“A Strategy without a Strategy”: Donald Trump’s African Policy

Abstract

This study focuses on the African policy of the Trump administration during his second term. The authors analyze why the formal framework for strategic planning in Africa proved too restrictive for the new US administration. Particular attention is paid to the consistent decline in international aid as a part of US African strategy. During Trump’s first term, there was a focus on streamlining goal-setting at the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In his second term, this agency was disbanded completely, creating new realities for international relations. The perception of the “trade instead of aid” concept is analyzed from both US and African perspectives in the context of implementation of the American AGOA initiative and trade wars affecting many of its participants. The authors also examine new mechanisms of American resource diplomacy that has expanded since 2025 to include conflict regions on the continent, paying particular attention to the agency of African states within the context of American strategy of situational pressure, as well as clear asymmetry in capabilities between the US and its African partners. The authors conclude that, as the African Continental Free Trade Area develops, collective agency of African countries increases, avoiding volatility in future trade wars, leading to greater stability in Africa’s economic development. The article also concludes with discussion about impact of current American strategy on Russia’s interests in Africa.