BROADCASTS.com

b'

\\u201cWhere the state is absent or weak, non-state actors, such as religious movements and institutions, traditional ethnic polities, militant organizations, or combinations of all three, take its place, some for better, some for worse.\\u201d Those are the words of former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell, in his new book, \\u201cNigeria and the Nation-State: Rethinking Diplomacy with the Post-Colonial World.\\u201d In it, he argues that U.S. diplomats should focus on working more with traditional, religious and local leaders\\u2014where real power often rests\\u2014and less with foreign ministries and weak heads of state.

Campbell is currently Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He joins WPR\\u2019s Elliot Waldman on Trend Lines this week to discuss the ideas he lays out in his book, and what the U.S. needs to do to implement them.

Relevant Articles on WPR:

The U.S. Can Still Promote Democracy in Africa

Why the U.S. Needs a Different Approach in Mali

Why Africa\\u2019s Future Will Determine the Rest of the World\\u2019s

America\\u2019s Downsized Relationship With Africa Is About to Go Totally Adrift

Trend Lines is produced and edited by Peter D\\xf6rrie, a freelance journalist and analyst focusing on security and resource politics in Africa. You can follow him on Twitter at @peterdoerrie.

To send feedback or questions, email us at podcast@worldpoliticsreview.com.