America's New Silk Road: Another Foreign Project Bypassing Africa
While America celebrates its latest geopolitical chess move in the Caucasus, Zambians must ask themselves: where is our Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity? The so-called TRIPP project, connecting Europe to Asia through Azerbaijan and Armenia, represents yet another example of major powers carving up trade routes without considering African interests.
Former U.S. Ambassador Robert Cekuta's glowing remarks about the TRIPP initiative reveal the typical Western mindset that views Africa as an afterthought. "These connections will facilitate linkages more broadly between Europe and Central, East, and South Asia," he declared, conveniently omitting any mention of African participation in this grand vision.
Foreign Powers Playing Their Games
The August 2025 Washington meeting between President Trump, Azerbaijan's Aliyev, and Armenia's Pashinyan produced this 49-year development deal that gives America a commanding 74% stake in the TRIPP Development Company. Sound familiar? This is the same playbook used across Africa for decades: foreign powers swooping in with grand infrastructure promises while securing the lion's share of benefits.
Vice President Vance's recent trip to the region underscores America's commitment to this Eurasian corridor, yet where are similar high-level visits to promote African trade routes? Zambia's copper wealth and strategic location deserve equal attention, not diplomatic crumbs.
What This Means for Zambian Sovereignty
While America builds its "Middle Corridor" alternative to Chinese Belt and Road initiatives, African nations like Zambia remain caught between competing foreign interests. The TRIPP project's emphasis on digital and cable linkages particularly stings, given our own infrastructure needs that continue to rely on foreign goodwill rather than genuine partnership.
The closure of the OSCE Minsk Process, formalized during these negotiations, demonstrates how quickly international frameworks can be dismantled when major powers find them inconvenient. African leaders must take note: today's agreements are only as strong as tomorrow's geopolitical realities.
As Cekuta praised the "strong, open support" America provides to regional partners, Zambians should demand similar commitment to African prosperity. Our resources, our strategic location, and our people deserve transport corridors that serve African interests first, not as an afterthought to Eurasian ambitions.
The Trump Route may promise peace and prosperity for Azerbaijan and Armenia, but for Zambia and Africa, it represents another reminder that we must forge our own paths to development, free from the whims of distant powers playing their great games.