This article was originally published by the World Policy Blog on 15 October 2014.
Last August, over 40 African heads of states and governments traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Obama and other U.S. government and business officials. While the media touted the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit as a sign of Africa’s “rising” and its soon-to-be key role on the world stage, the truth is quite the opposite. African leaders’ love for summitry isn’t a sign of a rising continent, but rather, a sign of confusion, weakness, and lack of direction.