African Dynamics in a Multipolar World

African Dynamics in a Multipolar World, 2013

The coming 5th European Conference of African Studies (ECAS 5) which is being held on 27-29 June 2013 in Lisbon, Portugal, of which this book is partly a sneak preview, proposes to make the case that African Studies are a vibrant, productive and meaningful research and teaching area, uniquely capable of not only producing knowledge about Africa, but of gauging the viability of the decision-making processes, be it at grass-root or at the most macro of levels, through detailed analysis, thoughtful understanding and – let us admit – personal involvement. The 2010s have witnessed the consolidation of most African states and institutions. However, fifty years after the foundation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in May 1963, the international panorama and Africa’s position in it have changed considerably. The world’s geopolitical and economic configuration has evolved, with new actors appearing in a new phase of globalization. Under these conditions and given its own trajectory, the current challenges that Africa faces include the promotion of peace and security, human rights, democratic institutions and particularly the integration and socio-economic development of Africans, as stated by the OAU’s successor, the 2000-established African Union.

Revista Brasileira de Estudos Africanos, 2018

South African Journal of International Affairs, 2020

Contemporary Africa and the Foreseeable World Order is situated in the growing discourse surrounding Africa's agency and pursuit of a central role in the international milieu. Its purpose, according to the introduction, is to highlight the importance of examining emerging African regimes, institutions, norms and values to address the infiltration of 'African regimes' by developed countries (p. 3). The first of the volume's three sections-'African states and actions towards a normative agenda'begins with several chapters providing a historical overview of the continent's role in international affairs. Thereafter, it considers Africa's emerging peace and security agenda, African Union (AU) financing, the role of the AU in conflict prevention, and African values as they relate to refugees. Across this analysis, contributors highlight the role of pan-Africanism in shaping perspectives and norms across the continent, while also acknowledging that, in practice, Africa's approaches continue to be underpinned by dominant international paradigms. As Cheryl Hendricks argues, there is 'a contradictory methodology in which they assert the principles of Pan-Africanism, yet the practice has been that of neoliberalism' (p. 72). This challenge of dependence on existing norms is further highlighted by Kasaija Apuuli in his assessment of Africa's efforts to adopt new approaches to funding mechanisms. Chapter 5 assesses developments in AU norms and approaches to conflict prevention. Adriana Erthal Abdenur and Giovanna Kuele highlight the progressive developments of the AU in shaping dispute resolution, including the creation of a Mediation Support Unit and the 'strong effort to increase meaningful participation of women in mediation' (p. 103). Following from this, Gilan Ben-Nun addresses 'heroic hospitality' to refugees across the continent. He points out that 'one is hard-pressed to deny the simple fact that African societies tend to be unequivocally more hospitable, especially to the migrant stranger, than occidental ones' (p. 117). While Ben-Nun provides an interesting longitudinal analysis of Morocco and Ethiopia, it would have been interesting to delve further into why some countries (Kenya and South Africa, for example) have become less than hospitable towards migrants and refugees. Part 2 collates diverse chapters under the broad theme, 'Geo-politics and globalism'. Chapter 8 assesses the 'democratic regression' (p. 155) across central Africa (Angola, the Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi), linked to the idea of constitutionalism. Given the focus on norms and constitutionalism, this analysis may have been more suited to inclusion in Part 1. Chapter 9's focus on Sino-Zimbabwean relations is more clearly rooted in geopolitics and the structural challenges facing African countries in global politics. Aside from this chapter, the predominant focus of Part 2 is geopolitics within the continent (intra-Africa or regional). This includes consideration of the AU's African Standby Force, the balance of power in the AU Commission's 2017 elections, and the hydropolitics of East Africa. The Nile river and the region's lakes are used to demonstrate 'the existence of a resource race that facilitates the emergence of strategic local and national hegemons on shared water bodies' (p. 230).

Report, 2019

SYNTHESIS REPORT The third edition of the African Peace and Security Annual Conference (APSACO) was held on June 18-19th 2019 under the theme “Africa's Place and Influence in a Changing World”. The two-day event, organized by Policy Center for the New South (PCNS)

2004

The international insertion of African states both in economic and political realms has redefined Africa's relations in the international system. Africa's role in international trade negotiations, military and humanitarian intervention and other forms of bilateral discussions has increased over time. Africa has been able to metamorphose from what The Economist tagged 'the hopeless continent' to 'a rising continent'. It is against this background that this paper critically appraises Africa's inspiring change through comprehensive political and socioeconomic reforms driven by the shared values of ownership, leadership and partnerships, based on the AU vision of an integrated, forward-looking, prosperous, dynamic and peaceful Africa in the global arena. This paper examines Africa's transition from a continent aimlessly dependent on Europe for survival; EurAfrique to that which is able to enter into mutual partnership with Europe with both the former and latter operating at par; Afro-Europa. Afro-Europeans is used on the model of African Americans by associations and movements militating in favor of equal opportunities for black, mixed-race and mulatto people from overseas territories and Europe. The paper also assesses the contending issues currently bedeviling EU-Africa partnership and further explores what hope there is for the revered partnership. The paper however concludes that Europe and Africa who have a common interest in maintaining a balanced and dynamic global partnership, despite their different situations, have to face the same challenge: promoting a model of economic growth that is both sustainable, inclusive and generates jobs.

South African Journal of International Affairs, 2020

Africa's shifting geopolitics in a changing strategic landscape: Towards greater agency Geographically situated in the 'Global South' as the geological extension of the Afro-Eurasian land mass, Africa is centrally situated at the very intersection of global strategic dynamics. This raises a number of questions. Chiefly: How does Africa and its future, interlinked with the continent's encircling geopolitical, economic and security dynamics impinging on continental-maritime perimeters in proximity to Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the America's relate to the broader west-to-east shifting of the global political economy's center of gravity in a still evolving multipolar strategic landscape? This policy brief attempts to address this predicament from a uniquely Africa-centered vantage-point, highlighting key recommendations for enhancing African agency and strategic autonomy. It is a perspective informed by the continent's globally centered positioning relative to all other continents and continental-maritime interregional zones of political, security and geoeconomic intercourse. As such, the continent is configured in such a manner as to be suggestive of a mega-island or, if you will, 'Island Africa.' INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL DIALOGUE

Revista IDEES, 2021

The African continent is in the midst of multiple transformations. The global context marked by the overlapping of crises (democratic, social and ecological) has embraced Africa as the main stage for all these changes, presenting different accents and characteristics in each region. Similarly, many of the major impacts on the international scene, such as the rise of the Asian continent and China, now occupying the centre of worldwide geopolitics, cannot be explained without the central role of the African region. Therefore, it could be argued that Africa today hosts a reciprocity of dynamics. On the one hand, the continent is one of the main world arenas assembling intense multipolar competition for geopolitical and geoeconomic interests. On the other hand, with its own particular features, Africa is a sounding board of the global crises faced by the ensemble of societies. Taking into consideration these two mechanisms at work, the African continent can no longer be conceived as a peripheral region in the framework of international relations, despite being the trend that has recurrently permeated interpretations and discourses on Africa. In the same vein, we have an obligation to understand and reflect on the role of the African continent in the post-pandemic global scenario. To do so, it is crucial to eschew the clichés and narratives responsible for simplifying the reality of Africa, which is key to comprehending the big picture of modernity and globalization.

2001