数字殖民主义:美国拜登政府对非洲数字化战略探析

Digital Colonialism:An Analysis of the Biden Administration’s Digital Strategy towards Africa

在全球数字化浪潮深入发展的进程中,美国拜登政府把对非数字化战略作为发展美非关系的重要政策工具,在整体提升对非战略关注的基础上提出“非洲数字化转型”倡议。这一战略的出台主要受地缘政治、意识形态、全球数字治理格局演变以及国家利益等多种因素的驱动,围绕数字经济和基础设施、数字人力资源开发、数字化赋能环境3个重点方面展开,通过公私合营方式调动多元主体参与,并形成了美国对非数字化战略的“一揽子”政策合力。作为美国对非外交的重要组成部分,拜登政府对非数字化战略呈现出强烈的意识形态色彩,深刻彰显了数字殖民主义和数字霸权主义思想及行径,与其他大国在非洲进行数字竞争的政策指向性十分明显。政策效果方面,拜登政府对非数字化战略实施前景具有一定的不确定性,在密切美非关系的同时将加剧非洲数字地缘政治竞争,固化全球数字发展不平衡态势,并迟滞全球数字治理机制规则的确立。

During the process of deepening the global digital wave,the Biden administration has made the digital strategy towards Africa as an important policy tool for US-Africa relations,and has proposed the“Digital Transformation with Africa”(DTA)initiative based on the overall increase of strategic attention to Africa.The strategy is mainly driven by various factors such as geopolitics,ideology,the evolution of global digital governance pattern and national interests.It revolves around three key aspects:digital economy and infrastructure,human capital development,and digital enabling environment.Through public-private partnerships,it mobilizes the participation of multiple entities and forms a package policy for the United States’digital strategy with Africa.As an important component of the United States’diplomacy towards Africa,the Biden administration’s digital strategy presents a strong ideological sense,deeply demonstrating the value concept of digital colonialism and digital hegemonism,and the policy direction of digital competition with other major powers in Africa is very clear.In terms of policy effectiveness,the Biden administration’s digital strategy towards Africa has a certain degree of uncertainty regarding the implementation prospects.It will strengthen the relationship between the United States and Africa,intensify digital geopolitical competition in Africa,solidify the imbalance in global digital development,and hinder the development and improvement of the global digital governance system.