The Economist: Barack Obama and Africa: How Different is His Policy?
The Economist writes of Barack Obama’s relationship with Africa that though the tone may have shifted slightly, the policy will be similar to his predecessor’s. The article says the President puzzled analysts by announcing in Ghana that his own administration had committed $63 billion to Africa because “it was unclear whether that sum included projects under way or was new money and, either way, what it was for and over what period it would be spent.” The Economist also argues that though Obama did not wish to dwell on security in his speech, his biggest headaches in Africa still relate to armed conflict and increasing dependence on African oil.

New York Times: US Finding its Voice in Africa Again
The New York Times reports that while the United States and Europe were preoccupied elsewhere, China has built up an impressive head of steam in Africa, winning large new markets in country after country and bringing welcome foreign investment on a scale not seen in many parts of the continent since the end of competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Times’ senior China correspondent writes that Barack Obama’s visit to Ghana last weekend put the United States back in the game by playing one of America’s strongest and recently most neglected cards: its soft power. He says that while Africa can certainly use China’s money, many African people note its silence on matters of governance, democracy and human rights, issues which are American priorities.

Financial Times: Zimbabwe to Increase Government Spending
Thanks to aid pledges of around $500m, Zimbabwe’s finance minister today announced a 39 per cent increase in government spending, including a 20 per cent rise in the public service wage bill. Tendai Biti, a member of Zimbabwe’s fractious unity government, revealed that the banking system, whose deposits were effectively wiped out by hyperinflation last year, now has balances of some $700m. But lending was depressed at $263m, which he blamed partly on the interest rates being charged by the banks. Zimbabwean businessmen were broadly pleased with the budget and relieved that some of the tax burden has been shifted to the donors.

Politico: Climate Push Gets Personal
Stung by complaints that it did too little, too late in the House to increase support for the Waxman-Markey climate change bill, the Obama administration has launched an intense, senator-by-senator effort to push the legislation through the Senate. Politico reports that the White House is working closely with Senate Democratic aides to match each skeptical senator with the Cabinet member or other key administration official most likely to be persuasive. The legislation would need the support of every Democrat in the Senate to overcome a GOP filibuster threat, since only a few Republicans are expected to support it. The Waxman-Markey bill includes funds to help developing countries deal with the effects of climate change.

-Grace Lamb-Atkinson