Mzalendo, here you go!
MORE OF THE SAME, IF ANYTHING WORSETo peer through the dust in the wake of the blaze of the Trump caravan to Washington, we join the multitudes already racking their heads as to what his ascent to imperial throne will mean for them.
Hilary Rodham C. was a known quantity.
An old school corrupt, regime-change debauched pervert --see her achieve orgasm at the video of Gaddaffi's gory death; a pathological liar and greedy militarist establishment empress of neo-liberal supremacy she was. Team Hilary was a known quantity, even the pitfalls of her frail health.
The Donald is worrisome. Every clown in power is. Unpredictability. He promised to tear down the Obama legacy: so, question,
does that mean the painfully-negotiated nuclear deal with Iran is dead!?The European elite, for instance, suffering a historical dependency complex embodied in the NATO, ---an American security umbrella from under which they can practice belligerence on the cheap, in a war-like posture against Russia for one, are scared witless following the statements made by Trump on the campaign trail. He said Europe should pay for her own security, America needs her liquidity at home, cleaning rust from the rust belt.
Nearly half of his countrymen agree. That raises quite a spectre.
Western Europe, The EU without American leadership in NATO? The Euro-baggas are shitting cum in their pants at the thought.
Europe taking care of its own defences would be the greatest geo-political shift since the defeat of NAZI Germany in 1945. Not even the collapse of the Soviet Union and the re-unification of Germany are that profound. No, not even a hard Brexit would be.
So how about Africa? the rising continent of our ancestors?
Donald
Trump came up an east coast real-estate mogul. He has no particular interest in Africa, neither commercial nor emotional. Neither is he known to
use Black women as the term goes, even for exotic curiosity and diversity in knowledge, carnal or otherwise -he is a classic barbie doll man.
Gentlemen prefer even fake blondes!
His nativist and white supremacist instincts are thus very firm. And authentic --Bill Clinton, slick willie, could not dog-whistle white racism enough to have his wife beat Obama, back in the day. Nobody believes Bill does not eat black puszy like it was something the doc ordered weekly. Trump does not care a dime about Africa.
This means we have to look at Obama, and the historical line of American policy he has represented toward Africa: this policy has been a
careful cover-up of plunder and pillage. It has been mercenary and colonial and manipulative.
And if we consider the real reasons why Gaddafi's Libya was destroyed by Obama and Hilary, none can run away from the score. Keeping Africa under the boot.Obama for Africa is one word:
AFRICOM. A fricom is a strategic insertion of military assets and infrastructure to secure
African resources for the USA. These are deemed necessary for the continual dominance of the USA as a global imperial enterprise. This political economy, while it sounds good to American interests, and indeed is the pre-occupation of their intelligence,
means the USA is doomed to alliance with the worst forces in Africa. These will be forces working against the rise Africa. A rising Africa is assertive over her natural resources, protective over her sovereignty, responsive to her peoples will and dreams, opposed to foreign domination in whatever disguise. No peoples dream of enslavement in whatever form. Few people ever want military bases in their country; it is an occupation, and if a super power, allows that power tremendous influence on the politics of a land. The AFRICOM operation is therefore surrounded in a lot of
secrecy.
This operation, Trump will leave as it is, unless the costs register at the treasury as questionable. It will simply be a matter of how much money it costs.
This I don't care attitude is likely to lead to a turf-war between
amateurs who will be awarded the African portfolio as the spoils of the election win, and those of the institutional memory at the Africa desk, posing as pious guardians of empire, province Africa. These later group are the
Jendayi Fraziers and the do-gooders who came along with the likes of
Samantha Powers. These will front companies with portfolios which can enlarge in Africa:
Oil, mining, biotech, software tech, arms sales, pharmaceuticals. They will even seek to compete China in infrastructure.The expected expenditure, expansion of infrastructure in Africa, is estimated a
$1000 bilion the coming decade. At $90bn a year there is sure some meat to tap off China's fork. As desperate as Yankees are, that is too much to let pass.
Though institutional memory has been burning its bridges with the new CiC, they still could come in handy abroad, either as freelancers or rogue agents running their rogue assets for new, aggressive companies. Here is a general reminder of how it was as the Donald rose.
may be these personifications of the FAILED WASHINGTON ELITE did not vote for him, and pledged never to work for him, but now that bread and butter issues arise, they all will only be too ready to dog at the beck and call of the boss. From there they could,if need be, use their establishment connections and institutional memory to sabotage stuff they do not want from the new president!
The president is unlikely to pick areas he does not care enough about like Africa, to be his fighting grounds with the entrenched bureaucracy aka Deep State. That would be politically stupid. But his appointees could, for their own reasons including having plenty of time. In this later case,
Africa will be a football kicked haphazardly around in competing and contradictory policies at the SD.But the real effect of the Donald Trump win will be felt
indirectly. Trump came down heavy on
Africa's main-man in trade and loans, China. He accused her of currency manipulation, over-export to the USA and, thereby, stealing USA manufacture jobs. Trump has protectionist instincts then. The USA has been China's greatest export market, and China the USA's greatest export market for dollars. China will have to find alternatives if the Donald acts. China is still an
export driven production power house, and her attempts to up domestic consumption has not made lots of headway, though the prospects are bright (as we shall see from a McKinsey report).
Facing closed export markets in the USA, the
import substitution industries the Chinese have been financing in Africa may be in for a temporary freeze. China will not want to promote competitive manufacturing abroad at a time when goods manufactured at home face blockades, and a
glut in her export oriented ports. They would rather have Africa as a consumer zone, a dumping zone, for their finished products from home.
But here is a
McKinsey report on the changing consumption dynamics of the Chinese domestic market, re-organised by social demographics, economic prosperity and government policy.
By 2022, Asia will be the largest upper and middle class consumer market. Surpassing the EU and North America. This of course is the other reason for the famous Obama Asia pivot. Asia, that is where it will be happening in future.
The question is, the future has began, but when does it arrive. Or has it arrived?
Now let us do the notorious AGOA.
AGOA: AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT
