Summitry – Scramble for Africa Sustained

Introduction

Interaction between Africa and various parts of the world is the norm since the beginning of time. However the last 200 years has brought a new pattern of interaction where Africa’s descent is highlighted as a scramble by great powers. In the post-cold war climate, the complexity of this lopsided interaction has taken the shape of domination by both the traditional North and the emerging forces in the Global South. This is the focus of this discuss.

From Berlin to Berlin

Denial of geography is the nemesis of princes. Ignorance of military technology is the path to perpetual weakness for nations. The two universal geopolitical values were clear to the new German Empire concretised by Otto von Bismarck while imposing the Treaty of Versailles in 1871. However 300 years earlier Africa has been in long cathartic reverse of fortune and domination where her most valuable resources were industrially denuded. Slavery by the West and East industrially stripped Africa of its best on the basis of her perceived weakness.

This weakness was codified by the then emerging powers at the Berlin Conference which partitioned Africa without African input in 1885. The internal geographical subdivision where fixed as the building blocks of Westphalia architecture, nation-states. Those lines or boundaries remain in effect to this day. In 1914 and 1939 respectively Berlin sought and lost her place in the sun while the blueprint of its Conference became immutable. Africa turned into dominated pizza parts for various European capitals until the heavyweights arrived later.

Cold War

Conclusion of WW2 removed the old geopolitical guards into diminution as Washington DC and Moscow contested their supremacy in Africa. It mustn’t be lost to all that the uranium oxide used in the building of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively were stolen in Congo by the Colonial Kingdom of Belgium. United States much like Soviet Union was very aware of Africa’s geostrategic primacy. Africa’s ancient basement complex rocks contain huge commercial reserves of precious metals, natural resources, fresh water and other geophysical niches. Both hegemons battled it out on the continent directly or through proxies. Africans bore all the brunt in blood and otherwise.

UK and France consoled as WW2 runners-up acted as remoras on the latitudes allowed by the US hence the fierce colonial wars in Algeria, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and etc. None of the players fought for the Africans but her domination. Africa remained weak in strategy, policy and positioning. The colonial conflicts lasted longest in spots of higher geophysical significance. A divided Africa along colonial lines and short-term initiatives failed to grasp an intergenerational imposition already taking shape waiting for reinvigoration and innovation.

Death of USSR

After 70+ years Soviet Union died without external invasion in 1991. US won the cold war and with her ascendancy became the challenged master of the world. Russia took time to reinject vigour in her geopolitical ambitions, UK and France remain fossilised while Berlin re-emerged behind a matrix of EU states. India and China cracked the shells to wiggle weak fins in a reconfiguring geopolitical waters. Even Brazil finally made a debut in a weak contrast to her super-efficient delivery in the field of soccer. Africa renamed from Organisation of African Union to African Union in a controlled baptism of neocolonisation. The future remained bleak. There is no unity of Africa and Africans rather the shots are called from outside.

Summitry

As the challenged unipolar world unfurled, US moved into self-flagellation in the Middle East while Moscow and Beijing concentrated on economic consolidation with profits rechannelled into armed forces modernisation and economic development. As the ambience of disposable income soured, gaps in supply chains forced a review of probable resources sources and markets and the lot fell on Africa. Beijing played her cards with niche in-road into Africa for a phased strategic projection buttressed on infrastructure development and market expansion. The platform for one-stop-shop is the China-Africa Summit bringing African leaders to kowtow in Beijing.

Then Japan with her advance economic profile followed suit with her own Japan-Africa summit. There is Russia-Africa summit, India-Africa summit and UK-Africa summit. In each summit a collective of African leaders most bereft of skill, vision and awareness fleet about thousands of kilometres from their capitals to rubber-stamp treaties that will chain down future generations. Most of these leaders lack viable health care facilities in their neighbourhoods.

While Brazil and France limit their influence in Lusophone and Francophone countries, it is very clear that the renewed vigour in the scramble for Africa testifies to a refined innovation in grand-strategy and geostrategic initiative. Underlying all these in the war-on-terror format is United States African Command (AFRICOM), which in summary is the template for recolonization of Africa specifically her geological and geophysical assets. The conflicts in DR Congo, Libya and the ongoing conflagration in West Africa are examples of struggles for mineral resources.

These summits are windows for legitimisation of Africa’s dominance in a shrinking world that is opening to the gradual irrelevance of Westphalia building block. Increased hierarchisation of geopolitics has enhanced the position of African state at the bottom devoid of shift in context. Africa is reduced to a single entity despite her continental prowess in a massive of monumental proportion. In these summits a new pattern of domination has emerged, a new form of elites are emerging and another round of intergenerational dependency is shaped.  

Conclusion

The summits show a cultural ambience of ascendance in the dominating capitals and a hubris testifying advancement. It is impossible to indicate how these structures could be fought if such position is decided. The only open avenue for Africans is renewed incentive to reverse the identity crisis which has diminished individual and collective awareness. This cannot be sustained by total removal of the past or concentration on past glories. By providing a nuanced account of history the place of Africans in the present, including appreciating the complexity of structures & policies plus Africans contribution to such self-degradation opens a way towards strategic regeneration to boldly hold the future from a position of strength.

Brexit – A Normal Geopolitical Realignment

Introduction

Last month was the first of  conclusive steps in United Kingdom’s exit from the multi-state continent group European Union. In a sense UK have spent the last 5 years working feverishly to overcome what seem apparently like an crisis of identity but in reality is a natural response to emerging shifts in geopolitical power. The thrust of this discuss is to draw historical contours of this response in view of wider reconfigurations, isolate what remains for the Kingdom and summarise some evident post-Brexit structures.

