29 Nov 2024

African Think Tank

Association For Strategic Culture and Research Foundation

African Think Tank

SADC: The Crisis of South Africa’s National Security Strategy Will Diminish What’s Left of BRIC“S” And Country’s Multipolar Dreams.

Without basic strategic planning document defining its National Interests and Strategic National Priorities, objectives, tasks, and measures in the sphere of national security, Republic of South Africa is unlikely to meet its stated goals in energy security, communications, finance, and state and public security.

By Lungile Cabangani II

21 May, 2021

Criticism Highlights Russia's Media Weakness in Africa

In her weekly media briefing July 23, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized United States support for educational programs, media and NGOs in Africa. In addition, Zakharova said

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

29 July, 2021

Europe’s Priorities to Cushion Africa

In Africa, we have the paradox that 6 out of 10 of the most quickly growing countries, most dynamic economies are African economies but at the same time, 36 most vulnerable countries are also in Africa. It is a very heterogeneous continent. And all countries will be affected but for most, if we do not give debt relief, and I mean much more than just freezing payments, we are going to go into a crisis of external debt, and this we cannot afford.

By Josep Borrell

21 September, 2021

Françafrique Is A Blunt Tool For Explaining Foreign Policy

Africa needs more robust political analysis of countries’ internal dynamics and their relations with world powers. This approach is more empirically sound than resorting to ‘Françafrique’ which adopts a moralising and infantilising approach to African actors. And the notion is misleading for four reasons.

By Paul-Simon Handy, Felicite Djilo

14 October, 2021

Africa Condemns the Continuing Imperialist Legacy of France

France for centuries had been involved in the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism making it one of the leading imperialist powers to emerge from the tumultuous conquering of large swaths of territory throughout the world

By Abayomi Azikiwe

25 October, 2021

France and Africa: Towards a New Model of Relations?

In recent decades, French foreign policy in Africa has been preoccupied with a jump-start of relations with the African nations, marked by a gradual curtailment of the Françafrique, a concept that provided for a direct military and political intervention in affairs of the French-speaking nations on the continent. France is now in search for a more balanced framework for interaction with the countries in the region.

By Alexei Chikhachev

9 November, 2021

Sudan And The UAE: Pulling Sudanese Strings

The UAE and the United States agreed at the time that it was time for Mr. Al-Bashir to go. But they likely disagreed about what should succeed him. The United States pushed for transition to a civilian-led democracy.

By James M. Dorsey

9 November, 2021

Why Russians Are Complaining How to Engage with Africa

In order to raise the economic influence, Russians have been making efforts to identify a structured finance mechanism for mega infrastructure projects such as nuclear power and energy, natural resources exploration and to significantly increase trade with Africa

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

11 November, 2021

Africa Faces ‘Perfect Storm’ Due To Under-Investment In Children

The African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) research report clearly shows that investment in children, especially in early childhood, has substantial long term economic and social benefits.

By Ronald Joshua

22 November, 2021

The Geopolitics Of The Sudan Coup

These new tactics and strategies could leverage efforts toward dismantling the precarious power structure comprising military rule. This factor likely explains the crackdown on Saturday, as security forces sought to prevent demonstrators from mobilizing and disseminating demands across various platforms.

By Alaina Kasimatis

24 November, 2021

Somalia’s Democracy By Installments

Somalia this week elected two Members of the Lower House of Parliament in polls delayed by a year, mainly by political infighting. That means it still has to elect 273 more seats by 24 December, and those elected MPs must in turn vote for a president for the ‘democratic’ transfer of power to be complete.

By Peter Fabricius

24 November, 2021

The United States and Africa: Building a 21st Century Partnership

We welcome the African Continental Free Trade Area, because we want to see Africa’s economic power in the world grow. More consumers should gain access to African goods and services. More jobs must be created for Africa’s young people – the global workforce of the future.

By Antony J. Blinken

25 November, 2021

The Global Pandemic Pushing Africa into A Severe Job Crisis

The economic principles have to be pursued and demanded with the same energy as the political ones. Fundamentally, it is the responsibility of the state, controlled by democratic institutions and an active civil society, to ensure that economic growth actually translates into employment creation.

By Johann Ivanov

28 November, 2021

Russia-Africa Relations: “Geopolitical Arena with Many Players Operating”

Russia has to upgrade or scale up its collaborative engagement with Africa. It has to consider seriously launching more public outreach programmes, especially working with civil society to change public perceptions and the private sector to strengthen its partnership with Africa. In order to achieve this, it has to surmount the challenges, take up the courage and work consistently with both private and public sectors and with an effective Action Plan.

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

8 December, 2021

Burning Ambition: Egypt’s Return To Regional Leadership And How Europe Should Respond

Egyptian foreign ministry officials interviewed for this paper describe the last decade of Egypt’s regional positioning as “defensive” in nature as the country contended with domestic issues.

By Hafsa Halawa

11 December, 2021

China And Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport: Reading Between The Lines

In the aftermath of this development, Ugandan authorities have been consistently insisting on three issues: The grace period is yet to expire and that the Ugandan government is confident of not defaulting on any obligations on repayment; that the terms of the loans are semi-concessional in nature and in line with Uganda’s infrastructure financing programme; and in the interest of transparency, the government has made the loan agreement available to the members of the Parliament.

By Abhishek Mishra

11 December, 2021

Africa in Review 2021 (Part I): Continuing Pandemic Highlights Public Health Crisis

A gathering entitled “1st International Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA)” took place during mid-December organized by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) based at the African Union (AU) headquarters located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

By Abayomi Azikiwe

31 December, 2021

St. Petersburg – Venue for Second African Leaders Summit

In their first joint declaration, emerging from the Russia-Africa summit, at the initiative of African participants a new dialogue mechanism—the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum—was created. The declaration stipulated that all top-level meetings take place within its framework once every three years, alternately in Russia and in an African state. It says further that the foreign ministers of Russia and three African countries—the current, future and previous chairpersons of the African Union—will meet for annual consultations.

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

20 January, 2022

Information operations: An understudied facet of Russian influence in Africa

Russia’s Evolving Information Operations

By Miriam Roday, Sarah Daly

20 January, 2022

European Union targeting Comprehensive Partnership with Africa

Long before this summit, European Union members and business investors have been making consistent efforts at capitalizing on and exploring several emerging opportunities offered by the newly introduced African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides a unique and valuable access to an integrated African market of 1.3 billion people. In practical reality, it aims at creating a continental market for goods and services, with free movement of business people and investments in Africa.

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

13 February, 2022

Unite to Save South Africa

I have always located the problems we face within an economic model which promotes inequality and the desperation of the many, who suffer at the hands of the minority who are rich. As levels of desperation rise and the vulnerability of the marginalised increases, the potential for anti-constitutional, populist demagoguery will grow in South Africa.

By Thabo Makgoba

17 February, 2022

The Total War to Cancel Russia

The stated aims are “demilitarization” and “denazification” of a future neutral Ukraine – but geopolitically reach way beyond: the aim is to turn the post-1945 European collective security arrangement upside down, forcing NATO to understand and come to terms with the concept of “indivisible security”. This is an extremely complex process that will reach the next decade.

By Pepe Escobar

11 April, 2022

Libya still plagued by conflict: there is no hope for stability

The Tripoli Municipal Council revealed that five people were injured; four of them are civilians, the fifth belongs to Diplomatic Security, and a member of the “166th Brigade” Misurata supporting Bashagha was killed, in the vicinity of the Al-Nawasi Brigade camp.

By Miral Sabry Al Ashry

26 May, 2022

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