Nairobi — What will an Obama or McCain administration mean for Africa? Their foreign policy advisers offered their thoughts about the continent at a National Press Club forum in Washington DC at the end of last month.

The comments of both sides were posted to the allAfrica.com web site, so let us have a look. Speaking for Sen Obama was Witney Schneidman, a deputy assistant secretary of state for Africa in the Clinton administration. Peter Pham's remarks were in his capacity as a foreign policy and national security adviser to Sen John McCain. Both candidates have foreign policy portfolios in the Senate, McCain as the ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee and Obama on the Foreign Relations Committee.

In reviewing their comments, I will be as dispassionate as I can be, given that I have been an Obama supporter almost from day one for a whole range of reasons having to do with both domestic and foreign policies.

Diaspora community

The Obama statement linked African policy to the African-American diaspora in the US, pledging that "through a more active dialogue with the various African diaspora community organisations, the United States will find itself in a better position to develop its agenda and accomplish its objectives on Africa.

It is natural that Obama would make this connection, but no reflection on the McCain statement that it did not. I would just note, with the greatest respect, that diaspora perspectives are not always fully reflective of those in the countries of origin.

A major Obama goal is to "accelerate African integration into the global economy, while McCain emphasises "Africans becoming full participants in the global marketplace". Not quite the same thing, perhaps, but close. Both would strengthen the African Growth and Opportunity Act created to facilitate access to American markets and encourage US investment in Africa. Obama would favour US-African partnerships in support of research and innovation to strengthen African agriculture with higher yielding seeds, better irrigation methods and safer fertilisers. McCain is silent on this.

McCain attacks US farm subsidies as non-tariff barriers to African agricultural exports to this country -- Obama, from maize-producing Illinois, is silent on this subject. McCain calls for "an intensified effort by African governments to eliminate unnecessary barriers and disincentives that continue to discourage both African and foreign investors." Obama does not specifically address the more general issue of trade barriers.

Obama takes note of China's accelerating economic role in Africa, pledging to "engage the Chinese to establish the rules of the road and to ensure we are working at common purpose to enhance economic development on the continent." McCain does not mention China, but says he views "any third-party efforts to impose monopolistic and other unfair trade regimes as distinctly unfavourable actions, prejudicial not only to Africans, but also to relations with the United States." Obama does not announce any intention to link African initiatives by other countries to their bilateral relations with the US.

Obama pledges to "work with Congress to increase our investment in foreign assistance," including establishment of a Global Education Fund to improve primary education in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. He pledges to "make the (United Nations) Millenium Development Goals American goals," although he does not address the failure of developed countries to meet their commitments to these goals. McCain does not mention these objectives.

Both address the importance of tackling Aids and malaria. McCain praises the Millenium Challenge Account initiated by the Bush administration as "perhaps the most important innovation in foreign assistance in a generation."

This initiative has conditioned sizeable grants to several African countries, including Kenya, upon demonstrated good governance, observance of human rights, and well planned, realistic development objectives. Obama acknowledges that the MCA may have made a difference, but notes the absence of any increase in assistance in democracy promotion, rule of law, judicial reform, parliamentary strengthening and civil society. McCain pledges support for democratic forces in "closed societies."

Energy initiative

Obama pledges a Global Energy and Environment Initiative to help developing countries nurture alternative energy sources and mitigate climate change. McCain supports US energy independence but says with respect to Africa that "we must recognise the importance of Africa's vast natural wealth to our own national security and endeavour to work with Africans to protect both access to it and to ensure that Africa benefits from its contribution to the world economy."

In the areas of peace and security, both statements recognise an interdependence between the global concerns of the US and those of African countries. A key initiative of the Bush administration is establishing a separate military command centred on Africa, known as Africom. At a bureaucratic level it has been simply an initiative to unify military policy towards Africa, previously scattered in three separate commands. But it represents potentially far more than Africa. African countries have been understandably sceptical, one manifestation of which is that the command headquarters has had to be located in Europe rather than Africa.

Obama says simply that "Africom ... should realise its potential in cooperation with other US agencies and regional partners to promote peace, security and stability on the continent." McCain, while echoing that language, is more expansive, viewing Africom as a partnership that combines immediate security objectives with support for a broader range of objectives, including "essential services, a viable market economy, rule of law, democratic institutions, and a robust civil society."-- joining, as he puts it, "traditional 'hard power' operations'" with "soft power instruments" such as diplomacy, political persuasion and economic programmes. Both focus on partnerships to address global terrorism.Both statements show concern for and commitment to addressing the Sudan, Somalia and Zimbabwe crises. Obama mentions, where McCain does not, the humanitarian crisis in the oil-rich Niger delta and the ongoing conflict in eastern D.R. Congo.

John Harbeson is a professor of political science at City State University of New York