Hal Brands, Columnist

Africa’s Opportunities Are Surging and the US Is Missing Out

December 5, 2025 at 5:30 AM UTC

Hal Brands is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and the Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting the leader of Mali's junta, Assimi Goita, July 27, 2023. — Russian President Vladimir Putin greeting the leader of Mali's junta, Assimi Goita, July 27, 2023.
Photographer: Pavel Bednyakov/AFP/Getty Images

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Russia is lining up a naval base on the Red Sea. US President Donald Trump seeks peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo while threatening war in Nigeria. Extremists are on the march from the Sahel to southern Africa. Across the continent, foreign powers are scrambling for vital resources and real estate.

Africa may not get as many headlines as other regions. But it’s where many of the most important trends of the modern era come together — and it’s a preview of just how ferociously messy a multipolar future might be.