The Study On The Obama Administration’s Economic Aid Diplomacy To Africa

Africa is one of the poorest continents having the largest number of developing countries in the world and the Africa countries have been constantly relying on the foreign aid from other countries. After the World War II, the United States has provided the most foreign aids and the African continent is one of the key areas of US foreign aid. At different times, for different foreign policy objectives, US foreign aid to Africa exhibits different characteristics. From the end of the World War Ⅱ to the late 20th century, US foreign aid to Africa had experienced several ups and downs, appeared twice assistance peak. At the beginning of 21st century the Bush administration’s global anti-terrorism policies made US aid to Africa once again achieve a peak. In the year of 2009, Obama became the first black US president and the people of Africa were full of expectations to the United States and Africa relations within his term of office. But Obama took office with a very complex domestic and international environment, various factors at home and abroad seriously constrained on the Obama administration’s foreign aid policy to Africa. On the one hand, Bush’s unilateralist policy made the reputation of United States hit rock bottom in Africa,the international terrorism had spread in Africa and China-Africa relations had developed fast. While on the other hand, the hit of the 2008 financial crisis, the fail of Bush administration’s Middle East policy and the rise of China in the Asia-Pacific region force Obama focus on domestic economic affairs and the Middle East and Asia-Pacific affairs. The complex situation at home and abroad made the Obama’s foreign aid policies to Africa change little essentially.Entering in to the year of 2016 which is the obama’s last year in office, the Africa people have already disappointed of his foreign aid policy to Africa. The reason for this can be analyzed from three levels and they are Obama’s personal characteristics,US national environment and the international system. Obama’s limited personal influence, the domestic economic crisis, as well as the changes of the pattern of international power system makes Obama’s aid policy to Africa is difficult to have a new breakthrough. What we can estimate is that in the last year of Obama’s term, this situation will not change much. The next few years, US aid policy toward Africa, will depend on the next US leader’s ruling style, but more importantly, on US interests in Africa.Although the Obama administration’s foreign aid policy to Africa has not changed much, but as the only superpower in the international community, any slight change in the US government’s foreign policy is worthy of our attention and we need to think about the reasons behind Africa policy changes which will give some guide for China’s future policy on Africa. The change about Bush administration’s unilateral policy makes us to recognize the importance of mutual respect between nations in the twenty-first century; Obama puts the US-Africa relations in a new position reflecting the rise of Africa’s international status; the criticism from the United States on Chinese foreign aid policy to Africa make us concerns that we should ponder new ways and methods about our aid; the Obama administration constant modify and improve of the mechanism let us recognize the importance of the construction of foreign aid mechanisms. In this regard, Chinese Africa policy should continue to maintain an attitude of respect for African countries, while strengthening attention to the use of public diplomacy to eliminate misunderstandings about our aid operations, and we should pay attention to the mechanism of the aid system.This paper firstly introduces the history and mechanisms of the US aid to Africa as a whole. The second part focuses on the domestic and abroad policy environment.The third part discusses the Obama’s foreign assistance poly under this policy environment and the new features. The fourth part from Obama a personal level, national level and international level analyzes the reasons about why Obama’s foreign assistance poly to Africa changes little. Finally, the concluding part makes some predictions of future US policy on aid to Africa and explores the implications of Obama’s Africa policy to aid China’s Africa policy.