Africa 2000: thinking about the African future in the modern world system

Abstract

Comprehension of most of the contemporary events and developments in sub-Saharan Africa requires that they be explained in the larger context of the modern world system. Specifically, conflict within and between African nations —often involving various kinds of outside aid, including the use of foreign troops—and racial conflict in Southern Africa could be better understood if they were treated under larger categories related to topics in international relations. Some of the categories would be: Africa’s strategic importance to the superpowers vis-a-vis the Indian Ocean and the Horn of Africa; the extension of support related to racial community; the importance of African natural resources; the dynamics of African internal politics and their aussenpolitic in relation to superpower ideologies; and various forms of development strategies utilized by African nations.