A former U.S. ambassador exposed truths about the world order at her final lecture as part of Illinois State University’s Donald F. McHenry Speaker Series.
The series was made possible by McHenry, an ISU alum who served as ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter from 1979-1981. McHenry created an endowment to sponsor the speaker series and a two-year visiting professor position in the Department of Politics and Government.
Geeta Pasi concludes her tenure in the first-of-its-kind position at ISU this semester, and gave her final remarks last week in a public presentation.
Pasi served as the U.S. ambassador to Djibouti from 2011-14, Chad from 2016-18, and Ethiopia from 2021-22. She was also the principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs from 2018-2021. She has served in other countries including Cameroon, Germany, Romania, Bangladesh, Ghana and India where she advocated for human rights, humanitarian assistance and democracy.
Pasi’s final lecture focused on the shifting world order, with her focus mainly on Africa's relationship with the U.S. and with America's adversaries.
She called attention to the rapid pace of changes in the United States during the last American Century, referring to the mid-20th century until now, a characterization of Harvard professor and political scientist Joseph S. Nye Jr.
“As Professor Nye points out, the speed of this change is unprecedented,” Pasi said. “If we look at January 2025 and today, a lot of changes have occurred, and he wonders about unforeseen consequences because of the speed of the change.”
“He predicts that there will be troubling changes in the new world because of the rapidity of the changes and the changes themselves,” Pasi said. “The paradigm shift is occurring, but again, it didn’t occur in January 2025—it’s been long in coming.”
Pasi cited the BRICS organization — an intergovernmental, 10-country consortium — as an example of shifting world order. Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates have partnered to counter Western powers.
“They’re on the rise. Thirty years ago, even 15 years ago, probably no one thought India, China, Russia, Brazil would be able to form an association,” Pasi said.
Africa is not to be underestimated
Pasi called attention to Africa, saying many people don’t understand quite how large and significant the continent is.
“Africa is an incredibly diverse place,” Pasi said. “I think sometimes we think of Africa as a monolith—it’s all the same—but it’s not.”
“There are 1.5 billion people living in Africa today. Basically, one out of every five people [live] in Africa,” Pasi continued.
Pasi reviewed population statistics, predicting which countries will be the most populous by 2100: India, China, Nigeria, the United States, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Tunisia and Egypt.
“If we look at the countries in Africa: Nigeria, [Democratic Republic of Congo], Ethiopia, Tunisia and Egypt, that’s five countries,” that would be near the top of population list, Pasi said. “By 2100, five of the largest countries in the world will be on the continent of Africa. So size, in terms of population, does matter.”
Pasi said the natural resources from Africa are of increasing interest around the world.
“Take a look at all the things that are inside your iPhone or your cell phone or your computer,” Pasi said. “You can’t find some of these things in other places or at those prices that make it affordable.”
“The fact that you can have one and everyone can have one in the United States and in many countries means that a lot of resources are required, and many of these come from places like Central Africa,” Pasi continued.
Pasi said China is currently challenging the United States in its investments on the continent—even before the Trump administration dismantled foreign aid programs viewed by many as a source of soft power and diplomatic influence.
“The bottom line is: China is ahead of us in engagement,” Pasi said. “[During] the Cold War, we were fighting against the former Soviet Union, but now our real challenge is China, at least on aid and assistance and so on.”
Pasi said Chinese leaders often meet with African leaders while American presidents do not. Former President Joe Biden's first and only visit to the continent came during his final months in office. He was the first American president to travel to Africa since 2015.
“I’d probably have to give America a D-minus for engagement,” Pasi said. “I don’t know if its recoverable. We’ll see.”
"The things China is doing are things that these leaders absolutely want. They don’t necessarily care about education [and] they don’t necessarily care about healthcare for their citizens. They care about acquiring infrastructure that helps them either personally or as a nation,” Pasi said.
Pasi said China’s ability to provide things like airports and hospitals will appeal more to some countries in Africa than investments in curbing poverty, as one example.
“China’s been building this presence for a long time,” Pasi said.
Pasi also called attention to Russia’s growing media presence in Africa with a Sputnik news station opening near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She said Russia is also opening 11 Russian language centers across Africa to teach students how to speak Russian.
“In the last seven years, more people in Africa have gotten online than who live in the United States,” Pasi said. “They’re online just like us all the time. They’re getting their news from disinformation—some of it from sources that are really disinformation campaigns—and leading the pack are these countries: Russia, China, [United Arab Emirates], Saudi Arabia and Qatar.”
“I can guarantee it doesn’t say America is the best country in the world and you should do whatever America tells you. It’s something to advance their opinions and their causes,” Pasi said.
According to Pasi, China realized long ago that Africa would be important in the future and that is why they are investing in the continent long-term. Countries such as Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Iran, she said, are involved with Africa in ways the U.S. isn’t.
“I would call these issues without borders,” Pasi said. “Let’s suppose that China continues to increase its reach. It’s possible that access by the U.S., by Europe [and] by non-Chinese-affiliated countries to raw materials and energy might be more difficult.”
Pasi said certain programs previously funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development [USAID], designed to provide foreign aid, promote human rights and development assistance, might not be welcome in ultra-conservative nations.
“If you’re offering assistance to make people more tolerant but the people in the country and the government of the country don’t welcome that, it might be like banging your head against a brick wall,” she said.
“Touching people’s lives directly is invaluable,” Pasi said of the care provided by USAID. “China touches governments in ways that might enhance those governments’ goals and desires—at the same time helping China—but not necessarily helping people individually in ways that matter.”
