David F. Gordon

David F. Gordon is a senior fellow of the Overseas Development Council, an international policy research institute. He previously worked as an advisor for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Kenya, helping to promote democracy in that nation. In the following viewpoint, he argues that since the end of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1990, Africa has undergone many changes. These include the coming to power of a new generation of pragmatic and dynamic leaders and an evolution towards democracy in many parts of the continent. Gordon contends that while most African states cannot yet be described as fully democratic, Africa’s democratization is a long-term process that the United States should continue to support.

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