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ARTICLE · 01 SEPTEMBER 2026

Interview With Chris Dantes, Intelligence Fellow

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An intelligence fellow examines Africa's strategic importance through the lens of US-China competition, critical mineral supply chains, and evolving security partnerships.

United StatesGovernment, Public Sector
Chris Dantes
Chris Dantes

Chris Dantes is an Intelligence Fellow with Steptoe’s Global Strategic Engagement Team, with a focus on developments in geopolitical and security challenges across Africa. Part of the Global Strategic Engagement Team’s Intelligence Fellowship for graduate-level students, Chris will receive his Master’s in National Security and Intelligence from Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service in May 2027. Chris provides market intelligence and political risk analysis in support of client legal proceedings and strategic advising. 

Chris sat down with Stepwise Editor-in-Chief Anni Coonan to discuss his takes on ongoing developments in Africa:

Africa often receives less attention in business and policy circles than other regions of the world. Why is it important to understand Africa, and what are the US' strategic interests on the continent? 

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