A Talk by Walter Kansteiner
Founding Principal, The Scowcroft Group
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs

The Strauss Center’s Climate Change and African Political Stability Program and the McCombs School of Business present China Inc’s Africa Involvement, a talk by Walter Kansteiner of The Scowcroft Group, on Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at 5:30 p.m. in the McCombs School of Business Legacy Room, CBA 3.202.  Refreshments will be provided.

China has raised its presence, trade, and investment in Africa to an all-time high.  The impacts of this are not only economic but environmental as well.  One stark example comes from China’s clear-cutting of the rainforest underway now in the Congo basin.  Mr. Kansteiner will focus his discussion on what this means for Africa, its environment and its strategic ecosystems, as well as what it means for the United States’ diplomatic, trade, and economic interests.

Walter Kansteiner is founding Principal of The Scowcroft Group.  He formerly served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, where he was responsible for U.S. Foreign policy in Africa.  He was also the President’s personal representative to the G8 Africa Process.  He previously served as the Director of African Affairs on the National Security Council staff and as the Africa specialist on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning staff.  He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, chairs the congressionally mandated Africa Policy Advisory Panel, and serves on various boards in the U.S. and Africa.

As founding Principal of The Scowcroft Group, Mr. Kansteiner has more than twenty years experience with African and emerging market business issues.  Mr. Kansteiner has advised corporations on a wide range of mergers, acquisitions, and privatizations throughout Africa, and he has been involved with transactions in telecommunications, forestry, mining, financial services, healthcare, and aviation services.

Submitted by Madeline Chauvin