Now in his second term as the first black "leaderof the free world," U.S. President Barack Obama con-cluded his maiden multi-country visit to the Africancontinent in earlyJuly. On the heels of the annual BRICSLeaders' Summit, which was hosted in South Africain March of this year, Obama's visit to Senegal, SouthAfrica and Tanzania has prompted questions about therationale behind such a visit. These questions seemparticularly pertinent in light of the continent's increas-ing commercial ties to leading emerging market players,such as China.