The United States’ long and complicated history with the African continent has grown ever more tumultuous in the new millennium. Now home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies, traditional goals of promoting peace and democracy are fast being replaced by a desire to invest and engage African nations economically. Despite new challenges and opportunities, U.S. Africa policy has remained in flux under President Obama. The growing threat of Islamic extremism in both the Western and Eastern parts of the continent has further complicated American foreign policy. Dr. Pearl Robinson discusses U.S. Policy in Africa and the challenges and opportunities present in the second decade of the 21st century. She'll look at how American policy has shifted in response to the growing threat posed by Islamic extremism in Africa, and how U.S. policies are perceived by Africans and their leaders. Photo: "[Michelle-obama-bringbackourgirls](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michelle-obama-bringbackourgirls.jpg#/media/File:Michelle-obama-bringbackourgirls.jpg)" by Michelle Obama, Office of the First Lady - First Lady of the United States Twitter account [[1]](https://twitter.com/FLOTUS/status/464148654354628608/photo/1) (confirmed account). Licensed under Public Domain via [Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/).
