China's Expanding African Relations: Implications for U.S National Security
Abstract
The U.S. Army asked the RAND Arroyo Center to examine several aspects of the evolving security landscape and potential effects on U.S. national security involvement in Africa through a project titled Army Force and Resource Requirements to Support AFRICOM. This effort resulted in this report, as well as a companion report by Stephen Watts titled Identifying and Mitigating Risks in Security Sector Assistance for Africa's Fragile States (RR-808-A). This report examines how China s rapidly growing engagement with African states affects the U.S. Army's role on the continent, and it offers policy recommendations for U.S. and Army leaders. While China's engagement with Africa is frequently caricatured as monolithic and geostrategic, this report acknowledges the diversity of Chinese actors interacting with counterparts across 54 African states. It also acknowledges the active role that Africans play in shaping the relationship, as well as the lack of centralized control from Beijing over many Chinese actors. This report should be of interest to U.S. Army and Department of Defense personnel involved in planning related to Africa or China s overseas policies, as well as to broader communities of interest concerned with these subjects. This research was sponsored by the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8, U.S. Army, and conducted within the RAND Arroyo Center s Strategy and Resources Program. RAND Arroyo Center, part of the RAND Corporation, is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the United States Army.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA616001
Entities
People
- Lloyd Throll
Organizations
- RAND Corporation