UVA Clubs: Understanding Nigeria with Ambassador John Campbell

All alumni, parents, and friends were invited to join us for a special online conversation between Ambassador John Campbell (CLAS '66, GSAS '67) and Vice Provost for Global Affairs Ambassador Stephen Mull. The topics for conversation with Ambassador Campbell included the colonial history of Nigeria and how this history has resulted in the current political environment including the rise of Boko Haram, and how U.S. diplomats can focus on making a change from the ground up. About Ambassador John Campbell: Ambassador John Campbell is Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC. From 1975 to 2007, Campbell served as a U.S. Department of State Foreign Service officer. He served twice in Nigeria, as political counselor from 1988 to 1990, and as ambassador from 2004 to 2007. Campbell's additional overseas postings include Lyon, Paris, Geneva, and Pretoria. He also served as deputy assistant secretary for human resources, dean of the Foreign Service Institute's School of Language Studies, and director of the Office of UN Political Affairs. In his new book, Nigeria and the Nation-State: Rethinking Diplomacy with the Postcolonial World, John Campbell argues that Nigeria deserves greater attention. Already considered the "Giant of Africa" with a population of around 220 million, by far the largest on the continent, Nigeria is projected to have the third-largest population in the world by mid-century. While the country has occasionally made international headlines for Boko Haram attacks or, more recently, the #ENDSARS protests against police brutality, Western media coverage of Nigeria remains intermittent and simplistic. More consequentially, American policymakers have long neglected and misunderstood this dynamic country.

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