Sustaining Openness in Africa Amid Transnational Threats

This paper posits that the most viable grand strategy for the united states to navigate great power competition and transnational threats in Africa, would be sustaining openness; as pandemics, climate shocks, cyber vulnerabilities, and disinformation become increasingly destabilizing to the African states, authoritarian actors (China and Russia) are capitalizing on these crises to promote closed, coercive and illiberal models of governance. Alternatives such as primacy, offshore balancing, and restraint do not consider the networked nature of the contemporaneous threats nor the strategic importance of African agency, digital governance, and multilateral coordination. Based upon the theoretical tradition which holds that openness provides competitive advantage, this paper outlines five pillars of a strategy of sustained openness: networked diplomacy, deterrence through resilience, economic and digital transparency, strategic communication, and climate-human security cooperation. These five pillars will strengthen African-led institutions, build societal resilience, and maintain an open information environment, economic environment and security environment that supports both African sovereignty and U.S. strategic interests. In conclusion, only a strategy of sustained openness can counter authoritarian fragmentation, reinforce collective resilience, and uphold a rules-based international order in an increasingly interconnected and volatile world.