Much more than material support for the democratic process, Africa—and the developing world—needs the United States to reaffirm its commitment to democratic principles. It is far from surprising that the just concluded Brazilian presidential election attracted more than the usual attention from observers of the democratic process across Latin America. Over the course of his presidency, and particularly in the months leading to the election, President Jair Bolsonaro had made statements seemingly calculated to undermine trust in...

President Hassan’s emphasis on economic growth and political liberalization in Tanzania are especially compelling to the United States in the context of a generally troubled East Africa. Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan made the most of her recent trip to the United States, signaling a desire for an improved relationship and deeper bilateral economic ties. Given U.S. interests in a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic East Africa, and the worrying trends in the region, her charm offensive should...

African countries’ justifiable disaffection with the West should not override their commitment to Ukraine and liberal values. There is nothing quite like a war when it comes to resurrecting old grudges, and in this regard, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has hardly disappointed. Invoking historical rough justice and persistent infantilization by the West, African countries have, to widespread astonishment, refused to give full-throated backing to Western sanctions against Russia. Seventeen of the thirty-five abstainers from the United...