Former US Ambassador to Kenya and Senior Advisor at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Johnnie Carson has predicted what the appointment of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State could mean for Africa and Kenya included.
In a piece published in African Arguments, Carson predicted that Pompeo's top priority would be to bolster anti-terrorism efforts and strengthen alliances with countries on ground fighting such as Kenya fighting Al- Shabaab in Somalia.
"His first priority is likely to be bolstering security collaboration with states participating in the African Union’s military operations in Somalia as well as countries in the Sahel and Lake Chad region fighting Boko Haram and al- Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM)," Carson wrote.
Carson made it clear that the Donald Trump Whitehouse do not consider Africa a priority and stated that not much should be expected from the changes he has made in the administration.
Carson further revealed that Pompeo's support of Trump's 'America First' agenda could lead US to strike more deals with corrupt and autocratic governments.
"If anything, this change will reinforce America’s focus on security and counter-terrorism. This emphasis could end up taking US policy further backwards. It could align the US with increasingly corrupt and autocratic governments," he wrote.
"It could ensnare Washington in long standing conflicts that cannot be won by military means alone. And it could undercut US influence and integrity more broadly on the continent," he wrote.