‘New Regionalism’ in Africa: Form of the Adaptation to Globalization or the Attempt of Opposition to Modern Neocolonialism?
https://doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2019-12-4-209-227
Abstract
The paper is devoted to the analyses of the evolution problems of such key for African states phenomena as globalization, regionalism and neocolonialism. The attempts of transnational corporations to realize the “vertical” integration with the postcolonial African economies had stimulated the development of the “horizontal” interAfrican integration – on regional and continental scales. In 19801990s, after the extra measures for the African economies’ liberalization, the integration processes had made more active. Later they were transformed and the formal declarations about interstate cooperation were changed by the complex programs, adopted by all the members of African Union – “A global strategy to optimize use of Africa’s resources for the benefits of all Africans” (20132063), based on the successful practices of eight African regional economic groups, and African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA (2019). New regionalism, emerged after including the problems of ecology, culture etc. in the sphere of intergovernmental cooperation, was a result of deep changes in the international division of labor. It needed the structural transformation of economiesmembers of the regional groups. Nowadays the growing interaction of the economic integration and globalization processes in Africa does not insure against the influence of modern neocolonialism. Apart from this, the globalization is not equal as to “westernization” so the neocolonialism according to, firstly, growing influence of the “East” within the world economy and, secondly, the differences between the objective process of the globalization and the static model of neocolonial interconnections between developed and developing economics. In the “new regionalism” conditions, African countries as the parts of the world economy periphery are simultaneously the subjects of globalization and the objects of neocolonial influence. This situation contradicts with the needs of the Fourth industrial revolution, but stimulates African states to develop interactions between continental institutes and international economic organizations.
About the Author
E. V. Morozenskaya
Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
PhD in Economics, Leading Researcher, Head of the Centre for Transitional Economy Studies
123001, Spiridonovka St., 30/1, Moscow, Russian Federation
References
1. Abramova I.O. (2019) Geopolitical Fight for Africa, Saint Petersburg: SPbGUP (in Russian).
2. Abramova I.O., Morozenskaya E.V. (eds.) (2016) Africa: Modern Strategies for Economic Development, Moscow: Institute for African Studies RAS (in Russian).
3. Africa (2010), Moscow: Encyclopedia Press (in Russian).
4. African Leaders Launch Continental Free Trade Area (2018). Bridges, vol. 22, nо 10. Available at: https://www.ictsd.org/bridges-news/bridges/news/african-leaders-launch-continental-free-trade-area, accessed 31.10.2019.
5. Agenda-2063 (2015). First Ten Year Implementation Plan. African Union. Available at: https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/33126-doc-11_an_overview_of_agenda.pdf, accessed 31.10.2019.
6. Churikov A. (2019) Great Zone. African Leaders Given Historical Agreement (2019). Rossijskaya Gazeta, July 8, 2019. Available at: https://rg.ru/2019/07/08/lidery-stran-afriki-dogovorilis-o-zapuskezony-svobodnoj-torgovli.html, accessed 31.10.2019 (in Russian).
7. Deich T.L., Korendyasov E.N., Nenashev S.V. (eds.) (2018) Africa’s Pivot to the “East” and Russian Interests, Moscow: Institute for African Studies RAS (in Russian).
8. Deepening Regional Integration in Africa a Computable General Equilibrium Assessment of the Establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area followed by a Continental Customs Union (2012). African Development Bank. Available at: https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/document/aec-2012-deepening-regional-integration-in-africa-a-computable-general-equilibrium-assessment-of-the-establishment-of-a-continental-free-trade-area-followed-by-a-continental-customsunion-29362, accessed 31.10.2019.
9. Hettne B., Söderbaum F. (2000) Theorising the Rise of Regionness. New Political Economy, vol. 5, no 3, pp. 457–472. Available at: https://gup.ub.gu.se/file/119539, accessed 31.10.2019.
10. How to Counteract the Neo-colonialism of the XXI Century (2018). The Foundation “Liberal Mission”, April 27, 2018. Available at: http://www.liberal.ru/articles/7237, accessed 31.10.2019 (in Russian).
11. Hugon Ph. (2012) Geopolitique de l’Afrique, Paris: Armand Colin.
12. Integration Initiatives in Modern World (2019). Bulletin of Foreign Commercial Information, January–March, p. 54; April–June, p. 48 (in Russian).
13. Kokushkina I.V. (2014) Region in the System of Modern Investment Processes, Saint Petersburg: Special Literature Press (in Russian).
14. Lisovolik Y.D. (2019) Regionalism in the Global Direction: New Views. Discussion Club “Valdai”, June 2019. Available at: http://ru.valdaiclub.com/files/27333/, accessed 31.10.2019 (in Russian).
15. Macron Announced the End of the Era of Western Domination (2019). Izvestiya, August 27, 2019. Available at: https://iz.ru/914605/2019-08-27/makron-obiavil-o-kontse-epokhi-dominirovania-zapada?utm_source=yxnews&utm_meium=desktop, accessed 31.10.2019 (in Russian).
16. Matsenko I.B. (2005) Africa: from Lagos Plan of Action to NEPAD. Evolution of the Concepts of Economic Development, Moscow: Institute for African Studies RAS (in Russian).
17. Morozenskaya E.V. (2008) Including Africa in the Global Economy: Third Attempt? African Papers-2007 (ed. Vydrin V.F.), Saint Petersburg: Nauka, pp. 135–149 (in Russian).
18. Morozenskaya E.V. (2018) State Regulation of Economy in Africa, Moscow: Institute for African Studies RAS (in Russian).
19. Nkruma K. (1965) Neo-Colonialism: the Last Stage of Imperialism, London: Thomas Nelson&Sons.
20. Report of the Group of the G8 Leaders Realization of the Action Plan for Africa (2002). The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Available at: www.mid.ru/ns-psmak.nsf/processQuery BI Openllgeit, accessed 15.08.2019 (in Russian).
21. Shishkov Yu.V. (2001) Integration Processes at the Beginning of the ХХI Century, Moscow: Nauka (in Russian).
22. Shulga A.A. (2016) African Neocolonialism and Globalization: Common Features. The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series “Political Science and Religion Studies”, vol. 18, pp. 68–74. Available at: https://izvestiapolit.isu.ru/ru/article/file?id=904, accessed 31.10.2019 (in Russian).
23. Skosyrev V. (2019) China against Western States in Africa. Nezavisimaya Gazeta, July 17, 2019. Available at: http://www.ng.ru/world/2019-07-16/1_7624_china.html, accessed 31.10.2019 (in Russian).
24. Vasiliev A.M. (2003) Africa as a Dauterin-Law of Globalization, Moscow: Institute for African Studies RAS (in Russian).
Review
For citations:
Morozenskaya E.V. ‘New Regionalism’ in Africa: Form of the Adaptation to Globalization or the Attempt of Opposition to Modern Neocolonialism? Outlines of global transformations: politics, economics, law. 2019;12(4):209-227. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2019-12-4-209-227
Views:
2307
Email this article 