Trump's new Africa strategy misjudges risks of Chinese debts

Expert Voices
Trump's new Africa strategy misjudges risks of Chinese debts

US National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks about the administration's African policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC

National security adviser John Bolton speaks about the administration's Africa policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 13. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images

Last week, the Trump administration unveiled its new Africa strategy, prioritizing deeper economic ties, counterterrorism and the efficient use of U.S. aid. The strategy aims to counter Chinese and Russian interests on the continent, especially the former’s strategic use of debt to control African countries.

Why it matters: The strategy oversimplifies Africa’s debt situation. It fails to distinguish between good and bad debt and doesn’t address Africa’s debt levels on a country-by-country basis. This polarizing approach could alienate key potential African allies, leading them to further align with China.
2 arrested for drone disruption at London Gatwick airport

Airport board with list of flights canceled

List of flights cancelled at Gatwick Airport as a result of the drone disruption. Photo: Victoria Jones/PA Images via Getty Images

Authorities have arrested two people in connection with the "criminal use of drones" at Gatwick Airport in London, where hundreds of flights were grounded from Wednesday night into Friday as a result of the massive disruption, Sky News reports.

The big picture: Gatwick is uniquely susceptible to this kind of disruption since it's a small, single-runway airport. But the incident nonetheless raises questions about what kind of impact a larger army of drones could have on an airport like Chicago O'Hare, or what other kinds of security threats drones could present in the coming years.

Go deeper: The drone nightmare is here
Reading the China trade talk tea leaves

Host refills Xi Jinping's tea

Another round of face-to-face US-China trade talks is expected in mid-January.

What I'm hearing: China's top economic policymaker Liu He may be coming to D.C. for the January discussions. So far the Chinese side has not offered any detailed concessions that come close to meeting the expectations out of the Trump-Xi meeting in Argentina but that may change now that the Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) has set the economic priorities for 2019.
DNI report confirms Russia sought to influence 2018 midterms

Dan Coats

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats. Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein via Getty Images

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats released a statement Friday confirming that Russia, China, Iran and other countries conducted "influence activities" and "messaging campaigns" in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, but that there is no indication any election infrastructure was compromised.

Why it matters: This is the first formal assessment by the U.S. intelligence community that concludes foreign influence campaigns were conducted during the 2018 campaign. Coats said the intelligence community did not make an assessment on what impact these activities had on the outcome of the election.

Expert Voices
Trump's sudden Syria decision undermines his own foreign policy team

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis listens as U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions during a meeting with military leaders in the Cabinet Room

Defense Secretary Mattis with President Trump during a meeting with military leaders in the Cabinet Room on Oct. 23, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Photo: Win McNamee via Getty Images

President Trump has decided to quickly withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria, against the advice of his most senior national security advisers. The move prompted the resignation of Secretary of Defense James Mattis and sparked widespread concerns about an ISIS revival.

The big picture: Aside from the results of the decision, the manner in which Trump made it was deeply problematic. By upending the public and private messages his own officials send, Trump disempowers and alienates his own diplomatic team. He also creates incentives that make his foreign policy agenda more difficult to attain.
Authorities will not charge JD.com CEO Richard Liu in alleged rape

Richard Liu

Liu in China. Photo: VCG via Getty Images

Prosecutors in Minnesota have decided not to file charges against Richard Liu, the billionaire CEO of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, who was accused of raping a University of Minnesota student in September.

Details: JD.com and Liu's lawyers have maintained that he is innocent ever since he was arrested, and then released, for the alleged sexual assault. Liu has since returned to China. "We are pleased to see this decision," a JD.com spokesperson said in a statement.

Expert Voices
U.S. exit from Syria would heighten need for humanitarian aid

Displaced Syrian girls lean on a cistern during rainy weather at a camp for Syrian displaced people near the Syrian-Turkish border in the Northern countryside of Idlib.

Girls at a camp for displaced Syrian people near the Syrian–Turkish border in Idlib, on Dec. 4. Photo: Anas Alkharboutli/picture alliance via Getty Images

The sudden withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria that Trump has called for, potentially within as little as 30 days, would pose severe humanitarian risks.

Why it matters: The power vacuum created by an abrupt U.S. disengagement could spark a new round of fighting, which in turn will disrupt and displace communities. The result could be an even worse humanitarian crisis in a country where some 11 million people have fled their homes and more than half a million people in the northeast alone are already receiving some form of humanitarian assistance.

Expert Voices
Trump's hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan could imperil peace process

A member of the Afghan security forces walks at the site of a suicide bomb attack outside a British security firm's compound in Kabul, a day after the blast on November 29, 2018.

A member of the Afghan security forces at the site of a suicide bomb attack that killed at least 10 in Kabul, on Nov. 29. Photo: Noorullah Shirzada/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump reportedly intends to withdraw nearly half of the 14,000 U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan. Given repeated U.S. failures to eradicate the Taliban over the past 17 years, and at the expense of U.S. lives lost and billions spent, bringing troops home has its merits.

Yes, but: Withdrawing 7,000 troops also poses a major risk. In recent months, Washington has been trying to help launch a peace process between Kabul and the Taliban, and the timing of the announcement, along with the speed of the withdrawal’s implementation, could jeopardize its success.
Mattis cancels trip to Israel

Mattis (L) and Netanyahu in 2017. Photo: Jonathan Ernst Pool/Getty Images

China commits to juicing its economy in 2019

Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios

China's annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC) that sets the overall direction for the next year's economic policies just concluded in Beijing.

Why it matters: The signals from this meeting suggest, among other things, increased efforts to stimulate the economy and work out a trade deal with the U.S.

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