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Republican Trump or Democrat Harris? Africa Watches US Election With Caution

As the November 5 US presidential election approaches, Dr. Franklin Nyamsi, an African writer and president of the Bamako-based think tank African Freedom Institute, commented on the peculiarities of the key event in American politics in terms of Africa's potential to gain greater autonomy and navigate a more multipolar world.
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A Republican victory, particularly a Donald Trump win, could present Africa with an opportunity for new negotiations and increased autonomy in diversifying its international relations, Dr. Franklin Nyamsi told Sputnik Africa in an interview.
He attributed this to the Republican Party's generally more protectionist stance compared to the Democrats' interventionist policies.
"Trump and the Republicans are more protectionist than interventionist," Nyamsi stated. "And for Africa, this will be an open window for new negotiations and for a larger autonomy of action in diversifying its international relations."
However, Nyamsi acknowledged the complexities of the US political landscape and the potential for instability, highlighting the current challenges facing the American people, including inflation, poverty, racial tensions, and an increasingly polarized political climate.
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"We don't know who will control the nuclear weapons of America in case of civil war in America […] There are so many problems in America," Nyamsi said. "I don't think that the ordinary American citizen needs war, Ukraine, war in Africa, Asia and so forth."

Nyamsi is particularly concerned about the potential for continued interventionism under a Democratic administration, citing the destructive intervention in Libya in 2011 as an example of the potential harm caused by US involvement in Africa. He believes Africa should be wary of a Kamala Harris presidency, as it could lead to more American interventionism on the continent.
Looking towards the future, Nyamsi stressed the importance of joining the BRICS economic system as a means of achieving greater economic autonomy and securing a stronger position on the world stage.

"We are fighting to put Africa in condition to be one of the most important poles of the multipolar world… And this is not possible to do all a hegemonic policy directed by the West in Africa," Nyamsi concluded. "Africa has to get inside the BRICS economic system. Africa has to conquer a new position."