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Foreign policies are very important to the United States. The United States is fully recognized as the strongest nation and with that power comes ultimate sense of responsibility. The main purpose of every countries foreign policy is to survive and stay strong in today’s world affairs. It is a policy that provides a powerful national security, keeps a strong economy with other nations, and is a chance to provide a good influence on the world; but above all is the desire for international peace.

The development of AFRICOM comes within the context of a dramatic build up in U.S. military activity in Africa since 2002. The total amount of U.S. military sales, financing and training expenditures for eight African countries considered particularly strategic of the “war on terror” has increased from about $40 million between 1997 and 2001 to over $130 million between 2002 and 2006.

The projected structure of AFRICOM would place humanitarian work previously done by the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Department of Defense (DOD) directive. To U.S. and African civil society groups, and even to U.S. Congressional critics of AFRICOM, the Administration has argued that the State Department will remain responsible for diplomacy and development while AFRICOM will “support” USAID and other humanitarian organizations in the delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance. The Administration suggests there will be more civilian oversight of AFRICOM than any other Military Command. Yet it remains hard to see how African policy will not be driven by military engagement as opposed to a genuine partnership if the State Department and USAID are positioned under DOD in AFRICOM.


African voices from civil society and from democratically elected African governments should be honored in decisions relating to the location of AFRICOM and its role in Africa. Thus far, only Liberia has given...