The US Presidential Elections and the Implications for Africa

The document reports on a seminar featuring U.S. Ambassador Eric M. Bost, who cautioned against overly high expectations for a paradigm shift in U.S.-Africa relations under President-elect Barack Obama. Ambassador Bost argued that domestic U.S. challenges, including high unemployment and foreclosures, would likely take priority over international issues. He further noted that the Bush administration had already provided significant aid and trade benefits to Africa, including $1.5 billion to South Africa via PEPFAR and $9 billion in goods through AGOA, suggesting that a Democratic administration might not necessarily increase this support or be as disposed to free trade as Republicans.

• There is a global and African expectation that Barack Obama's election will lead to a paradigm shift in U.S. foreign policy, moving away from the 'politics of fear' associated with the Bush administration toward more constructive engagement.
• Ambassador Eric M. Bost suggests that domestic U.S. crises—specifically the loss of 1 million jobs in 2008, the highest unemployment rate in 14 years, and high foreclosure rates—will likely cause the Obama administration to prioritize internal challenges over international expectations.
• The Bush administration provided substantial support to Africa, including $1.5 billion to South Africa for HIV/Aids through PEPFAR over five years ($600 million in 2008 alone), $9 billion in goods via the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and $600 million for the African Education Initiative since 2002.
• Ambassador Bost asserts that Republican administrations have historically been more inclined toward free trade than Democratic administrations, and that the continent received approximately $6 billion in aid under the Bush administration—six times more than since the Truman administration.
• Under the Millennium Challenge Account, $1.5 billion was provided to several Southern African countries to support democracy and conflict resolution.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (2008). The US Presidential Elections and the Implications for Africa. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/141108BOSTSEMREP.PDF

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. The US Presidential Elections and the Implications for Africa. 2008. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/141108BOSTSEMREP.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=The US Presidential Elections and the Implications for Africa |date=14 November 2008 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/141108BOSTSEMREP.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudies2008presidential, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{The US Presidential Elections and the Implications for Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2008}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/141108BOSTSEMREP.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }