Speaker Date: February 20, 2026

The United States and Africa: History, Change, and the Road Ahead 

How has the United States engaged with Africa over time and what does that relationship look like today?

In this talk, Dr. Beth Elise Whitaker, Professor of Political Science and longtime scholar of African politics and U.S.–Africa relations, will explore the evolving dynamics that have shaped American policy toward the continent. Drawing on more than two decades of research, teaching, and on the ground experience—including her work in Kenya as a Fulbright Scholar—she will trace key moments in the diplomatic, security, and economic ties linking the U.S. and African nations.

Dr. Whitaker will discuss how Cold War rivalries, humanitarian crises, and counterterrorism strategies influenced earlier eras of engagement, and how today’s shifting global landscape has transformed U.S. priorities. She will also highlight the role of migration, diaspora communities, and African public opinion in shaping contemporary policy debates.

Video Presentation

Beth Whitaker

Professor of Political Science, UNC Charlotte

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Beth Elise Whitaker is professor of political science and associate dean for research and interdisciplinary collaboration in the College of Humanities & Earth and Social Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Whitaker’s research focuses on migration and security, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Her work explores how political dynamics influence attitudes and policies toward migrants and refugees.

As a Fulbright Scholar in Kenya in 2005-2006, she examined U.S.-African counter-terrorism cooperation.

She is co-author with John F. Clark of Africa’s International Relations: Balancing Domestic and Global Interests (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2018) and her articles have appeared in many academic journals.

Whitaker worked previously at the Brookings Institution and the American Council on Education and has consulted for the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Defense, Social Science Research Council, United Nations Foundation, and Save the Children Fund. She earned her bachelor’s degree in public and international affairs from Princeton University and her master’s and Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.