Africa and World Affairs
Africa in World Affairs:
Africa’s domestic security and development cannot be critically examined without adequately examining its relations with the external world. Africa is greatly challenged in the role as an actor in shaping international agenda. With the exception of few states such as South Africa, Nigeria, and Egypt which happen to be influential in their respective sub-regions, the others either as a result of geo-political irrelevance, are mere statistics. However global terrorism seems to make some African states a focus point. Again majority of the nations experiencing higher economic growth are in Africa. Overall, however, Africa has not been able to capitalize on its strengths to engender some equity on critical global platforms to drive global agendas that it has comparative advantage.
This aspect of CESDOSED's research focus positions Africa strategically in critical gloabal platforms where Africa has the comparative advantage to drive the discussion and shape agenda outcomes. CESDOSED conducts research and highlights Africa’s strategic relevance on the global economic and security platforms. To achieve this goal, the Center serves as a reservoir of data collection related to Africa, and the analysis of Africa’s geo-political relevance and the effect on Africa’s external relations. The Center will thus serve as a hub to participate in discussions that spawn substantive research in the area of Africa’s external relations.
Europe-Africa relations;
Europe-Africa relations is trapped in their colonial relations, and this continues to dictate the nature of the relation. The Center seeks to build a data base of the relations between the two continents. Emphasis is placed on Europe’s commitment to Africa in the area of governance and development. Thus, the Center generates a data-set for further research and analysis regarding the relationship.
The second goal emphasizes strategic relations. The Center explores economic and security opportunities that are strategic to Europe-Africa relations. The Center examines Africa’s role in the overall security of Europe which includes migration and other co-operations. At the economic end, the Center examines Africa’s trade, technology transfer and other economic co-operations and effect on the power balance between the two continents.
Canada-Africa Relations:
The government of Canada has been involved in post-independent Africa. Since the turn of the century, the Canadian government and other government affiliated agencies have intensified their involvement in Africa in the areas of development and security. Debt relief, investments, economy development, health (HIV/AIDS), and other areas of cooperation have been initiated. CESDOSED examines and analyzes these initiatives to determine the impact of such efforts on political, social, and economic development of African states. CESDOSED is particularly interested in delineating the “pull” factors such as economic and geo-political benefits to Canada as well as the moral or “push” factors that hinge on humanitarian imperatives. CESDOSED will serve as a hub for the study of Canada-Africa relations.
US-Africa Relations:
US-Africa relations is encapsulated in the overall US national interest. The US will continue to dominate international affairs into the foreseeable future, and shall dictate international political and economic discourses. On the other hand, states have the power to leverage this dominance by positioning themselves strategically in order to fulfill their respective interests. The Center, for the purpose of studying US-Africa relations, will view Africa as a collective as well as 54 separate states. The Center’s research examines Africa’s strategic position within US national security interest, and the prospect of the continent’s continual relevance to overall US national interest.
South-South Relations:
Africa’s relations with the rest of the developing world has received some attention in the international arena. Most importantly is Africa’s relation with emerging economies such as China, Brazil, and India (all members of BRICS). The Center is not only interested in the flow of resources which include financial, technical, cultural, etc., but also the potential for the relationship to shape and/or enhance existing international structures.