Link to article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-67236251
The United States President Joe Biden has decided to expel four countries from the African Growth and Opportunity Act’s (AGOA) list of beneficiaries. Being removed are Uganda, Niger, and the Sub-Saharan countries of Gabon and the Central African Republic (CAR). Previously, these countries reaped the AGOA benefits of duty free access to the United States’ markets and goods. However, as Joe Biden claims that each of these countries are in violation of human rights or are neglecting to take steps toward implementing the values of the United States government, they will no longer receive this aid.
The specific criteria of AGOA eligibility are as follows: a country must be in the process of establishing a free market economy, implementing democratic ideals, protecting human rights, and practicing political pluralism. Biden claims that Niger and Gabon are in violation of the political pluralism aspect of these regulations and that Uganda and the CAR are neglecting to protect human rights. Their expulsion will greatly impact their respective economies, as the United States has been promoting growth, facilitating trade, and instituting new jobs within them. Without this support, they will face severe economic challenges in the future.
In class, we have discussed the influence of national interest on the decisions of actors and relationships between states. National interests are not only goals that states have for themselves, but they are values that they wish to protect. In this situation, the United States wants to use the AGOA to promote the development of the African economy. However, when states’ actions no longer align with the democratic values of the United States, they are removed from the list of beneficiaries. The expulsion of Uganda, Niger, Gabon, and the CAR is an example of the United States acting to protect its values.