AFRICOM

I just read something the other day about this new "command" in Africa, and now there was a brief report on NPR this morning. It's a good question - why is the military (rather than the State Dept) providing "humanitarian" aid in Africa? Here's the take away quote:

"AFRICOM is about oil," says Sandra Barnes, the founding director of the Africa Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15391861

Morning Edition
October 18, 2007
New U.S. Command in Africa Faces Skeptics
by Guy Raz

The new U.S. military command devoted to Africa is now operational. It's called AFRICOM and its launch completes a three-year quest by the Pentagon. The Pentagon divides the world up into six regions known as "combatant commands." The most prominent is CENTCOM — the area that encompasses the Middle East and central Asia. Each command is led by a four-star general who, in turn, is responsible for all the U.S. forces operating in the area.

But according to the Pentagon, AFRICOM will be different. The U.S. Africa command will focus on the humanitarian needs of Africa. Most African leaders are skeptical – or flatly opposed – to the development, which the Pentagon says is a matter of public relations.
[. . .]
The U.S. Navy is already starting to train African navies on ways to prevent illegal smuggling. "We're starting [with the training] in the Gulf of Guinea," says Navy Adm. Henry Ulrich, who says African nations have asked for the help.

The Gulf of Guinea sits atop one of the world's largest untapped oil reserves. Several top naval commanders have argued that the U.S. ought to shift its oil dependence away from the Arabian/Persian Gulf and towards the African Gulf of Guinea.

Many U.S. policymakers share that view, but the emphasis on oil feeds African skepticism over the true motivation in creating AFRICOM. "AFRICOM is about oil," says Sandra Barnes, the founding director of the Africa Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania.

[There's more.]