Globalization in Africa: Recolonization or Renaissance? by Pádraig Carmody, and: The New Scramble for Africa by Pádraig Carmody, and: The New Presence of China in Africa ed. by Meine Pieter van Dijk (review)

The rapid ascent of China’s economy, and the emergence of India and Brazil as economies that also have been growing rapidly compared to the U.S., Europe, and Japan, have awakened us to the changes occurring in sub-Saharan economies. In effect, most of Asia, Brazil, and Africa have escaped the North Atlantic crisis (known in most of the West as “global” but in reality confined almost wholly to the U.S., Europe, and Japan), and one result has been multiple reconsiderations of Africa’s international relations and economic prospects. This process has been accelerated by two developments: the successful emergence of most of sub-Saharan African countries from the doldrums of the 1980s and ’90s and their unprecedented (for the continent) rate of growth in the first decade of the twenty-first century; and the growing awareness of the enormous increase in China’s economic interactions with the continent. As yet, it would be incorrect to suggest that any consensus has emerged; rather we have a situation in which different disciplines, and different scholars within those disciplines, see things in different ways. The best work is grounded in empirical research and deep knowledge of at least parts of the continent, and much of it, interestingly enough, seems to be appearing in disciplines other than political science and international relations.

China, of course, was an actor in Africa in ancient times, and in important ways during the struggles against colonialism and the early decades of independence. But the dramatic increase in China’s economic and political heft has changed the nature of China’s relations with African countries, and van Dijk’s book (much of it—six of ten chapters—written by the editor himself) is a welcome and careful consideration of the situation, effects, actors, motives, opportunities, and potential problems. It was partially funded by European Union research funds, and takes a largely economic approach to its analysis, although one of its case studies concerns the political influence of China in Sudan. The basic approach is that China at least acts as though it believes that the Western development model failed in Africa. It offers its own experiences as an alternative model while at the same time seeking access to raw materials, new markets for its products, and perhaps (though motivation is unclear here, because much of what happens seems spontaneous, neither approved nor encouraged by Chinese authorities) an outlet for its small entrepreneurs who migrate to Africa or come as employees of Chinese entities and then stay. The major tools China has at its disposal are aid, investment, and trade, and China has deployed all three with substantial success, generating growth and economic progress for Africa as well as China. Still, there are downsides. Some are well-known; China’s behavior, for example, is often just like that of any other self-interested actor. Some are less obvious, however. Chinese firms tend to bring their own labor, they often evade local wage and environmental regulations, and Chinese migrants are a substantial competitive threat in retail trade and small enterprise. The trade relations between China and African countries (which typically export minerals or other resource-based products) are also mostly unequal. It is a pity that the data in the book are already so dated, because when it came out (in 2009) it was one of the best and most objective assessments of China’s role in sub-Saharan Africa. It still contains one of the strongest comparative analyses...