For years, the United States and Europe have seen their influence in Africa diminish in favor of China and Russia. China invests many billions in Africa, while Russia is increasingly involved in regional conflicts such as in Libya and in some Sahel countries. Russia is also Africa’s largest arms supplier.
Hidden Diary
Not only are Europe and the United States doing little to counter this for the moment, Europe has a frankly “tainted” colonizing past, so African-European relations have always been colored in its historical light. Washington is now taking a different path, not least because geopolitics is more important than ever. “A fascinating offensive,” is what geopolitical analyst Alex Krijger calls the ultimate. ‘The hidden diary it is the major influence of China and Russia. The United States wants to contain it.’
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According to Krijger, it is essential that we talk about mutual respect. ‘Equality is important, as is thinking in terms of opportunity. Europe looks to Africa as a continent of problems, it wants to get rid of them; she looks at the possibilities.’ According to Krijger, African leaders will also look into issues such as debt relief. Unsurprisingly, what little economic growth there was has been undone by recent developments such as the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
No dots
While the latter is not an explicit agenda item, it will undoubtedly be discussed prominently: Ukraine, African support for the Western position, and the wheat deal. Krijger: ‘I think Biden hopes for more support from Africa for his position. Most African countries have condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but they don’t support Western sanctions, they don’t want to be sucked into one of the big camps.’
African Union in the G20
And that makes sense given the economic and military connections that different countries have with different fields. However, the fact that the world’s largest economy is now pursuing cordial relations with Africa presents an opportunity for the continent. Joe Biden had previously spoken out in favor of the African Union’s participation in the G20, probably asking for participation in this three-day event. The African Union is made up of 55 states with a combined gross domestic product of over $2 trillion. This would place the union in the top 10 of the largest economies in the world. However, South Africa is currently the only G20 member on the continent.