US African Policy

To whom it may concern,

Since colonial times, the outer world's engagement in Africa has been from a distance, and could be characterized by the slogan "Resources first, Africans second". There is genocide in Darfur, human rights abuses in Zimbabwe, and a jihadist safe haven in Somalia. While the fight against AIDS has been valiant, no direct engagement has occurred since the US left Mogadishu. With an African-American president, in what new ways will the US now engage the African continent?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP