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Here on The ReidOut Blog, I’ve been quite interested in covering the international relationships between the United States and various African countries, and my coverage has always had an eye on the future.
As I’ve written previously, resource-rich African nations — particularly those that can provide materials used to power emerging technologies — have other countries around the world seeing dollar signs. And the fact that Africa has the world’s youngest, fastest-growing population guarantees that the continent — both the people on it and the commodities within it — will play a major role in the global economy and international relations in the years ahead.
That has set off a global charm offensive of sorts, led by China, Russia and the United States, in which various nations have tried to woo African leaders and convince them of the benefits of cozying up. But heads of African countries aren’t inclined to accept lip service from nations that, in various ways, have long oppressed them. Over the past year, we’ve seen some African countries wield their influence in ways that have shaken the balance of power a bit … and we may see more of this in the future.
The rising influence of African countries and other countries in the Southern Hemisphere (a grouping occasionally called the “Global South”) was the focus of a recent discussion that Joy Reid had with Angela Pashayan, who was a researcher for Joy’s new book on Myrlie and Medgar Evers. Angela has a new book of her own, “Development in Africa’s Informal Settlements: Below the Proletariat.”
Check out their convo here or in the video above. It’s dope. I think it provides some context for the current state of geopolitics, helps us understand the changes we might see in the future and explains what this could all mean for the United States.