海角大神

President Obama departs Wednesday on what is only the second trip of his presidency to sub-Saharan Africa, touting a development model that promises American investment in everything from food production to natural-resources extraction while also emphasizing democracy, anticorruption efforts, and strengthening the rule of law.聽

It鈥檚 what the White House calls a 鈥減artnership model.鈥� And, at least on paper, it stands in stark contrast to the model of China and other countries hungry for Africa鈥檚 resources and keen on taking part in its economic development, but who make few demands on Africa鈥檚 leaders for political reforms. In recent years, China has roared into Africa with billions of dollars in investments 鈥� in mining, transportation infrastructure, energy 鈥� while leaving issues of political and social progress largely on the sidelines.

Mr. Obama鈥檚 job over his seven-day, three country trip 鈥� with stops in Senegal, Tanzania, and South Africa 鈥� will be to convince the political leaders, entrepreneurs, and young Africans he meets that, in the long run, the model the US proposes will serve more Africans and contribute more to the continent鈥檚 stability and prosperity. Five of the world鈥檚 10 fastest growing economies are in sub-Saharan Africa.聽

But first, many Africa experts say, the US president will have to convince a continent that America, which has largely sat out Africa鈥檚 recent impressive economic growth, really is ready to get back in Africa鈥檚 game.

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush made strides in US Africa policy, but then 鈥淧resident Obama came in, and there was a sense of stall,鈥� says Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington. 鈥淎frica just seemed to fall away in terms of excitement, in terms of energy and momentum.鈥�

White House officials insist that the administration is serious about reenergizing the US role in Africa beyond what Ms. Cooke calls the 鈥渕aintenance mode鈥� of Obama鈥檚 first term. They say he will signal that new commitment not only through the 500 US business leaders who will accompany the president at some point on his trip, but also through his emphasis on the US 鈥渕odel鈥� of a mutually beneficial relationship.

鈥淭he type of leadership that the US brings to the continent uniquely advances opportunities for more Africans, and frankly, we believe represents a better聽model聽of engagement not just for the United States, but for democratic development on the continent,鈥� says Ben Rhodes, Obama鈥檚 deputy national security adviser. Citing 鈥渙ur democratic values 鈥� our businesses and 鈥� our focus on capacity-building for聽African聽solutions,鈥� Mr. Rhodes says the American development model 鈥渋s ultimately going to be welcomed on the continent鈥� because it will be seen as in the interest of the widest range of Africans.

Given聽Africa鈥檚 emergence, they鈥檒l be making determinations about their own futures and about their own partners," Rhodes says. 鈥淎nd we believe that what the United States brings to the table is a聽model聽of partnership that serves our interest but also the interest of people in sub-Saharan聽Africa.鈥�

No one expects Obama to draw a specific comparison with China, but his emphasis on the broad advantages of partnering with the US will be clear enough, some regional experts say.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he鈥檒l mention China explicitly, because you don鈥檛 want to define US聽engagement in terms of China,鈥� Cooke says. 鈥淏ut he will want to make the case [for] why the US makes a聽good partner in investment.鈥� She says US firms 鈥渢end to bring technology transfer,聽knowledge transfer, training, maintenance packages, quality brand recognition, a whole聽slew of things that other international competitors don鈥檛 necessarily bring.鈥�

On the other hand, she says, China has a 鈥渕ixed record鈥� in Africa and has been criticized for 鈥渓ack of transparency, bringing its own workers, bringing its own materials, not engaging with the聽communities around them.鈥�

Beyond that, she says, the US 鈥渢ends to do better鈥� at including transparency, democracy, and governance issues in its relations, and at 鈥渆ngaging beyond the government鈥� with more segments of the population than do China and some of the other 鈥渘ew鈥� investors in Africa, such as Malaysia, which recently has surpassed China in African investment, and India. 聽聽

Others say particularly damaging publicity tarnishing some Chinese investors in Africa recently may make this a good moment for Obama to tout a 鈥渘ew partnership鈥� with Africa.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about who promotes democracy and who doesn鈥檛, what it really comes down to is how you treat people,鈥� says Robert Lawrence, a senior fellow and professor of trade and investment at Harvard University鈥檚 John F. Kennedy School of Government.

In a number of African countries, protests aimed at Chinese labor practices have broken out in recent years, Professor Lawrence notes. Last year, miners in Zambia, where China has invested heavily, killed a Chinese supervisor during a labor strike for better pay and working conditions. Also last year, Zambia elected a new president, Michael Sata, who ran on a fiercely anti-China platform.

Lawrence, who was born in South Africa, says Western countries traditionally were the target of African ire and suspicion, in particular over the legacy of colonialism. 鈥淚n many African countries there鈥檚 been a deep-seated hostility toward the West, and that has energized these other relationships鈥� with China and other new investors, he says. 聽

But now, he says, 鈥渨e鈥檙e seeing something similar [to the anti-Western resentment] in this reaction to the Chinese,鈥� which could make this a good moment for Obama to make his pitch.

Some Africa experts see recent US actions in sub-Saharan Africa 鈥� such as creation of Africom, the US Africa Command created in 2007, and establishment of a drone base in Niger 鈥� as evidence that the real US priority in Africa is security, not development.

鈥淧resident Obama鈥檚 trip is likely to focus on trade and investment, but actually US policy toward聽Africa聽has been driven by聽militarism聽and resource extraction,鈥� says Emira Woods, an expert in US Africa policy at Washington鈥檚 Institute for Policy Studies. She says the growing US focus on security concerns, as demonstrated by new drone bases on the continent, is a wrong turn for US Africa policy. 鈥淚nstead,鈥� she says, 鈥渢he US should bolster聽Africa's dramatic economic rise.鈥�

The White House insists that stepped-up US military engagement in Africa is primarily about preparing national militaries to provide their own national security. Some experts, such as Harvard鈥檚 Lawrence, say concerns about US 鈥渕ilitarism鈥� in Africa are exaggerated.

In any case, it will be up to Africans, from average citizens to their governments, to decide issues ranging from how much foreign military presence they want to the model of development they prefer to follow, others say.

鈥淯ltimately it鈥檚 up to the African governments to set the terms of the engagement,鈥� says CSIS鈥檚 Cooke. 鈥淲hether it鈥檚 on environmental due diligence, whether it鈥檚 on transparency, whether it鈥檚 on a level playing field for various actors, employment standards, safety regulations in mines in Zambia, those are for the partner governments to set and to enforce.鈥