Africa’s political class is increasingly anxious that Washington’s regime-change playbook in oil-rich Venezuela and pressure on Iran could one day be applied to resource-rich African states, even as US strategy documents insist that Africa is only a secondary theater focused on counterterrorism, sea lanes, and great‑power competition. African commentators warn that talk of “protecting democracy” or “securing energy supplies” can quickly blur into coercive diplomacy or military intervention narratives, sparking fears that no government is entirely safe from external pressure if it controls critical oil, gas, or mineral assets.