A powerful new piece just dropped from Washington’s elite foreign policy circles — and it’s already causing ripples across Africa and the diaspora.
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), one of the most influential think tanks in the United States, has taken direct aim at Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré, accusing him of hiding authoritarianism behind a bold pan-African image.
The article, boldly titled “The Cult of Traoré,” paints the 36-year-old leader not as a revolutionary, but as a rising strongman who’s captured hearts and headlines while dodging democracy.
“He’s nationalized gold mines, handed out tractors, and talks big about freedom,” the article notes. “But behind the scenes, he’s jailing critics, avoiding elections, and acting like democracy itself is the enemy.”
The CFR’s sharp critique argues that Traoré’s rapid rise and massive following are built on anti-West slogans, flashy populism, and promises he likely can’t keep. The piece compares him to other populist figures around the globe — riding on vibes and viral videos, while consolidating power in silence.
But the critique doesn’t stop with Traoré.
The CFR sees him as part of a bigger trend — what it calls a “cult of power” spreading across parts of Africa, where military-led regimes in Mali, Chad, and Niger are branding coups as liberation.
According to the think tank, this new wave of “soldier-presidents” is pulling their countries further from democratic ideals — and the West is getting uncomfortable.
What’s perhaps most biting is the article’s jab at diaspora-based Pan-Africanists, who it says are “cheering Traoré from afar” while enjoying the very freedoms and protections of Western democracy they claim to reject.
The CFR essentially calls out the hypocrisy of celebrating authoritarianism in Africa from the comfort of liberal societies abroad.
Still, for many on the continent, Ibrahim Traoré represents something different — pride, sovereignty, and the long-awaited break from neocolonial dominance. For them, it’s not about democracy vs. dictatorship, it’s about control of resources, dignity, and the courage to walk away from Western interference.
And that, more than anything, may be what unsettles the Council on Foreign Relations.
Because Traoré’s real threat isn’t a cult of personality — it’s the growing idea that Africans can chart a new course without asking for permission. As CFR puts the world on notice, the message is clear: the U.S. is watching.
But on the ground in Burkina Faso, and across the Sahel, the people are watching too — and they’re tired of waiting for democracy to deliver.
