Recently, much has been made about Chinese involvement in Africa, with some hailing it as a boon for developing nations while others decry it as neo-imperialism. But what has been the United States' response to this issue? Mr. Wharton talks about United States policies towards Africa and towards Chinese involvement in Africa in this event, sponsored by the Jackson/Ho China Forum. It took place on April 6th, 2012, in Ben Cherrington Hall of the Josef Korbel School.
David Bruce Wharton became the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of African Affairs in July 2010. He joined the Africa Bureau in August 2009 as the Director ofthe Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs after a two-year assignment as Deputy Coordinator of the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs. From 2003 to 2006 he was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala. Bruce Wharton entered the Foreign Service in 1985 and has served at U.S. embassies in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. In Africa, he has also had temporary duty in Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana. From 1992 to 1995 he worked in Washington, D.C. on Andean Affairs and Western Hemisphere policy issues. He hasreceived Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards from the Department of State and the U.S. Information Agency, and was the 2011 recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy. Mr. Wharton was born in Basel, Switzerland, and enjoyed a cross-cultural childhood with time spent in both Europe and Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin and speaks Spanish and German. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Mr. Wharton worked in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area.
