[Moscow - along with Beijing - is preparing for a long-term
geopolitical confrontation in Africa. ]
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AFRICA: WESTERN COLONIALISM VS THE LEGACY OF THE SOVIET UNION
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RAMZY BAROUD
August 7, 2022
Common Dreams
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_ Moscow - along with Beijing - is preparing for a long-term
geopolitical confrontation in Africa. _
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) walks with Uganda's
President Yoweri Museveni after their press conference at the State
House in Entebbe on July 26, 2022., BADRU KATUMBA/AFP via Getty Images
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SERGEY Lavrov's recent tour in Africa was
meant to be a game changer, not only in terms of Russia's relations
with the continent, but in the global power struggle involving the US,
Europe, China, India, Turkey and others.
Many media reports and analyses placed Lavrov's visit
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Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Uganda and Ethiopia within the obvious
political context of the Russia-Ukraine war. The British Guardian's
Jason Burka summed up
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visit in these words: “Lavrov is seeking to convince African leaders
and, to a much lesser extent, ordinary people that Moscow cannot be
blamed either for the conflict or the food crisis.”
Though true, there is more at stake.
Africa’s importance to the geostrategic tug of war is not a new
phenomenon. Western governments, think tanks and media reports have,
for long, allocated much attention to Africa due to China’s and
Russia’s successes in altering the foreign policy map of many
African countries. For years, the West has been playing catch up, but
with limited success.
The Economist discussed
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new scramble for Africa' in a May 2019 article, which reported on
“governments and businesses from all around the world” who are
“rushing” to the continent in search of “vast opportunities”
awaiting them there. Between 2010 and 2016, 320 foreign embassies were
opened in Africa which, according to the magazine, is “probably the
biggest embassy-building boom, anywhere, ever.”
Though China has often been portrayed as a country seeking economic
opportunities only, the nature and evolution of Beijing’s relations
with Africa prove otherwise. Beijing is reportedly
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biggest supplier of arms to sub-Saharan Africa, and its defense
technology permeates almost the entire continent. In 2017,
China established
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first military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.
Russia’s military influence in Africa is also growing exponentially,
and Moscow’s power is challenging that of France, the US and others
in various strategic spaces, mainly in the East Africa regions.
But, unlike the US and other western states, countries like China,
Russia and India have been cautious as they attempt to strike the
perfect balance between military engagement, economic development and
political language.
‘Quartz Africa’ reported
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trade between Africa and China “rose to a record high” in 2021.
The jump was massive: 35% between 2020 and 2021, reaching a total of
$254 billion.
Now that Covid-19 restrictions have been largely lifted, trade between
Africa and China is likely to soar at astronomical levels in the
coming years. Keeping in mind the economic slump and potential
recession in the West, Beijing’s economic expansion is unlikely to
slow down, despite the obvious frustration
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Washington, London and Brussels. It ought to be said that China is
already Africa’s largest trade partner
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and by far.
Russia-China-Africa’s strong ties are paying dividends on the
international stage. Nearly half of the abstentions in the vote on
United Nations Resolution ES-11/1 on March 2, condemning Russia’s
military action in Ukraine, came
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Africa alone. Eritrea voted against it. This attests to Russia’s
ability to foster new alliances on the continent. It also demonstrates
the influence of China - Russia’s main ally in the current
geopolitical tussle – as well.
Yet, there is more to Africa’s position than mere interest in
military hardware and trade expansion. History is most critical.
In the first 'scramble for Africa', Europe sliced up
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divided the continent into colonies and areas of influence. The
exploitation and brutalization that followed remain one of the most
sordid chapters in modern human history.
What the Economist refers to as the 'second scramble for Africa'
during the Cold War era was the Soviet Union’s attempt to demolish
the existing colonial and neo-colonial paradigms established by
western countries throughout the centuries.
The collapse
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the Soviet Union over three decades ago changed this dynamic,
resulting in an inevitable Russian retreat and the return to the
uncontested western dominance. That status quo did not last for long,
however, as China and, eventually, Russia, India, Turkey, Arab
countries and others began challenging western supremacy.
Lavrov and his African counterparts fully understand this context.
Though Russia is no longer a Communist state, Lavrov was keen on
referencing the Soviet era, thus the unique rapport Moscow has with
Africa, in his speeches. For example, ahead of his visit to Congo,
Lavrov said
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an interview that Russia had “long-standing good relations with
Africa since the days of the Soviet Union.”
Such language cannot be simply designated as opportunistic or merely
compelled by political urgency. It is part of a complex discourse and
rooted superstructure, indicating that Moscow - along with Beijing -
is preparing for a long-term geopolitical confrontation in Africa.
Considering the West’s harrowing colonial past, and Russia’s
historic association with various liberation movements on the
continent, many African states, intelligentsias and ordinary people
are eager to break free from the grip of western hegemony.
RAMZY BAROUD [[link removed]] is a
journalist and the Editor of the Palestine Chronicle
[[link removed]]. He is the author of five books
including: "These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of
Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons
[[link removed]]" (2019), "My Father Was
a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story
[[link removed]]" (2010) and "The Second
Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle
[[link removed]]" (2006). Dr. Baroud is a
Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and
Global Affairs (CIGA) [[link removed]], Istanbul
Zaim University (IZU). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net
[[link removed]].
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