Africa must be seen with lenses other than our national security

An American hero has been laid to rest after he was killed in an operation in Somalia. The death of this officer should spark the conversation about foreign policy toward Africa, especially as a new administration will soon occupy the Oval Office. Our presence in Somalia demonstrates both the success and challenge of foreign policy toward Africa, which the recent withdrawal plans by our current president may undermine.

That announcement has sent the wrong signal to our partners in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and all across Africa. The decision was made without any consultation or consideration and will almost certainly cause our partners in West Africa and in the Maghreb to doubt the commitment of the United States to the fight against Islamist extremism. Presence certainly matters so working side by side with our partners down on the ground in Somalia cannot be substituted for this commute from the conflict.

Make no mistake, Al Shabab is probably the most dangerous movement associated with Al Qaeda. According to reports, the group sought flying lessons in the Philippines, along with surface to air missiles. This is not a group that is content to just remain local. It carried out the Westlake Mall attack in the capital of Kenya several years back. Think of a similar attack in a shopping complex in Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles.

American counterterrorism efforts across Africa are important. Perhaps one of the most significant, if little known, actions against Al Qaeda and its affiliates is found in Africa. From Al Shabab in Somalia to Al Qaeda in the Maghreb and the Islamic State in West Africa, the United States has taken the fight against extremism to its home bases. With drone strikes, direct action raids, aggressive intelligence, and security and assistance training, the United States is working with local partners and achieving notable success to disrupt numerous plots and save lives.

But our counterterrorism success has not been buttressed by a broader strategy toward such diverse countries of Africa. Bad actors are swift to take advantage of their lack of economic opportunities, weak education and health systems, and political corruption. Where are the programs to address the key causes of extremism? Where is the strategy to establish lasting stability? The United States has done it before. If we are serious about Africa, and we have to be, we can do it once more.

Getting foreign policy right is most assuredly important to our national security. It is also about economics. Africa is overflowing with capable people and natural resources with its countries, but the challenges and opportunities are as diverse as the continent itself. It is time the United States shifts its frame of reference and enacts a sustainable strategy to include both national security and economic development.

Africa has attention from China, which is working across the continent to buy natural resources and create partners. This should worry our leaders in Washington to a much greater degree. China is gaining influence with Africa since it is already there engaging economically and diplomatically. China is showing up, and the United States is not right now.

Chinese money is attractive when it seems to come with few strings and demands. It looks like a business transaction, but the true harmful costs come down the line, much to the advantage of Beijing. There have been reports of Chinese companies violating laws, using very little local labor, building weak infrastructure, and polluting the environment.

The new administration needs to take a hard look at foreign policy toward Africa and understand that it marks one more element of the great power competition with China. We must continue our pressure on Al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Africa. That means being on the ground and working with our partners on the continent. A Sudanese proverb says we provide our families two things. The first is roots. The second is wings.

We should realize the diversity and challenges of these countries in Africa, and use all the levers of statecraft to enable economic development, build stronger education and health systems, and end political corruption. So a smart and comprehensive foreign policy toward Africa must be part of our national security and economic strategy. At the end of the day, it is part of the great power competition that the United States must win.

Mike Rogers is a former member of Congress who served as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He is now the David Abshire Chair at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress and is a senior fellow with the Intelligence Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. Follow him @RepMikeRogers.