U.S. President Donald Trump manages to drop the white savior mentality often portrayed by his predecessors. When DR Congo said take my minerals and crush Rwanda, he showed the European Union (EU) just how outdated their superiority complex is. The EU, influenced by its ex-coloniser member state Belgium, viewed the renewed suffering of Congolese as just another opportunity to enrich themselves. This might have worked for King Leopold, who saw fit to bleed Congolese to fulfill his rubber quota, but Rwanda reminded Belgium that times have changed. Meanwhile, Congolese politicians suffering from Stockholm syndrome believed selling out their people as good puppets would enrich them and absolve them of their responsibilities as leaders. So, while the EU, Britain, and Canada all sanctioned Rwanda, punishing their people for having leaders that recognised their rights, Trump got curious. His trigger was simple: today's geopolitics mean that in order to survive and compete, he must engage with the supplier – the Great Lakes region. Here's what Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi didn't see coming: while Trump is America First, as they all are, he actually doesn't care to look like a moral savior. He just wants what's best for his people. The world of investment and business knows that aside from one anomaly, Congolese mining is artisanal. There have been no investments in mineral refineries because you don't build a billion-dollar factory in a place with no security – economically speaking, it's a bad deal. So, even if Trump crushed Rwanda on Tshisekedi's ego's behalf, no mineral deal would prosper the American people without Rwanda – a country where security and return on investments are guaranteed. Even the Trump administration knows: Rwanda works. Tshisekedi's rehearsed puppet leader formula – sell the African people out to white saviors who are too entitled to understand or care for the people they pretend to save, and get cash while looking like a leader instead of actually being one – backfired spectacularly and elevated all the pre-existing peace talks he had been avoiding. Just like that, the EAC-SADC talks have been thrust to the forefront. Doha, and now the USA amplify African-led peace initiatives, instead of sanctioning leaders two days after progress has been made in negotiations, unlike the EU. It is unsurprising then that Mukwege, a graduate in yes massa, complains to the EU for not being involved – meaning not sanctioning Rwanda's president. These are lazy politicians who want Europe to do the work for them, instead of confronting the flaws in their many ideologies that harm the Congolese people. One last thing to be made clear: all American administrations that call themselves Democrats were present when similar Eastern DR Congo conflicts revived. They knew the situation, but their moral police stance as the great America meant they were too great to listen – too great to side with solutions and truths they didn't devise themselves. That's why Trump, who is infamous for not trying to be some moral teacher but instead focuses on progress for his people – however controversial the definition of his people might be (but that's an issue for Americans to resolve) – is actually better for the rest of the world. The world is often overshadowed by the we know best attitude of American Democrats, while the African continent continues to be bullied by its former colonisers. Tshisekedi and Europe played themselves, both believing in the superiority of Western white rulers. A superiority complex that blinded them to what true peace instead of plunder could achieve for all of us globally. Peace in the region makes the whole world that much richer. And the evidence is clear: Rwanda works – even Trump knows this.
