Military Review English Edition January-February 2014 | Page 59

AFRICOM

people. Refugees International reports that U S.
aid to Africa is becoming increasingly militarized,
resulting in skewed priorities and less attention
given to longer-term development projects that
could lead to greater stability across the continent.49
Malan argues that “this strategy will not achieve the
security objectives of addressing the root causes of
terrorism and it certainly won’t address the developmental objectives of U.S. foreign policy.”50 Gates
observes that “America’s civilian institutions of
diplomacy and development are undermanned and
underfunded relative to both the military budget and
U.S. relative responsibilities and challenges around
the world.”51 The Pentagon, which controlled about
3 percent of official aid money a decade ago, now
controls 22 percent, while the U.S. Agency for International Development’s share has declined from 65
percent to 40 percent.52
Obviously, it would be naïve to ignore the relevance of military force in overseas contingency
operations, but U.S. failure to address the causes
of growing insurgency in Africa is also a strategic
miscalculation. Gates recommends bolstering the
civilian efforts that he considers vital to U.S. success
overseas. According to Gates, “the most persistent
and potentially dangerous threats will come less
from emerging ambitious states, than from failing

ones that cannot meet their basic needs much less the
aspirations of their people.”53 The priority is rather
to resolve the problems of poverty, promote good
governance, help build weak state capacities, and
promote responsible use of the country’s wealth to
develop the human capacity of all the citizenry. Weak
and failed states, due to their inherent weaknesses,
are safe havens for terrorism and international criminal activities such as drugs and money laundering,
which finance terrorism. The U.S. must work with
African states to arrest the decline in state capacities.
The State Department and United States Agency
for International Development’s unprecedented
Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review
to enhance civilian capabilities of U.S. statecraft
are most welcomed. The review must design a clear
vision that will help build stronger and more effective
governance in weak states, reduce corruption, promote rule of law, stimulate economic development,
reduce poverty, and promote long-term development.54 International coordination and trust-building
are what makes America strong, and Judah Grunstein
articulates this very well by stating :
Much of our national security strategy
depends on securing the cooperation of other
nations, which will depend heavily on the
extent to which our efforts abroad are viewed

Chebelley villagers and Djiboutian guests line the road singing and clapping for the arrival of the official party for the Chebelley Clinic grand
opening ceremony, Chebelly Village, Djibouti, 18 April 2012. (U.S. Air Force, Senior Airman Lael Huss)
MILITARY REVIEW

January-February 2014

57