Africa Center for Strategic Studies

By Yahia Zoubir. International Affairs, 2009. The United States has succeeded in creating an effective security network that brings together the Maghreb and Sahel states. However, this cooperative framework focuses narrowly on the threat of terrorism, giving less emphasis to problems such as poverty, poor governance, lack of democracy, corruption, and economic mismanagement that constrain the region. This risks reinforcing the extremism, trafficking, and expanding criminal networks that threaten regional stability.  [PDF]

Indo - African Defence Cooperation: Need For Enhanced Thrust. By Arvind Dutta. Institute for Defense Studies & Analysis, 2008. India has a growing relationship with Africa and enhanced military-to-military exchange can further improve these ties to mutual benefit. Given shared security interests and the value of greater South-South cooperation, India can enhance its current relationship with Africa by helping to fill capacity-building gaps toward a more constructive engagement. [PDF]

China’s African Aid: Transatlantic Challenges. By Deborah Brautigam. The German Marshall Fund of the United States, 2008. China’s growing assistance and loans in Africa have often been interpreted as a strategic effort to gain diplomatic leverage and secure proprietary access to natural resources. Yet China distributes aid widely across the continent, not just to resource-rich countries suggesting a more complex Chinese engagement in Africa and a still-evolving aid policy. [PDF]

U.S. Foreign Assistance and Trade Policies in Africa. By Princeton Lyman. Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2009. Excellent review of the challenges of U.S. foreign assistance in Africa. Assesses policy options, competing priorities, and potential pitfalls of organizational reform. Calls for the establishment of an agreed upon conceptual framework on USG efforts to enhance the development-security linkage, which in turn can drive any restructuring. More generally, the piece challenges U.S. foreign policymakers to assess what they are hoping to achieve through US foreign assistance programs.

China’s Next Security Strategy for Africa. By Jonathan Holslag. Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies, 2008. An excellent overview of China's security policy based on research undertaken in China and several sub-Saharan African countries. [PDF]

Ghana's Foreign Policy and Transnational Security Challenges in West Africa. By Prosper Nii Nortey Addo. Journal of Contemporary African Studies, 2008. Focuses on Ghana's security culture as reflected in its foreign policy, and how it has influenced the way the country addresses transnational security challenges in ECOWAS.

India's Expanding Relations with the Africa and Their Implications for U.S. Interests. By J. Peter Pham. American Foreign Policy Interests, 2007. A brief history of India-Africa relations, followed by India's current interests on the continent, especially with regards to military cooperation and natural resources. [PDF]

Shaping U.S. Policy on Africa: Pillars of a New Strategy. By Johnnie Carson. Institute for National Strategic Studies Strategic Forum, 2004. Excellent strategic overview of Africa's security challenges and avenues for constructive U.S. engagement. Recognizes that many of Africa's challenges are political and economic in orientation. Broad-ranging and concise. [PDF]