The Organisation of African Unity in World Politics

Abstract

The present-day international system is characterised by varying degrees and types of interdependence, dependence and independence among the members of the system. It is said that not even the superpowers can act independently of each other; independence is a fantasy in a world in which all countries are interdependent. However, it is important to stress that within the international system some states are more independent than others. There is a qualitative difference between the independence of the superpowers and that of the poor Third World countries, including Africa.5 Nevertheless, Africa is part of the international system and what happens in Africa affects the world and vice versa. Before the advent of colonialism in the 19th century Africa was a continent of autonomous regional empires and state systems. The colonial era was a period of great dependence on Europe. For obvious reasons neither the US nor the USSR had a particular interest in preserving European colonialism in Africa; it was only with the demise of European colonialism that they could begin to stake their own imperialist claims to the continent. Post-independence Africa is now characterised by varying degrees of dependence according to national ideology and resources and the issue area of interaction.