Stabilization of Africa Through Military Power
Abstract
Despite the billions of dollars of economic aid provided to the many destitute nations of Africa, the continent has made little gains in securing economic prosperity and ending human suffering among its hundreds of millions of inhabitants. Unless long-term stability can be achieved in the numerous failed or failing states within all regions of the continent, the nations of Africa will be unsuccessful in leveraging their considerable natural resources and human capital to achieve their economic potential. African stability is undoubtedly within our national interests due to our growing reliance on African, oil our need for global partners in prosecuting the global war on terrorism, our pursuit of emerging economic opportunities and our support of humanitarian efforts for the impoverished. In order to successfully break Africa from its reliance on foreign aid, the U.S. must aggressively apply the diplomatic, information, economic and military elements of national power to secure African stability for the long-term. Among these elements, military power offers the most promise in achieving stability in the near-term. The drawdown of U.S. forces from Europe offers a timely opportunity to maintain a military presence in the region while also fostering African stability. Clearly, the forward-basing of a portion of these forces within the African continent offers many strategic advantages-including an immediate and viable means of contributing to the stabilization of Africa.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 18, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA432384
Entities
People
- John A. Aho
Organizations
- United States Army War College