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US President George W. Bush's hands are already full with Iraq, the Middle East and an unfolding election campaign. Still, he decided to embark on a trip to Africa which will take him to Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria from July 7 to 12.
The trip, the first for Bush since he assumed presidency in 2001, is among others a well-arranged public relations campaign designed to improve US global image tarnished by his administration's unilateral foreign policy, especially the Iraq war, analysts here say.
Bush, who has paid little attention to Africa in the past more than two years of his tenure, delivered an "impassioned" speech to the Corporate Council of Africa on June 26, listing three major goals of the administration's African policy.
The United States is to help establish peace and security across the continent, to make the advantages of health and literacy widely available there, and to help African nations develop vibrant, free economies through aid and trade.
But analysts doubt that Bush squeezed a trip to Africa into his busy agenda simply out of charity.
Explaining Bush's sudden interest in Africa at a briefing on Thursday, US Presidential National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said: "The president understands that America is a country that really does have to be committed to values and to make life better for people around the world."
"It's not just a sword, it's also an olive branch, that speaks to those intentions," she added.
President Bush, in an interview with the Cable News Network on Saturday, put it more bluntly: "I believe it is important for the United States to not only show its muscle to the world but also its heart."
The remarks reflect the widespread concerns in the United States, both inside and outside the administration, that US image or its "soft power" has been seriously undermined because of the unilateral US approach in dealing with global affairs, especially the war on Iraq.
Some conservatives even argue that the United States is confronting a public relations war and being demonized by global opinion as a threat to world order and security. They believe that for the sake of its survival, the United States must take actions to win this war.
Apart from being a public relations effort, Bush's coming trip also aims to promote other US strategic interests in Africa troubled by destitution, HIV/AIDS and regional conflicts.
The war on terrorism and US energy security may be well in Bush's mind when he travels to the continent, which ranks fairly low on the list of US international priorities.
Not only the growing share of US oil consumption is expected to come from Africa, but also the threat of failed, conflict-torn states in Africa playing even unwitting host to terrorist groups mean that the United States can not afford continued neglect of the continent any longer, analysts say.
Meanwhile, with a population of more than 700 million, Africa remains a largely untapped market for US businesses. Despite a sluggish global economy, US exports have reportedly witnessed growth in recent years and US businesses often say they can get more returns on investment in Africa than from regions like Asia.
Moreover, domestic political pressure is also unlikely to allow the Bush administration to simply turn its back on Africa in its humanitarian crises.
Bush's HIV/AIDS initiatives and his coming trip are seen in part as an example of the White House's keen awareness of the importance Africa holds for some key domestic constituencies -- not just African-Americans, but some other segments of the US society as well, analysts say.
(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2003)
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