The absence or out right refusal of major political parties to join the proposed government of “national union” was a quandary to Paul Biya and also to the Breton Wood Institutions. After the 1997 presidential elections, the Bretton Wood institutions and their protégé Paul Biya were in a dilemma. As for the radical opposition political parties, albeit the most representative and which was headed by the SDF, they were alone and unaided by her traditional Anglo-American supporters. For the Americans whose activism in the 90s, helped push and implement real democracy in Cameroon, had their minds elsewhere by 1997. Remember, I had early mentioned how startled I was, when the former US ambassador to Cameroon, Mr Charles H. Twining, told me in an interview that: “democracy in Cameroon, had taken a great leap forward”. The US government never wanted to chaperon the opposition any more, for they had their mind elsewhere. It was at a time, when China was making her presence felt on the African continent, and the Americans had to rethink and retool their strategy, especially that which concerns oil and other strategic minerals. Beside China, the other American competitor in Africa was France.
Even though France has a lot of influence in French-speaking Africa, she can’t compete with the Americans in any part of the continent, even in her former French colonies. The Americans are therefore not impressed about the French. For the French, besides nosing around, they don’t have any clearly define strategy in their former African colonies and former area of influence. However, before the 90s, France had a clear cut strategy in Africa, in particular in her former colonies. But currently, France doesn’t have any clearly defined African strategy. Furthermore, even if they had, they don’t have the economic means, spirit of sacrifice and not to mention the needed military capabilities. Any sustained military campaign that France would want to take, must have the support of the US and that of Great Britain. An example of how feeble the French presently are, in their former zone of influence, which is French-speaking Africa, they were almost thrown out of the exploitation of Chadian oil and also in the construction of the pipeline that passes through Cameroon. As for the US, their main preoccupation in Africa these days, is China and China’s activism in the vital and none vital parts of the continent. It might explain why, in 1997, the American government looked the other and allowed Paul Biya to embezzle the elections again.
For in the calculations of the Americans, with Biya in power, they will be able to develop a new strategic agreement and partnership in the West African sub region, especially within the Gulf of Guinea, which will be beneficial to them. This is so because, Nigeria, which the third largest economy in Africa and second largest in sub Saharan Africa, was entering a democratic phase, which has facilitated the emergence of a new crop of leaders. These new breed of politicians, were not ready to be American puppets as their older peers who were generally corrupt. Nigeria, it is well known to be the largest oil producer on the continent and also an ally of the Americans. But as mentioned earlier, there is a changing dynamics in Nigeria. The West African state was beginning to develop closer economic ties with China, aided by the new democratic dispensation. But it was a developement that was not appreciated in Washington DC. For in spite all the calls for good governance and democracy, Washington prefers governments that puts US interest first than governments that put the interest their local population as the fulcrum of their policy. But in spite all the sweeteners meant to hoodwink the opposition that were proposed by the Anglo-Americans, they could not ignore the deteriorating situation in the country.
