In the wake of President Donald Trump’s alleged comment disparaging African nations last week, 78 former U.S. ambassadors to African nations sent an open letter to the president Tuesday encouraging him to reassess his views on Africa, and to recognize the contributions Africans and African-Americans have made to the U.S.
“We know that respectful engagement with these countries is a vital part of protecting our own national interests,” the ex-ambassadors wrote in their letter. “The United States of America is safer, healthier, more prosperous, and better equipped to solve problems that confront all of humanity when we work with, listen to, and learn from our African partners.”
The extent of any diplomatic fallout remains unknown, but a backlash has begun for some U.S. diplomats on the African continent.
U.S. diplomats from Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, and Senegal have been summoned to government offices to discuss the comments in some fashion.
The African Union (AU) – a 55-nation collective that aims to boost solidarity across the continent – condemned Trump’s remarks Monday, urging him to withdraw the alleged comments and issue a public apology.
The AU did, however, note that they don’t believe the president’s comments reflect the stature of the United States.
“We therefore call for the President of the United States to restrain himself and ensure that he espouses the values that the United States people have been known for,” the union said in its statement.
One former ambassador who signed the letter, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, remains optimistic that the comments won’t undo U.S. relations with countries on the African continent.
“I think the U.S. does have a strong relationship with African countries, and I’m hopeful that that relationship can’t be destroyed because of one ill-informed statement made by the president,” she said.
John Campbell, former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, who also signed the letter, foresees some possible political consequences through votes in international assemblies.
“When we’re talking about something as general as African rage over President Trump’s comments, where that can translate is in venues such as the U.N. General Assembly or the WTO, where countries operate on a one-country-one-vote arrangement” said Campbell. “If, in fact, there is relatively little sympathy for the United States, then some African countries would either abstain, or will vote against us.”
Campbell says he also believes it’s possible that some countries could be reluctant to cooperate with U.S. security interests going forward.
The U.S. does engage in the training of some military forces in certain African countries to help prepare them for emerging security risks.
“I would not be surprised if there was a reluctance to accept expanded U.S. military training – training of militaries – in West Africa,” he said. “They’re not going to turn it down – because it’s something that they want. Rather, the process will simply be slower.”
As for what can be done to improve relations diplomatically in the wake of all this, Thomas-Greenfield, who also served for four years as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs at the State Department, believes that a comprehensive strategy for how the U.S. plans to interact with African nations would be a good step.
“The best thing that could come out of this is for the administration to really focus attention on an Africa policy, and if that is the result of this, then I think that would be a positive thing.”