Multilateral Relations Between Africa And Africa

• China’s inroads into Africa come at the expense of Africa’s citizens. Says Bremmer, “The Chinese quid pro quo typically involves lots of Chinese content, lots of Chinese labor that they’re sending over to these countries to work, which hurts local unemployment issues. And of course, the availability of commodities, including food, to be exported to China. There’s sometimes a Faustian bargain in these countries.”

United States foreign policy from 1890-1914 was principally guided by economic motives. The main goal was to be seen as a world power. However by becoming a world leader, the United States had no choice than to have economical gains in the process. Expansion of U.S. territory and embracing the imperialistic way of foreign affairs are crucial to being seen as a world power. Because so many other world powers were constantly expanding and gaining territories in Africa, the U.S. knew they had to do the same in order to “keep up” with other world powers.

In the late nineteenth century the European powers of the world began imperializing Africa. This annexation, occupation, and division of African territory has since led to much strife within the continent and has caused many struggles politically. This period known as the “Scramble for Africa” has led to the many problems that Africa faces today and has been the root of several wars in Africa to assume control. After World War II many European imperialists began to give African nations autonomy. This seemed like a step forward for African nations, but without any plan to transition into self governance many African nations have faced bloody civil wars and corruption. Along with political struggles, numerous African nations face rising debt and other economic problems. Many of these political and economic issues stem from the “Scramble for Africa”. Once the European countries left Africa had very little to support itself. To explain the issues left by imperialism the three African nations of Rwanda, South Africa, and Sierra Leone will be put under the scope.

There is an abundance of reasons for the lack of unity in African nations, but according to If You Shouldn’t Call It Third World, What Should You Call It? By Marc Silver. When using phrases such as “Third World” and “Developing Countries” we are misrepresenting what these countries are. If society is using derogatory labels to represent the whole country, how can a country come together as a unit. These countries are being encompassed into one word, a term that can be seen as insulting and misleading. Africa is underfunded and needs aid, and according to Marc Silver we are talking, “about countries that need to develop better health care systems, better schools, better ways to bring water and electricity to people”. (Silver, 3) If the native

Being familiar, but never well read, on the foreign influences of European and American nations on 16th through 20th century Africa, I never put much thought into the vast economic history and consequences that have come upon those actions. In reading Part 5 – Foreign Influences in John Reader’s book Africa, Reader highlights two thought camps on the effect of foreign influences on the Africa continent and its society as a whole. Transformationalists argue, Africa’s current economic state has been indubitably affected by the foreign slave trade of African indigenous populations that has occurred until recent times. Non-Transformationalists oppose this view. They believe that Africa’s current economy, “would have been about as well off, […] in the same socioeconomic environment, if there has been no trading contact [with Europe].” (David Eltis) Reading chapters 34-40 in John Reader’s Africa, I agree with the Transformationalist view, that Africa was indeed affected by foreign influences.

First, Africa was finally given a place in the international community because of New Imperialism. For hundreds of years, an entire fifth of the inhabited Earth was excluded from the world’s most important decisions. But because of New Imperialism, they were able to

“Africans lost control of their land and their independence”.(World History:Patterns of Interactions, 2009, pg.784). Africa has also had difficulties with being able to sharing their

In the second half of the twentieth-century, African countries were able to gain their independence and strive to create unified countries. However, many countries were plagued with civil wars and the issues left behind the colonial era. The adversities faced by these new African nations are at the hands of their old colonial powers and the neo-colonialism that has taken place. These new independent countries were left to unify their people of different backgrounds, create a strong government and economy, and leave the post-colonial legacy behind.

Kingsley Moghalu author of Emerging Africa: How the Global Economy's Last Frontier Can Prosper argues that the African economic can be transformed once there is a paradigm shift. which includes African countries creating complex products, the development of a stronger intuition, the use of propaganda and development of central banks. He believes that African countries can gain wealth and prosperity once these paradigm shifts are applied.

Modern African states have various problems ranging from corruption, to armed conflict, to stunted structural development. Africa’s ongoing political instability and economic crisis have hindered the improvement of Africa. Thus, the lack of money, advancement in technology, and climate has hampered economic development. Despite European mistreatment and oppression African’s have endured hardships that have encouraged economy, education, and political

United States foreign policy towards Sub-Saharan Africa is a multi-faceted and ever- evolving issue that faces relentless changes in power, extremist groups, and instability. President Barack Obama has ranked Africa within his top eight foreign policy priorities, recognizing the importance the region serves economically and as a concern for the security of the United States and its allies. The Gates Foundation released a statement in 2015 affirming that half of African countries are on track to cut poverty in half by 2015 and are on successfully moving towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set forth by the United Nations (UN). However, this does not mean the region has seen an increase in overall stability; Boko Haram, ISIL, climate change, and various diseases all pose extreme threats to stability and economic prosperity. This puts into question if the

Africa is an extremely vast land comprised of unimaginable wealth in natural resources, and an even richer history. Sadly its exiguous population, whom many believe to be the oldest in the world, is completely impoverished, underdeveloped and marred with limited and corrupt governance. The people of Africa have been the victims of cultural rape time and time again-by Arab slave traders, adventurous European explores who found that the African people are worth more than gold and forced them to pay with their soul, exploited by colonial “do-gooders”and ravaged by self-serving neighbors, just to name a few. Strategies of Western nations to help bring salvation to the African people from earth’s torture and misery, always seemed to fail. Therefore it’s hard to believe anyone in Africa had any hope left in them at all. For a good majority of African people China’s entry and immersion into their land couldn’t have come fast enough, yet there were many others, foreign and domestic whom only harbored suspicion, and doubt regarding their new colonizers and for good reason, history has not been kind. This essay will first explore the driving forces behind China’s immersion into Africa, next I will delve into explaining the differences in how Western nations and China are handling African problems. Next I will discuss the pros and cons of Chinas neo-colonization and conclude the essay with why I believe China is just a wolf in sheep’s clothing denying imperialistic objectives.

North American media coverage of Africa often times paints a pictures of a vast waste land of poverty and death. One is often led to believe that the entire continent is just an undeveloped desert, with citizens living only in mud huts, tormented by rebel armies on a mission to rape and plunder then burn villages to the ground. This understanding is incredibly dangerous and are often warped to fit a certain agenda. African cities like Lagos, Cape Town, Windhoek, or Cape Town are much like those in found across America and are not as rare as it would made to be seen, but despite this, many areas of Africa do struggle. The Democratic Republic of Congo is one country in particular that has and continues to struggle to find it’s footing in a global

China’s increasing presence in Africa has been exposed to international critiques for human rights violations. Rampant land grabbing by Chinese companies, labor abuses in Chinese factories and farms, and China’s close bonds with authoritarian governments are three major problems that have become protuberant, impeding the progress of China’s “Going-Abroad” strategy in Africa.

In the recent years, China has had a growing presence in the African continent, engaging in trades, delivering aid and initiating projects. China’s involvement in Africa is something that has triggered very animated debates among students and scholars. Many hypotheses as to China’s intentions have been presented. Is China really the solution to Africa’s underdevelopment or simply for its own political and economical interests? This essay will present a more pessimistic view on this whole situation arguing the very dangers and consequences of China’s relationship with Africa. Not only does China worsen the countries’ economic conditions by triggering high levels of inflation and unemployment but it also represent a new form of colonialism