The historic US-Africa Summit has now passed and it is worth making an early assessment of what it accomplished. Although it will be months before we know whether all the business, security and political commitments that were made are fulfilled, it was by most accounts a success and probably achieved a great deal more than observers expected. Prior to the Summit, critics claimed the Washington gathering was only being held to counter China's growing influence in Africa, but there would be no major new American initiatives on Africa to rival those that emanated from China over the last decade. Other critics claimed that President Obama would avoid discussing the thorny issues related to democracy and human rights and that some African leaders might skip the event because the President was not planning to hold any bilateral meetings, or they wanted to avoid being lectured to about governance and corruption issues. Many of these early assumptions were proved wrong. The Summit was largely an Administration success. It burnished President Obama's foreign policy credentials on Africa, reaffirmed his commitment to the continent and highlighted his Administration's key policy initiatives. And, in its most significant achievement, it showcased his determination - with a [...]
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