Europe 2

Europe has been a sustained theatre of geopolitical contests for the last 500 years. In most of these centuries, power projection is coupled with fire power finally decided in major wars where and when necessary. To say the least, Europe is a violent space and such heritage remains near the surface despite a gap of conflict in the last 70 years. When the fate of post-WW11 was decided in Yalta, the real winners where United States and Soviet Union. United Kingdom at the table was no better than France outside. Evidently both winners divided the spoils of war i.e. Europe between them with the marking west of Vistula (Poland) on the doorsteps of Elbe (West Germany). This cartographic reality sustained by mutually agreed deception known in the West as Cold War endured till 1991.

As 2^nd rate players on the western flank with full awareness of history, UK and France spearheaded a dual renewal based on remaining colonial possessions in Africa & Asia under US imprimatur and revaluation of their common European home. As Churchill was deluding with grandiose global panache of uneconomically pedigree he locked totally in Washington DC embrace, De Gaulle was clear that French hegemony was limited in the face of the ascendant United States. As a professor of history and fluent in German he fully understood his remit. Keep out the Anglo-Saxons for a while!

His grand strategy was simple. Nip future German aggression in the bud by tying her down with trade arrangements powered by Paris and Bonn (then West Germany capital). He approached Adenauer, the German chancellor and they fleshed out a phased programme for European integration starting with 6 countries. UK was not part of the 6. With the Treaty of Rome in the bag, institutionalised Europe was decided, created and progressed. It was a success. De Gaulle ensured that UK will play no part and that 'law' was effective until his death. United States had no problem with the idea and its substance after all she was the unrivalled master of Europe.

Later Day

Bearing in mind that France is a permanent UN member with huge colonial possessions, was blinded by the complexity of a stale geopolitical identity which expressed itself in her wasteful wars in Indochina and Algeria. Nevertheless the cost of wars and cost of post-war reconstruction naturally opened the door to embrace trade in a global market. UK was deftly reconfiguring her colonies with ‘peaceful’ arrangements of future neo-colonial control with an awareness that the Commonwealth market is limited.

UK cannot be successful while removed from Europe, so with the demise of De Gaulle applied for EC membership and was accepted with Ireland in 1973. It was convenient for London to play in the new field of successors between US and USSR taking advantage of the new EC geopolitical realignment to advance trade expansion, technological advancement and diplomatic maneuvers. Falkland Wars was an example where France halted weapon sales to Argentina for UK interest.

The African space was collectively manacled with the odious Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) wireframe called Lomé Convention. Simply put it specifies that ACP states are the markets while EC is the seller with limited access for ACP products in her market. This remains the case today. In a sense EC/EU arrangement suited London, Paris and Bonn/Berlin for a time. London’s status as a global financial centre became ascendant with the Thatcher regime drawing capital from the EC. The weight of UK in EC/EU mustn’t be underestimated, it was a heavyweight but this was not causing discontent at home.

Drawbridge

The collapse of the Soviet Union brought new realities to Europe and Berlin made the most of it by pragmatically restoring its sphere of influence. Starting with German reunification and advancing the collapse of Yugoslavia, it gradually stepped up the plate with its huge resources towards fuller mastery of Europe. Despite US geopolitical primacy, other developments in Russia and Asia especially Japan, China and India; opened the door to challenge the global order in various fronts.

United States found it cheaper to produce in Asia (with tax cuts) and progressed its deindustrialisation while concentrating on the niche/military/high technological footprints. Only Germany was ascending in similar path with economic growth, economic development and silent diplomacy on the world stage. EU’s advantage surged. With a new currency (Euro) constructed on the German Deutsch Mark, Germany became EU banker and lender of last resort.

With sustained less than 2% economic growth, poverty of innovation and limited industrial production, France and UK are bound to stagnate. With domestic interest rate at 0% for nearly 2 decades freezing savings out, declining wages and widening societal gaps; London was condemned to confront discontent and polarisation in its domestic politics. Failure to admit irresponsibility is equal to finding an enemy and EU fitted the bill and was baptised thus. All politics is economic! Simply put, Berlin is the rivalled master of Europe with the paraphernalia, wealth and influence.

With Trumpian US making clear its preference for an isolated hegemony devoid of remoras, UK was contained towards imposed renewal drawn the poverty of a virile political elite. So with rising Asia, consolidating Russia, buoyant EU and stirring rest of the world; UK had one way to go. The historical baggage of empire days languished in the face of modern aggressive geopolitical competitors. A test case is the recent past purchase of 5G network from Hauwei. UK lacks the technology and lack the resources to purchase costlier options from its western partners.

Final Descent

UK has never been far from Europe. It has decided the fate of many outcomes on the continent. She is a beneficiary of Westphalian geopolitical infrastructure. However the recent ascendance of Berlin is perceived as both a challenge and message. Germany was defeated in 2 horrible conflicts, and has emerged to take the hotspot two generations later without a shot. Germany is the new rivalled master of Europe, of course US is the security chief.

As UK returns to her place the chalky islands across the channel, it is important to stress that she is not a loser in the real sense as states are not condemned to remain ad infinitum in alliances. Alliances are parallel envelopes for short-term and medium-term expressions of grand strategy. London remains a permanent member of the UN with veto power, it possess nuclear arsenals, has limited armed force in terms extra-territorial projection/deployment ability and sustains a working economy. Her physical boundary is limited to North Atlantic waters and Northern Ireland on land. It wasn’t so in 1920.

Her global influence continues to weld through perception of its values, identities and image. One example is the recent past UK-Africa summit where African heads of state huddled together in London raptly focused on a dishevelled and inaudible prime minister. So the strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.

UK remains one of the great powers in or out of the EU. Still a premier European state!