Is the US just playing catch-up, or stumbling toward neo-colonialism?
As the old colonial powers—Britain, France, Portugal, and Belgium—retreat from Africa, the US is rushing in. Angola, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and even obscure African countries are appearing on every Clinton official’s itinerary. Does this diplomatic frenzy support a coordinated US foreign policy agenda? Or, is it driven by less noble, even colonialist economic objectives? Since the recent flurry of State Department attention was preceded by the signing of questionable mineral, communications, and financial deals by highly-leveraged US corporations, it’s a fair question. US newspaper headlines trumpet the trend: American Mineral Fields Corporation of Arkansas in billion dollar mineral deal, New Millennium Investment, Inc. of Washington signs Congo telecommunications agreement, and The Leon Tempelsman & Son Investment Group proposes Angolan diamond operation. Grandiose financial statements follow with almost frantic regularity. And most of the corpora
