It appears that both chambers of Congress and the White House are once again supporting the placement of American troops on foreign soil. This time in sub-Saharan Africa.

If all goes as planned, starting in September 2008 the Pentagon will have a new international outpost that will be called the U.S. Africa Command, or Africom. It will oversee all U.S. military and security interests throughout the region, excluding Egypt.

Africom is a dangerous continuation of U.S. military expansion around the globe. It is likely to inflame threats against the United States, make Africa even more dependent on external powers and delay durable African solutions to continental security issues.

President Bush has put his spin on Africom, saying it “will enhance our efforts to bring peace and security to the people of Africa” and promote the “goals of development, health, education, democracy and economic growth.”

What he fails to mention is that the Pentagon views Africa as an arena of competition with China over natural resources — and a playground for U.S. multinationals. Africa is rich in petroleum, uranium, copper, aluminum and diamonds — to name just some of the continent’s bounty. West Africa, for instance, currently provides 15 percent of crude oil imports to the United States, and that figure is expected to rise to 25 percent by 2015.

Policy-makers seem to have forgotten the legacy of U.S. intervention in Africa. During the Cold War, African nations were used as pawns in post-colonial proxy wars, an experience that had a devastating effect on African democracy, peace and development.

In the past, Washington has aided reactionary African factions that have carried out atrocities against civilians. Many in Africa worry that an increased U.S. military presence there will likely follow this pattern of extracting resources while fomenting bloody conflicts and further destabilizing the region.

South Africa, whose citizens overthrew the U.S.’supported apartheid regime, opposes Africom, as does the 14-nation Southern African Development Community. Nigeria, too, resists it. The African Union, along with other African governments, can enhance Africa’s own security capacities without Washington’s military participation.

There are a range of initiatives that can be taken by the U.S. government and civil society to provide development and security assistance. Instead of militarization, African countries need immediate debt cancellation, fair trade policies and increased development assistance that respects indigenous approaches to building sustainable communities.

We must stop the militarization of aid to Africa and help ensure Africa’s rise to responsible self-determination.

Danny Glover, an actor, is the chairman of the board of directors of TransAfrica Forum (www.transafricaforum.org). Nicole C. Lee is the executive director of TransAfrica Forum. A version of this piece originally appeared in The Nation magazine. The authors wrote this for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine. Readers may write to the authors at: Progressive Media Project, 409 East Main St., Madison, Wis. 53703; e-mail: pmproj@progressive.org