Africa’s External Engagement : Challenges and Opportunities

This volume brings together a number of scholars globally - from Africa and Asia to the Americas and Europe - to examine Africa’s global engagements. Is it the state or can one go beyond the state or possibly below the African state and internationalize given the context of the failed African state?

This volume brings together a number of scholars globally - from Africa and Asia to the Americas and Europe - to examine Africa’s global engagements. It approaches its subject matter theoretically and conceptually as well as empirically asking deeper questions like what is the ideal unit for cooperation and engagement? Is it the state or can one go beyond the state or possibly below the African state and internationalize given the context of the failed African state? Whilst focused very much on the contemporary nature and forms of engagement, the volume recognizes the enduring historical, and especially colonial, legacy on the contemporary African state and how it continues to shape patterns of regional and international cooperation. The book covers its subject matter in two thematic manners. First, it covers the “who” of engagement – Africa-European Relations, Africa-India relations, Africa’s relations with China and Africa’s relations with the Global South. Second, the volume explores the “what” of cooperation. This includes: agriculture and climate change, the digital revolution, energy resources, security considerations and trade. Whilst theoretically anchored, the volume seeks to also examine the implications of the empirical study for policy makers.