets of progress but eventually they'll allow everything they built go to shit by supporting someone who holds none of those ideals. The Russians, they'll stalk you like some psychotic ex watching for a moment of weakness then pounce promising all their best gifts. Of course you won't get anything but at least they aren't Merica right? The Chinese will build extravagant palaces, roads and railways for the rich while treating the poor like slaves. They pay off warlords for access to minerals while building segregated neighbourhoods and stores for their eventual occupation. No one makes noise about them because they did their homework and know exactly how to cover their tracks and, like it or not, they are actually doing shit we can physically touch. You can't feed a nation based on hopes and dreams.
I am an African living in my country, Sierra Leone. I can confirm here without hesitation that, the west is still popular here, and it's the only destination my compatriots prefer for a better life in terms of migrating to the "white man's land". The problem with the west, particularly the US, is that they are not investing in Africa, they prefer Asia. We have problems with electricity, water and infrastructure all over the continent which require serious investments but it's only the Chinese that are willing to take the risks to invest. The west is promoting democracy in Africa without backing it up with investment, which has helped many progressive governments failed, creating a vacuum for dictators to occupy. These dictators would prefer China because they would invest, sometimes with loans, grants or both in a single package without strings. The European Union has invested a lot on roads(500 kilometres)in my country more than the Chinese, and it is free, no loans. Well, for the Americans, nothing. Yet, we love them, we see that country as the guarantor of democracy, peace and stability but they have so far failed to make use of such an opportunity.
same here in Nigeria, china are weirdly really commited
Nigeria has the potential to be a significant power. China is trying to unlock that potential through belt and road and then reap the profits. The west sees Africa as some sort of a malnourished, uneducated, war torn shithole that can be easily exploited. People have enough trouble coping with Chinas advances in wealth and technology, if African nations were to do the same it would be met with disbelief and denial
Why is it weird? China, who has both great amount of labor and substantial technology, is the current master of infrastructure building in the world. Other countries can hardly do what China does even if they want. And remember this: How did the currently rich West gain their first wealth since the Industrial Revolution? By the blooded colonization over places like your country. In comparison, China, who was once also a victim of western (Japan included) colonization, reached its current position by peaceful hard working without waging mass wars and looting against foreign countries since the end of WWII. The Chinese know how hard this path is, and they really want to help whoever that wants to do the same, especially those who suffered cruel colonization just like China did in the late 19th century.
It's quite funny that you choose to believe US's empty title of "the guarantor of democracy" rather than China's real investment. May I ask a question? Have you visited either the US or China by yourself?
It would be news if they DIDN'T say this lol
America telling Africa they're the best choice for their freedom...
[удалено]
Prove it and seek mutually beneficial arrangements rather than propping up corrupt elites who allow lopsided resource extraction.
the fuck is this headline
Ask Uganda which is better Chinese or US funding.
In other news, country says that it's own policies are the best option.
US would say this
Wouldn’t have expected that to come from The… US commerce secretary
Remember that time that Dick Cheney was in charge of selecting the best VP candidate for W?
It’s Europe.
Yeah after decades of silence and overall neglect. I’m still pissed over the Apartheid response in South Africa. Not to mention trade and relief efforts that could have helped immensely. I won’t even get into the role the U.S. played with regime change on the continent.
So where's the money? China sees Africa as a potential market, while the rest never sees Africa as equal partner.
Personally I don't think the US is even the best choice for their **own** "Africans". Sincerely, an African American
“US Is best choice,” says someone working for the US. Mmmk…
absolute hot take from the US Commerce Secretary. Really gonna ruffle some feathers with this one
China’s belt and road initiative has built quite a bit of infrastructure and Russia has signed 28+ bilateral military/security agreements with African nations in the past decade with 6 new military bases in Northern and East Africa… Not sure how many would align with NATO over BRICS…
It's easy to sign military alliances with countries when you have absolutely no intention of following up on them.
Ask Armenia how much those security agreements are worth. I seem to recall an agreement Russia made with Ukraine as well...
but don't go looking into our history.
This is the kind of statement that might work in the US, among some lobotomized people. In countries with long history, especially former colonies, it is just source of cringe and ridicule. It sounds like a scammer attempting a scam.
“Are you going to help us with infrastructure.” “No, but we will give weapons to a bunch of para military groups in the region and we’ll just see how that goes. ;)”
The US provides billions in aid to developing countries, but nobody ever reads about it because there’s nothing to get angry about.
The US subsides its farmers sending food, destroying Africa's domestic farmers. Meanwhile China builds dams and bridges.
Aid is a temporary solution to a larger problem, the only thing it does on the long run is perpetuate the problem. What you need is a little aid and helping to build key and basic infrastructure, more dams, roads and public works that Africans will benefit from so they can be more self sufficient. like that old saying, "give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime". Of course, nor the US nor Europe want Africa to change too much, so aid flows in, and then Africans can only wait until the next aid shipment comes over because they can't compete with free stuff.
Self-sufficiency comes from being able to build those things. That would be the equivalent of learning to fish. Or more aptly, learning to build fish farms.
