At the sunset of the Trump administration, it’s worth reflecting on all that went wrong with its Africa policy and specifically the oft-stated effort to contain China’s rise on the continent. There’s really no other way to describe it other than to say that it was a disaster of spectacular proportions.

I know… I know… supporters will argue that the evolution of the U.S. government’s development finance agency from OPIC to IDFC, the re-birth of the U.S. Exim Bank, and Washington’s Prosper Africa strategy were all important accomplishments of the past four years.