The governments we have worked with at the Georgia State Policy Studies School have ranged from in size from Russia to Jamaica. Africa needs the growth and opportunity that this act intends, but it is equally true that the United States needs Africa. This situation remains explosive in a region of aging monarchs and volatile masses. During the Arab oil embargo of the late 70's, it was African oil that provided the safety valve for the U.S. economy. The African Continental Shelf, from Senegal to Angola, is absolutely vital to the U.S. economy and military security.
African oil is more abundant and defensible than is the oil in Kuwait.
In fact, more recent geological surveys estimate reserves comparable to those in the Arabian Gulf. Yet, the investment of diplomacy, finances and military resources in the entire African continent would barely equal the expenditure in one week in the Middle East. The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act may be just the effort we need to begin a mobilization of conscience, concern and commitment to our vital interests on the African continent.