The Foreign Service Journal, May 2008

gencies. But the U.S. already does a pretty competent job of economic development and humanitarian relief. What additional benefits — besides money — can the new command bring to those tasks? Initially, AFRICOM wants several dozen FSOs for a range of political/military and economic jobs. Although such assignments would certainly reinforce the intera- gency character of the new command, it is unlikely that the Department of State can spare many personnel for such excursion tours in light of service demands for Iraq. Washington policymakers, as well as ambassadors in the field, need to decide how much militarization of non-military assistance is wise and ensure that such undertakings are properly vetted. Such discussions will become increasingly important when (not if) AFRICOM gets more resources to play with. In conclusion, the Africa command represents a re- orientation of American bureaucratic responsibilities that will probably work well for us, but confuse local gov- ernments. Having nothing else to distract it, the new entity will undoubtedly focus on institutionalizing pro- grams. This augurs well for a more consistent partner- ship with the continent, but how it evolves remains to be seen. I suspect that African governments will adjust to progress and that press-stoked fears of U.S. hegemony will diminish. However, the temptation on the Ameri- can side to do too much is real. Even a small AFRICOM looms large compared to host-country military establish- ments. Furthermore, the command’s initial resources will dwarf a number of national budgets. We should bear in mind the fact that Africa’s absorptive capacity is limited and, as noted above, few of its leaders really want com- petent generals commanding capable forces. To misquote Teddy Roosevelt, we don’t need a big stick in Africa, but we do need to tread carefully. Although Washington (as usual) will have the ultimate say, it will be up to U.S. ambassadors in the field to guide all these new boots into careful paths. F O C U S M A Y 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 31