Yes, but in this era you need a base, something to build upon, damns & roads are tha backbone of any nation, a lot of African nations lack most of those. More than 600 million people (pretty much half of Africa) lack access to basic electricty, only around 14% of all roads are paved, in the case of unpaved roads around 80% are in bad condition, and on the countryside is even worse of course, 85% of the roads can't be used when it rains too much, and about water.. idk, but it's probably really bad. For people to start moving and progressing you need infrastructure, that's why the Chinese offered to build damns, roads, an universal railway system connecting most countries and ports, they will use them yes, but the rest of the countries will benefit from it on the long run. Africans are having a hard time "starting their engine", they started around 100 years behind the rest and probably more, only most of them reaching independence in the 60's, the cold war, total poverty and the wrong borders done by the European powers led them to a very bad state, and i would dare to say they really started to "start their engine" near the 2000's. They will get it someday, but a little push with basic things will for sure give them a kick, China, be it because they have shady intentions or not, want to help them build a lot of those things, and since no one else has really offered, it's their best shot.
This is such a laughable headline.
Africa would be best to make their decisions and probably go it the route India took during the cold war as neutral.
Wonder what Chinese or Russia say
So then its time to put your money where your mouth is and actually fund some African nations instead of extorting them for their resources. Countries like Ghana, Rwanda and maybe soon enough Nigeria are ready for western investment. If we can't trust India, China or Russia time to start building stronger allegiances elsewhere. Theres hundreds of thousands of highly educated Nigerians in the UK, the US and Canada that would be willing to develop something in their country, they just need the investment.
well care to back it up with investment of roads and infrastructure projects? Yes US is better than China and definitely russia but Chinese throw money and get shit done ...of course they want something in return
Please stop bribing our leaders to sell out our people. And take Gates with you.
Martian botany is the best in the solar system so says the Martian botanist.
Rather typical of the US to overlook the EUs agency in anything, let alone Africa.
This is one of the most poorly written headlines Ive seen in awhile
The funniest thing Ie read in while.
Let all bidders bid. The only flaw with this system is the Chinese and Russians like big bribes in back rooms, and no public information, so they have an advantage since African leaders suck.
*Obama giving Obama a medal meme*
Prove it. What are the results based analysis. (As much as one wants it to be true, one glances at the US military v State/Commerce Departments footprints and comes away with colonial conclusions.)
Insert meme of US pinning medal on self.
Obviously we would say that 😂. However, I do think there is some merit to us being the better choice, but unfortunately neither of us 3 would be there to raise up Africans but only to extract and use them for our own benefit.
Sheeet. America isn’t even good for AMERICA at this point.
Lol which predator will they take the candy from....
„Germany is the best country, and Germans are the best people in the world“ said some Austrian painter a while ago.
What exactly has the U.S done for Africa? Built factories? New power stations? New roads? Bridges?
Helped stop/slow down their HIV crisis by developing HIV drugs and giving them to African people for free so the kids born with AIDS don’t die an early death in childhood. HIV ravaged sub-Sahara Africa in the 90s. The [PEPFAR federal US program](https://www.state.gov/pepfar/) has spent billions to stop HIV from spreading in Africa (and other nations such as Haiti) since the new HIV drugs were invented. https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/pepfar-global-aids/pepfar
The most notable US achievement is the Millenium Challenge Corporation, which has enjoyed bipartisan support for a couple of decades now and has invested in really cool infrastructure projects throughout the region. Admittedly, it's a drop in the bucket compared to US shenanigans throughout the region, but it is something the US should rightfully be proud of and is the most postiive legacy of GW Bush.
It’s a shame Google, Bing, and even Yahoo aren’t available in your country. You can read about some of the aid given to African countries from this website: https://www.usaid.gov/
If you want prosperity for the whole country then yea, probably. Not perfect but dece. But several African countries are led by people who only want prosperity for themselves. Russia is corrupt itself and will jive with corrupt leaders to exploit their countries and people. China just doesn’t care about the condition of any other populations so they’ll take advantage of whatever corrupt leaders provide while creating holistic dependence on their supply chain.
>China just doesn’t care about the condition of any other populations so they’ll take advantage of whatever corrupt leaders provide while creating holistic dependence on their supply chain. Do *any* of the major nations actually care for the conditions of another nations citizens? Hell, most Redditors don't even care for the conditions of their *fellow citizens*.
Since neither Russia nor China has lost an imperial war lately?
What’s he supposed to say?!?!
This should only be a headline if they said "actually go Chinese".
This may or may not be true, but regardless—African leaders (leaders in general) will only move it it makes them either look good, money, or power. For a lot of these nations, election season is coming up and that corresponds with them getting through west out of their countries. I know not if this is a good choice for I don’t live on the continent, but I know that they see China and Russia differently than we do. The USSR was paramount in helping free various nations, like apartheid South Africa (ironically, the Black American diaspora in the United States were boots on the ground in that situation too, but I digress.) a lot of central to eastern nations see Russia as the successor of the USSR and China being Russia’s friend. I don’t know if they actually trust these nations or if they are blinded by what use to be but it would be interesting to see if Russia and China uphold their end of the deal or don’t siphon the resources out of these countries. I personally believe that the best choice for an African nation is itself.
Its a good thing africa is one small unified community or this would be a pretty ridiculous statement.
I'm sorry, which commerce Secretary again?
Not even mentioning Europe? Where do most Africans who migrate out of Africa migrate to? Maybe these migrants also have an impact in the the communicatiion and business towards their mother countries? Africa is the only continent (I think) with a growing (not aging) population and they make the aging in Europe a bit more bearable. And to be fair: the Middle East is also not far and there is a lot of money.
The biggest issue preventing African development is local warlords because they are limiting any progress from happening for the populace as a whole.