Prometheus 6   

allAfrica.com
ANALYSIS
July 8, 2003
By Charles Cobb Jr.
Washington, DC

No Question, say analysts of varied persuasions across the political spectrum, President George W. Bush has surprised them with the attention he seems to be paying to Africa. Campaigning for the presidency three years ago, Bush said Africa was not one of the "areas of strategic importance," to the U.S. and that given a choice, he would not have sent troops into Rwanda to head off the genocide in 1994.

Now, here he is on the cusp of sending up to 2,000 U.S. troops into Liberia and traveling across the continent holding out the promise of billions of new dollars for the HIV/Aids fight and foreign assistance. He also has a billion dollars for the anti-terror fight - and the head of the United States European Command, General James Jones, says Africa is a potential terrorist breeding ground that will require U.S. bases on the continent.

Oil, as well as terrorism, seems to be an important part of the president's new-found Africa awareness. Currently, the United States imports about 18 percent of its oil from Africa - most of it from Nigeria, Angola and Gabon. By some estimates, oil imports from Africa are expected to grow to 25 percent over the next 10 years. But he dismisses the idea that his Africa policy is driven by oil interests: "Well, there are conspiracy theorists everywhere, I guess."