Curse of Berlin: Africa After the Cold War

Description

At the 1884-1885 Conference of Berlin a cartel of largely European states effectively set the rules for the partition of Africa, an event whose historical and structural importance continues to affect and shape Africa's contemporary international relations. This 'Curse' is a recurring theme in Adebajo's trenchant historical analysis, even though its main focus is on contemporary African issues after the Cold War. The first part of the book examines Africa's quest for security with three essays on Africa's security institutions such as the African Union and sub-regional bodies; another on the political, peacekeeping, and socio-economic roles of the United Nations (UN) in Africa; and a third on Africa's two UN Secretaries-General between 1992 and 2006: Egypt's Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Ghana's Kofi Annan. The second section of the book focuses on Africa's quest for leadership, and five chapters examine the hegemonic roles of South Africa, Nigeria, the United States, China and France on the continent. The five chapters in the final section of the study analyse Africa's quest for unity, and examine the roles and significance for Africa of six historical figures: Mandela, Mbeki, Kwame Cecil Rhodes, Obama, and Gandhi; as well as assessing the African Union and the EU in comparative perspective. 1. Introduction: Bismarck's Sorcery and Africa's Three Magic Kingdoms PART 1. THE QYEST FOR SECURITY 2. Prophets of Pax Africana: Africa's Security Architecture 3. From Global Apartheid to Global Village: Africa and the United Nations 4. The Pharaoh and the Prophet: Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan PART 2. THE QUEST FOR HEGEMONY 5. Messiah or Mcrcantilist? South Africa in Africa 6. Gulliver's Troubles: Nigeria in Africa 7. An Axis of Virtue? South Africa and Nigeria in Africa 8. An Axis ofEvil? China, the United States, and France in Africa 9. The Springbok and the Dragon: South Africa vs. China in Africa PART 3. THE QYEST FOR UNITY 10. Mandela and Rhodes: A Monstrous Marriage 11. Thabo Mbeki: A Nkrumahist Renaissance? 12. Towers of Babel? The African Union and the European Union 13. Obamamania: Africa, African Americans, and the Avuncular Sam 14. The Heirs of Gandhi: How Africa and Asia Changed the World