THE NEW IMPERIALISM US politicsin Africa
-from May issue of Umsebenzi (SACP)-

The USA has openly declared a new aggressiveness in Africa, writes Jeremy
Cronin. It is an aggressiveness that seeks to ensure a major new role for
the US in Africa's political and economic affairs. We need to be clear
about the real intentions behind such movements.

Commentators still write endlessly about the "marginalisation" of Africa,
about "Afro- pessimism", and of the "neglect" with which Africa is being
treated by the major capitalist countries. It is true that the African
continent has been and remains massively underdeveloped. But talk of
"neglect" suggests that this plight has to do with Europe and North America
"walking away".

In fact, the poverty of Africa has a great deal to do with the ongoing
active involvement of imperialist governments and corporations. There is,
even in this post-Cold War period, still a significant external military
presence in our continent. In particular France maintains 8 200 soldiers in
bases in Africa. So much for "neglect".

This is not to say that there have not been some significant shifts in
imperialist policy in the course of the 1990s. In particular, the rivalry
between imperialist powers, and specifically between France and the US has
sharpened. The US, at present, only has 7% of the market for African
imports, compared to the 41% of the European Union. But the Clinton
administration has made no secret of its intention to play a much more
aggressive economic and political role in Africa. Recently, the late Ron
Brown, then US Secretary of Commerce, declared that "from now on the US is
not going to give way on African markets to the old colonial powers."

That was an open declaration of a new US aggressiveness in Africa. It is an
aggressiveness that is now being played out in the rivalry between the US
and France in the Great Lakes region, and Zaire.

Both France and the US have backed Mobuto for three decades. This backing
was central, amongst other things, to the ongoing destabilisation of
Angola, and to the buttressing of reactionary regimes in Rwanda. Now,
however, the US has done a somersault, declaring the Mobuto regime a
"dictatorship" and advising him to go. The US is effectively exploiting,
for its own purposes, the extremely reactionary African politics of France.
It is no secret that Laurent Kabila's forces have been heavily backed and
assisted by the US. Our own South African attempt to broker peace in Zaire
seems to be routed, a great deal of the time, through Washington, with key
SA government representatives travelling to the US almost on a fortnightly
basis.

This is not to say that the Kabila rebel offensive, or our own government's
peace endeavours can be reduced to a simple "US agenda". The Kabila
offensive clearly enjoys overwhelming popular support, certainly in the
eastern half of Zaire. If the US is prepared to back a genuine
democratisation process, so much the better.

But we need to be extremely vigilant about other agendas. Even as we go to
press there are some signs that Washington is now becoming alarmed that
Kabila and his forces might just be too popular. Washington would prefer a
much more stale-mated situation to emerge in Zaire. They would like to see
Mobuto out and French influence drastically reduced. But they would not
like to see a genuinely popular movement capable of sustaining an
independent Zaire.

>From the South African side, we need to be careful that, in our support
for democracy and for a minimisation of conflict in Zaire, we do not play
into someone else's agenda.

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2 stars - to the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of
Congo-Zaire for sweeping away the corrupt and dictatorial regime of Mobuto
and bringing a sense of unity among Zaire's long-suffering people. Along
with the vast majority of Zaireans, Red Star wishes Mobuto a sufficiently
agonising retirement in the only place he belongs - hell!

2 thumbs down - to the United States of America for its arrogant
imperialist grandstanding in our continent. Cynically attempting to
convince Africans that it only seeks to support 'democracy' in places such
as Zaire and Sudan, the USA has once again shown that all it really cares
about is global power and profits. Africans would be well advised to take
up the call of our comrades in Latin America - 'IMPERIALISTAS GO HOME!'