Peace Games Preparing U.S. Officials for Challenges and Opportunities Abroad

U.S. diplomatic personnel in forty-nine embassies, plus the African Union, throughout sub-Saharan Africa contend with similarly difficult issues, operating in taxing environments. These include the current food crisis, now impacting over three hundred million Africans, growing insurgencies in several parts of West Africa, tens of millions of displaced persons, and environmental degradation.

Six successful African coups have occurred since 2020, which stressed the duty to protect Americans in those countries and undermined efforts to foster democracy and rule of law. The varied challenges facing the United States are illustrated by its activities in Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Ethiopia.