Regimes of Sovereignty: International Morality and the African Condition

Abstract

Theorists of the `African state' and Africa's external relations frequently focus on the causes, consequences, and repercussions of its failures. They are justified in their appreciation of `failure' and in their concerns for African populations who bear the brunt of political dysfunction. Yet, their diagnoses are frequently erroneous in regard to the genesis of the African state and the modes of governance within which it has come to exist. One source of mis-diagnosis is the prevailing assumption that modern sovereignty is an epiphenomenon of the peace of Westphalia in 1648. The insufficiency of Westphalian commonsense becomes apparent when one considers the effects of the historical coordinates of sovereignty instituted by modern hegemonic powers in Europe and Africa. Focusing on the cases of Belgium, Switzerland and Congo, my aim is to show that their modulations of power, interest and identity continue to favor European entities at the expense of African ones.