The Road to Success in Africa is Paved in Asphalt: Transportation Infrastructure Development in Emerging Economies as a Way to Achieve National Strategic Policy Objectives

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the strategic importance of a dramatic improvement in the roadway infrastructure in an underdeveloped area, particularly when the United States has a specific interest. Every geographical area brings its own complications and challenges, but the Horn of Africa is chosen based on the general dearth of major roads and its strategic importance as outlined in the National Security Strategy for 2013. Most of the paved roads in Africa are in and around the major cities. Travel throughout most of Sub-Saharan Africa is slow and tedious along unlit, unpaved roads that wind around villages, topography, and hydrology terrain features. While the major premise of the thesis is development of roads, it is more in the idea of building lines of communication, including rail, telecom, and airports. In light of AFRICOM's ongoing partnership, the nation of Ethiopia is chosen as a test case for this plausibility probe.