American Strategy in Africa.

In an article warning about a potential clash of civilizations, Huntington said "and possibly Africa", when listing the eight civilizations he reckoned in the world. But, if it not a civilization on itself, he never suggested to include Africa in another one. As Huntington illustrated, the United States never historically regarded Africa as serious or significant. Thus, it never set Africa as a priority of its strategy or of its foreign policy, which hindered its actions and achievements on the continent. Consequently, the US military never had a strong footprint, and never did actually well there. Until the late 60s, internal racial tensions in the United States itself simply prevented policy makers to consider changing the priority over Africa. After the 60s, the government had just too full of an agenda with the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the two oil shocks and then the collapse of the USSR and the western block... Nonetheless, finally acknowledging Africa's potential, and taking advantage of a more favorable and quiet period, the United States chose to change its approach and consequently created Africom in 2007. Interestingly enough, not to say awkwardly, this Geographical Combatant Command is based in Europe. Yet already effective, it could do much better providing some minor adjustments.
Understanding the tenets of American exceptionalism and the importance and challenges of cross cultural communication should lead the US military to reconsider its basing method in Africa, which will increase its military effectiveness on the continent in the short term and have a positive lasting impact on its way of war. Two main arguments and a suggestion motivate this thesis. First, the current basing and behavior of US forces in Afric...

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...can tendencies, especially the arrogant ideological sense of American exceptionalism is a first step. Understanding that its troops need intercultural skills to operate properly abroad is the second stage. A new basing approach consisting in deployment personnel with their family seems a pragmatic solution to leverage these challenges. Indeed, it will give the military the cultural immersion required for learning intercultural abilities and, in the meantime, will have a positive economic impact for the indigenous population. This will drag sympathy and therefore legitimacy to US forces. In addition to the cultural awareness, this will increase its military effectiveness on the continent in the short term. This could as well have a lasting impact on the American way of war since, as shown by Powel's example, can be easily transposed to other cross-cultural situations.