"Africa, You Have a Friend in Washington" Book Launch Event.
Last week, I celebrated the launch of my latest book, “Africa, You Have a Friend in Washington: An American Diplomat's Adventures in Sub-Saharan Africa”. The book, published earlier this month, is a memoir chronicling my years spent in the Foreign Service and my experiences with some of Africa's most iconic leaders. Thank you to DACOR and the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training for hosting us. I would also like to express my thanks to all who were able to attend. I was honored by your presence and support at the event.
Interview: America and You: The G20 Summit
Article: A Fragile Opportunity for Peace in Sudan
I discuss the conflict in Sudan and how continued disruption in the region will have harsh consequences both for the Sudanese people, and for the world at large. But once again history educates us on why it is important for the U.S. to offer a supporting hand to any potential peace process in the Sudan to establish a civilian government that will secure lasting stability for the Sudanese people. Read more in allAfrica.
Interview: America and You: The Indictment of Donald Trump
Article: Deepening Working Relationships in Africa
I discuss the second U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit that took place in Washington, D.C., in December 2022 after nearly a decade. The Biden administration’s policy statement emphasized human rights, good governance, food security, peace, and a favorable environment for private sector investments. The summit’s focus was on extending and deepening the partnership between the U.S. and Africa. Read more in the Foreign Service Journal
Interview: A Year of War in Ukraine: Options for Ending the Conflict
Interview: My Reaction to the Death of President Mikhail Gorbachev
My Statement on the Death of Angola's Former President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos
My condolences to the family of former Angolan President Eduardo dos Santos upon his passing. I had regular meetings with President Eduardo Dos Santos of Angola while I held senior positions in African affairs in the U.S. Government from 1986 to 1993. At all times, I found him to be a sincere believer in peace and democracy for his people. While his tenure in office was undermined by civil war and fiscal mismanagement, I believe he set the stage for the strong democratic and anti-corruption systems that followed.
Read MoreArticle: A Tipping Point For Democracy In African Countries
Article: Le moment est venu pour un pivot [de l’Amérique] vers l’Afrique
![Article: Le moment est venu pour un pivot [de l’Amérique] vers l’Afrique](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53fbee7de4b025af9f19f385/1649187424119-P8WTFZSOTSW871TM203P/COMM-PRO-3-22+hero.jpg)
A French translation of my recent article, in which I discuss how Africa is not a battlefield for competition with China and Russia. We must see African aid, development, and investment as worthy security projects in their own right – in this article for Proceedings.
Les États-Unis doivent considérer l’aide, le développement et l’investissement de l’Afrique comme de sérieux projets de sécurité à part entière. Les investissements dans l’agriculture durable, l’énergie propre, les infrastructures et la finance attendent que les États-Unis prennent les initiatives.
Read MoreArticle: The Time Is Right for a Pivot to Africa
Article: How American diplomacy can help Guinea's people
Article: Dealing with Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
MONUSCO forces on patrol in North Kivu (UN Images)
Violence in the DRC is spiraling out of control. In this article for American Diplomacy, I discuss potential solutions to the conflicts in the east, and the role of politics and the military in perpetuating insecurity.
My Senegalese Experience with Walter Mondale
In June 1980, I was completing my three-year assignment as U.S. Ambassador to Senegal. Our family effects were all packed and ready for shipment to Washington. We were about to depart after a round of farewell dinners given by fellow ambassadors and government officials. At the last minute, we received instructions from the State Department to delay. Vice President Walter Mondale had scheduled a goodwill visit to West Africa in mid-July. Senegal was his first stop, and I was to manage his visit.
Read MoreHow Climate Change, Aid & Security Can Help President Biden Re-Engage Africa
For allAfrica, I wrote this article on how the Biden administration is likely to take a new approach to Africa. It is reproduced below.
Despite dire predictions, the Trump Administration's overall policy toward Africa represented continuity. Foreign aid continued; skilled diplomats were appointed and deployed to resolve conflicts; and the signature Africa programs of past presidents remained unabated. The administration launched a trade program, and President Trump himself intervened to mediate a brewing conflict in east Africa.
Read MoreClimate Change: The Biden Administration's Opportunity in Africa
For Ambassador John Campbell’s Africa in Transition blog on the Council on Foreign Relations website, I authored this piece on how the Biden administration can take a more direct approach to addressing the causes and effects of climate change in Africa. It is reproduced below.
Climate change is both one of the greatest threats to Africa and an area in which Biden administration policy is most likely to differ from President Trump's. Through his leadership on this issue, the president-elect has a chance to make a difference for millions of Africans while setting a global example for urgent action.
Read MoreBublup Roll: Crises in the Sahel
Photo by Daniel Tiveau/CIFOR
The Sahel – a region spanning the African continent laterally, just under the Sahara Desert – is experiencing one of the world's most dire arrays of crises. Violent extremism, political instability, economic desperation, the effects of climate change, and COVID-19 are all threatening the Sahel at once. In this Roll, I grapple with some of the region's greatest challenges, and how the international community can make a difference there.