Trump security strategy signals new Africa approach

AT THE end of last year, the administration of US President Donald Trump released a revised version of the National Security Strategy, its first important strategic document.

- VSEVOLOD SVIRIDOV

US President Donald Trump (centre) hosted the signing ceremony of a peace deal with the President of Rwanda Paul Kagame (left) and the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi (right) at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on December 4, 2025.

(AFP)

It reflects the Trump administration’s foreign policy priorities, approach to global governance and international security, as well as views regarding the current world order.

In addition to reaffirming Trump’s position regarding Europe, Latin America, and Asia, a considerable part of the strategy focuses on regions that the Trump administration has commented less on, making it harder for external observers to assess the position of the White House. One such region, on which Trump's stance was not particularly clear, was Africa.

Will Washington continue to maintain its usual “missionary” role on the African continent, or will its strategy shift?

Despite moves to scale back cooperation (including imposing tariffs, visa restrictions, shutting down USAID, and ultimately “expelling” South Africa from the G20), Africa still holds a prominent place in the National Security Strategy. We may conclude that the US aims to achieve roughly the same goals as before, but with significantly less expenditure.

The section on Africa begins with criticism. “For far too long, American policy in Africa has focused on providing, and later on spreading, liberal ideology,” it states. While the main themes remain largely unchanged, the text has become less detailed. References to specific countries and organisations have disappeared, along with descriptions of the broader global context.

Similar to former US President Joe Biden’s 2022 strategy, the current document states that the US intends to facilitate conflict resolution (albeit this time without directly linking democracy and peacekeeping).