There is more than one way to erase a country. Sometimes you simply change the vocabulary. A former political territory becomes two administrative regions. A constitutional conflict becomes an “Anglophone crisis.” A question of consent becomes a problem of decentralization. An unresolved political dispute becomes primarily a humanitarian disaster.

That, in my judgment, is part of what happened to the Former British Southern Cameroons, known as Ambazonia. However, this is not only a historical question. It is also a question of American interests. The United States does not need another dependent client state in Africa; it needs reliable partners. A peaceful, accountable Ambazonia could offer partnership in security, trade, energy, infrastructure, technology, agriculture, resilient supply chains, and responsibly developed strategic resources.