Key Issues In African Diplomacy

Africa’s unique position as an international diplomatic actor has not always been given the attention it deserves. This volume bridges this gap by offering a fresh, comprehensive and realistic overview of African diplomacy. The book examines African diplomatic practice. Chapters explore how different types of diplomacy have developed over time, including energy diplomacy, economic diplomacy and quiet diplomacy. Crucially, the book assesses how certain events have allowed Africa to use certain types of diplomacy to yield better outcomes for itself. Including contributions from an international team of scholars, policy makers and experts from the diplomatic world, the book provides a comprehensive guide to African diplomacy and challenges the current dominant usage of Northern perspectives on diplomacy studies.

This book probes key issues pertaining to Africa’s relations with global actors. It provides a comprehensive trajectory of Africa’s relations with key bilateral and major multilateral actors, assessing how the Cold War affected the African state systems’ political policies, its economies, and its security. Taken together, the essays in this volume provide a collective understanding of Africa’s drive to improve the capacity of its state of global affairs, and assess whether it is in fact able to do so.

African Diplomacy: The UN Experience deals with some of the many issues, affecting Africa, which came before the United Nations in the immediate, post-independence period. Of major importance were the establishment of the Economic Commission for Africa, and the revocation of the Mandate which conferred on South Africa responsibility for the administration of the Trusteeship Territory of South West Africa. The book also deals with some policy issues not strictly within the ambit of the United Nations, but which were of special international significance, such as the interminable controversy regarding Chinese representation in the United Nations (1950-1967), the Commonwealth initiative to end the conflict in Vietnam, and the complexities of multilateral diplomacy. The final chapter “Reflections on Some Contemporary Issues” discusses current issues of topical interest, including the effect of the Cold War on diplomatic practice, globalization, economic development, foreign aid, peacekeeping, and the failure of party politics in Africa. While the episodes dealt with in the book are not all in strict chronological order, they have been arranged to enable the flow of the narrative without departing unduly from the general chronology of the events.

The Cold War period witnessed competition from political, economic, ideological, diplomatic, military and social dimensions between the United States of America (USA), and the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In the superpower rivalries, India and Africa were adversely affected in many ways. The situation did not change for the better in the post-Cold War period, which has witnessed the domination of the world by the US and its allies, the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialised countries. This domination has been characterised by the process of Americanization of the worlds, otherwise termed globalisation, in virtually all spheres of life. USA, India, Africa During and After the Cold War demonstrates that both the United States and The Soviet Union used African States, India and other Third World countries for their own geopolitical considerations; that the foreign policy and foreign relations of the US were meant to subject Africa and India to the dictates of US imperialism. The book assesses the impact of the Cold War and the post-Cold War order on Africa, India and the entire world and argues that the Non Aligned Movement is still relevant to the Third World countries despite the demise of the Cold War. The book analyses issues from the African point of view as opposed to hitherto Western view points but provides a balanced appreciation of the complex forces that shape foreign policies and foreign relations globally. It is a valuable contribution to modern diplomatic history and targets university students, researchers, foreign affairs ministries, and practicing diplomats.

Africa’s unique position as an international diplomatic actor has not always been given the attention it deserves. This volume bridges this gap by offering a fresh, comprehensive and realistic overview of African diplomacy. The book examines African diplomatic practice. Chapters explore how different types of diplomacy have developed over time, including energy diplomacy, economic diplomacy and quiet diplomacy. Crucially, the book assesses how certain events have allowed Africa to use certain types of diplomacy to yield better outcomes for itself. Including contributions from an international team of scholars, policy makers and experts from the diplomatic world, the book provides a comprehensive guide to African diplomacy and challenges the current dominant usage of Northern perspectives on diplomacy studies.

Unpacks the histories, actors and geopolitics of India's soft power and evolving engagements with Africa.

Africa is experiencing one of the greatest transformations of its history. Today’s Sub-Saharan Africa is still marked by enduring instability, mass migrations and crises, but at the same time it is also characterised by positive developments including economic growth and regional integration. This publication sheds light on these changes from three perspectives: economic policies and sustainable development; good governance and democracy; peace and security. Research in relevant regions in Sub-Saharan Africa and key countries (Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa) has been conducted by African and European experts with the aim of assessing the role of the private sector and determining the partner-ship opportunities that could potentially be developed with the public sector. A series of policy recommendations are offered to the European Union on how to tackle these opportunities in cooperation with old and new actors.