Aljazeera published on 14 November 2023 a commentary titled "Abiy Ahmed's Imperial Ambitions Are Bad News for Africa, and the World" by Tafi Mhaka, Aljazeera columnist.
Drawing on Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's 13 October speech to parliament in which he mused that perhaps Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, and Ethiopia should merge as one nation, the author suggests this should be a cause of concern for anyone interested in peace and stability in East Africa.
The Atlantic Council published on 16 October 2023 an analysis titled "Why China Won't Win the Global South" by Michael Schuman, non-resident senior fellow in the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub and journalist with more than 25 years experience in Asia.
China is now acting as an alternative power to the West within the Global South and no longer one developing country among many. This has altered the power dynamic within the Global South and between China and the developing world. China now has an unequal relationship with the Global South. This situation has become more apparent as China deals with the debt crisis facing countries like Zambia in the Global South. The new unbalanced relationship between China and the Global South has left the door ajar for others to challenge China's quest for primacy in the developing world.
Premium Times published on 25 May 2022 a commentary titled "Why Africa Must Not Celebrate Russian Bombing of Ukraine" by Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International deputy director for research in southern Africa.
This is a hard-hitting condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine by a Zambian who stated that "Africans need to understand that Russian aggression is as immoral and harmful as Western colonialism or imperialism." She added that "Africa risks going down a rabbit hole if it ignores the impact this invasion is likely to have on our continent's freedoms and development."
Foreign Policy published on 30 May 2022 a commentary titled "Putin's World Order Would Be Devastating for Africa" by Joseph Siegle and Jeffrey Smith.
Putin is taking a sledgehammer to the foundation of the once stable post-World War II order by normalizing geographic expansionism. Would be tsars in Africa are watching to see if Putin gets away with this brazen overreach and violation of established borders.
The Conversation published on 11 May 2022 a commentary titled "The War in Ukraine: Africa Risks Paying a Heavy Price for Neutrality" by Nicholas Westcott, University of London.
If Russia's invasion of Ukraine becomes a long-running war of attrition, Africa could face growing food price inflation, higher fertiliser prices, and increasing risk of debt distress. This may lead to more local conflict. Yet, African governments seem increasingly reluctant to put pressure on Russia to end the invasion.
The Review of African Political Economy published on 13 January 2022 a commentary titled "Africa-China Relations: South-South Cooperation or a New Imperialism?" by Kristin Plys, Amenophis Lo, and Abdulhamid Mohamed, all members of the Group for Research and Initiative for the Liberation of Africa in Toronto.
The authors present an old fashioned left-wing interpretation of the China-Africa relationship that reads more like a mild version of the Chinese interpretation of Western relations with Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. The authors conclude that "as long as there remains a power differential in African states' individual dealings with China, it will remain a tie that will ultimately result in economic benefit for China and the exploitation of Africa."
Comment: What goes around, comes around.
The Washington-based Wilson Center has posted five historical documents titled "Iconic Moments in Foreign Policy: China-Africa Relations."
The translated documents from Chinese archives include:
--Mao Zedong: "Africa's Task Is to Struggle against Imperialism."
--Letter from PRC Ambassador in the Republic of Mali to the Government of the Republic of Mali.
--Record of Premier Zhou Enlai's Conversations with the President of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah.
--Record of Conversation between Premier Zhou and Tanzanian Second Vice President Rashidi Kawawa.
--Conversation between Mao Zedong and the Delegation of the People's Republic of the Congo.
