Former US diplomat discusses Trump’s Africa policy and more

WASHINGTON — 

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares for his 2nd word arsenic president of the United States, questions originate astir what this means for U.S.-Africa relations. In this interrogation with VOA English to Africa’s Paul Ndiho, Tibor Nagy, the erstwhile Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, shares insights into the administration's past approach. Nagy shares his position connected U.S. contention with China and Russia, commercialized policies, including the hold of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, commonly known arsenic AGOA, which provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free entree to U.S. markets and the ongoing crises successful the Sahel and different regions connected the continent.

This interview, which aired connected VOA’s Africa 54 TV programme connected November 27, from VOA office successful Washington, D.C., has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Paul Ndiho: As the erstwhile apical diplomat for African affairs, what should we expect erstwhile it comes to President-elect Donald Trump’s 2nd word for Africa?

Tibor Nagy: I’m precise optimistic. I don’t deliberation radical should interest astir the slogan "America First" due to the fact that that doesn’t mean "America only." There are galore areas wherever interests betwixt the U.S. and Africa intersect. China, we precise overmuch spot arsenic a semipermanent existential threat, and truthful I deliberation we’ll beryllium a small spot much honorable successful saying that portion of our Africa relations is astir China. Then there’s the precise important contented of captious minerals. Why should China monopolize each the captious minerals successful Africa erstwhile it would bash overmuch amended if Western, i.e., American companies were besides involved? So, I deliberation Africans should beryllium optimistic — I deliberation they’ll person a batch much deals and a batch less lectures.

VOA: Many reason that China and Russia person an borderline implicit the U.S. successful Africa. What tin the incoming Trump medication bash amended to vie with those 2 countries?

Nagy: I deliberation you would hold that what Africans privation much than thing else, particularly young Africans, and everyone knows that determination are millions and millions and millions of young Africans, are jobs. Frankly, yes, China has done an atrocious batch of infrastructure projects, but however galore jobs did the African young radical get retired of that? I deliberation the information is that American and Western types of investments, bash pb to the benignant of jobs that young Africans are looking for. And I deliberation that volition beryllium a palmy overseas policy. And I deliberation that that volition beryllium the existent benignant of win-win for some sides.

VOA: President-elect Trump is proposing a 10% tariff connected each goods coming into the United States, evidently with AGOA, Africans are expected to bring goods to the United States escaped of tariffs. What should we expect?

Nagy: What we should expect is to spot what happens, speech from during campaigns, a batch of things are said, and past what the existent argumentation is mightiness beryllium a small spot different. I mean, AGOA is simply a instrumentality passed by Congress and I’m definite that the United States of America volition comply with that law. And arsenic you besides good cognize that instrumentality volition beryllium going retired soon and everybody’s benignant of looking guardant and wondering what benignant of a caller AGOA determination volition be.

VOA: How astir the contented of the Sahel? There is simply a situation successful the Sahel. There are wars successful Sudan, successful the Democratic Republic of Congo. How tin the incoming Trump medication bash amended connected this front?

Nagy: The "three Cs" — crises, conflicts, and coups — person been truly horrible. Again, here, U.S. engagement needs to beryllium different. Lecturing, for example, the subject authorities successful Niger, I deliberation had a batch to bash with america being kicked retired of immoderate precise invaluable aerial bases that wherever we had agreements with and the full contented of coups, I deliberation it’s important for the United States to look astatine coups individually. When a coup happens and we accidental it’s a coup, past we person to chopped definite ties and engagements. What we bash is we telephone immoderate coups, coups, and different coups, not coups, arsenic it happened, for example, successful Gabon, we didn’t telephone it a coup. We conscionable request to beryllium a small spot much honorable and accidental we truly request to beryllium overmuch much flexible successful however we prosecute with those governments due to the fact that often the subject authorities truly needs engagement much to benignant of assistance them spot the mode forward, particularly those that are precise fashionable with the radical erstwhile they happen.

VOA: What would you bash otherwise if you got your aged occupation back?

Nagy: I’m not looking to get my aged occupation backmost due to the fact that being Assistant Secretary erstwhile — is enough. I would look otherwise to beryllium a small spot little hypocritical, to driblet the megaphone, to prosecute with African governments wherever they are, not wherever we privation them to be, and to spot the satellite arsenic it is and particularly enactment truthful overmuch much vigor into Sudan, Ethiopia, Sahel, those kinds of conflicts.

This Q&A originated successful VOA’s English to Africa Service.