Africa in International Politics: External Involvement on the Continent (review)

The editors of this useful volume begin from the premise that, despite chatter to the contrary, "Africa is not marginalized from world politics and external actors continue to play a highly visible role in the continent" (18). They have assembled a set of well-informed essays about the African policies of the major powers and certain international organizations. Rounding up the usual suspects (the permanent members of the Security Council plus Japan and—less usually—Canada), the authors analyze the concrete interests that these states pursue in Africa. Several contributors perceive a constructivist phenomenon according to which African policy provides not only a means for pursuing classic national interests but also a "means through which national and institutional self-images are developed and defined" (18). Rather than constructing empires, states now construct reputations in Africa.

This type of argument has long been a familiar one insofar as France is concerned. Despite some cosmetic changes in French policy during the years of Lionel Jospin's premiership, Daniela Kroslak sees longer term continuity in this dimension of French policy. While Jospin sought to change France's image as the "gendarme d'Afrique" (79), the notorious networks are still in place, and President Jacques Chirac reasserted the familiar French role via interventions in Côte d'Ivoire in 2002 and the eastern Congo (under U.N. mandate) in 2003. Kroslak finds that the longstanding notion that France cannot be France without Africa is alive and well. Reviewing American policy in the post–Cold War environment, James Hentz perceives some evolution from its primarily realist orientation during the Cold War toward what he calls a "meliorist" approach during the 1990s that emphasizes humanitarianism and democratization. He seems doubtful, however, that the trend will survive the current administration's focus on the war on terrorism.

The chapters on China and Japan find lots of evidence of image-building via African policy. Ian Taylor emphasizes China's adoption of the role of Africa's "all-weather friend," namely a partner that does not harp on human rights but rather offers aid, arms sales, and business opportunities via its increasing investment in the oil sector. This profile is meant to serve China's bid for leadership of the third world against the hegemonic pretensions of the United States. Likewise, Japan opportunistically promotes a "rhetorical Afro-Asian nexus" (130), according to Scarlett Cornelissen. The editors thank David Black "for pushing us to broaden the focus of this book" (xi), as well they might, for his chapter on Canada, "the weakest of the strong" (141), is one of the most informative in the collection.

Of the three chapters dealing with international organizations (the European Union, the United Nations, and the international financial institutions), Caroline Thomas's contribution on the IFIs is particularly incisive. Focusing on the lack of sub-Saharan representation and voice in the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, she shows how these institutions have sought to soften their images through the innovation of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers without much real change in their substantive policies.

Africa in International Politics will be useful to those who teach about Africa's international relations. While much of the material will be familiar to specialists, the quality of the individual chapters is good. There are a few small errors; for example, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Herman Cohen mysteriously becomes Herbert (25) and the 1988 New York Accords on Namibia/Angola turn up as a 1998 event (28); and how many times must we see "Mitterrand" and "Condoleezza" misspelled? Yet these are minor quibbles that barely detract from a well-conceived and well-executed book about Africa's place in the state system.