War with Iran and Implications for Africa: 7 May Panel Session

 The Global Affairs Forum of the Africa Governance Centre, an independent think tank based in Accra, Ghana, is hosting a panel discussion on 7 May dealing with the implications of the Iran conflict for global stability and African strategic interests.  It begins at 9:00 am Eastern Time in the United States and Canada.  You can register for the event at this link.  

The panelists are:

--Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, High Representative for Silencing the Guns, African Union

--Amb. David Shinn, adjunct professor of international affairs, George Washington University

--Dr. Isaac Olawale Albert, professor of African history, peace and conflict studies, University of Ibadan

--Dr. Victor Kofi Afetoriom Doke, research fellow and lecturer, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre

--Dr. Paa Kwesi Wolseley Prah, postdoctoral fellow, Lingnan University, Hong Kong  

China-India Competition in the Indian Ocean as Seen by Vietnamese Scholars

 The Journal of Liberty and International Affairs published in July 2023 an article titled "Competition of Strategy between China and India in the Indian Ocean Nowadays" by Tran Hoang Long, Tran Thi Hai Yen, Huynh Trong Hien, and Tran Xuan Hiep.   

The four Vietnamese scholars conclude that China has advantages in the Indian Ocean region, although its presence raises may doubts about its political and military goals.  In the face of competition with China, India has become more flexible and responsive in its Indian Ocean policies as witnessed by its relations with the Maldives and Sri Lanka.  The competition between India and China presents opportunities and challenges for coastal states in the Indian Ocean region.  The competition may also result in a race for military power in the region.  

China's Pursuit of Food and Energy Security in the Indian Ocean

 The Stockholm-based Institute for Security & Development Policy published an issue brief on 30 June 2023 titled "China's Pursuit of Food and Energy Security in the Indian Ocean: Consequences for India's Development" by Neeraj Singh Manhas and Jay Maniyar.

China and India have given a high priority to achieving food and energy security.  China's engagement in the Indian Ocean is designed to have a strong foothold in the region and to fulfill its domestic demands for energy, food, raw materials, minerals, crude oil, and other essential commodities.

This issue brief, written from an Indian perspective, discusses whether a relentless pursuit of food and energy security in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific regions by China will be a cause of concern for New Delhi and how it poses a strategic hindrance to the national and maritime security of India.  

China Consolidates Its Economic Ties with Djibouti

 The Diplomat published on 26 January 2021 an analysis titled "China Consolidates Its Commercial Foothold in Djibouti" by Mordechai Chaziza, Ashkelon Academic College, Israel.  

The author argues that China has expanded relations with Djibouti primarily through growing economic ties under the Belt and Road Initiative.  Furthermore, China's investments in Djibouti are a microcosm of how it has gained an economic foothold across Africa.  

China's Strategic Shift Towards the Middle East and Western Indian Ocean

Christina Lin, visiting scholar at the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of California, Irvine, published in the Spring 2013 issue of Middle East Review of International Affairs an article titled "China's Strategic Shift Toward the Region of the Four Seas: The Middle Kingdom Arrives in the Middle East." 

The author argues that China is aligning with states that have problematic relations with West and are also geo-strategically placed on the littoral of the "Four Seas"--the Caspian Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Arabian Sea/Persian Gulf.  She adds that China's pivot to this area threatens to outflank the citadel of American geo-strategies in the region.