Russia’s private military diplomacy in Africa: High risk, low reward, limited impact

Abstract

ABSTRACT The assumption of many researchers is that Russia’s renewed interest in Africa is driven by its quest for global power status. Few expect Russia’s security engagement to bring peace and development to countries with which it has security partnerships. This article argues that Moscow has found success by providing security solutions to fragile states and weak regimes without political strings attached, thus making Russia a preferred security partner. However, while Moscow’s opportunistic use of private military diplomacy has allowed it to successfully gain a strategic foothold in partner countries, the lack of transparency in interactions, the limited scope of impact and the high financial and diplomatic costs expose the limitations of the partnership in addressing the peace and development challenges of African host countries. The study focused on Mali and the Central African Republic as case studies, establishing the security, diplomatic and economic interests of each and assessing Russia’s role.