WikiLeaks and Africa

The WikiLeaks phenomenon has spread to the far corners of the globe…quite literally.  Despite the recent arrest of the site’s creator, Julian Assange, the leakage of classified documents steadfastly surges ahead.


So how does WikiLeaks play out in regards to US/Africa policy?  Here are a few of the more striking leaks from America’s relations with the continent.

1. The US had been well aware of the blood-diamond trade in Zimbabwe, and had put little/no efforts into stopping it.
2. Shell oil has become deeply embedded in nearly all ministries of the Nigerian government - knowledge of which was not made public
3. The US knew about illicit arms shipments from Ukraine to the unstable region of Southern Sudan, and yet allowed them to flow freely.So perhaps leak #4 is rather hypocritical as it exposes US sentiment toward China’s Africa strategy.  Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson describes China in Africa as a “pernicious economic competitor” with “no morals”.

While I will not go so far as to defend China’s Africa policy, I would say that it’s rather bold of the US to be wagging a finger at an opposing superpower over such policies.  True, the US is certainly not a ‘pernicious’ economic competitor in Africa, to say the least.  Nonetheless - the leaks illustrate that the US of A isn’t exactly a shining beacon of morality, either.
by Ross Thoutte