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The Clash of Civilizations and AFRICA

 Introduction

China's growing influence in Africa, which is threatening America's hegemony as the globe's sole superpower, has the potential to spread throughout the world. The proxy trade war between China and the United States has been dubbed the "second Cold War."

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union's "defeat" with the dissolution of its territories as separate countries have bolstered America's status as the world's unipolar power.

During the Cold War, the two superpowers put their strength to the test by fighting a proxy war against one other on foreign soil. For example, the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, the Algerian War, the Congo Crisis, the Suez Crisis (Egypt), the South African Border War, the Mozambican War of Independence and 1982 Ethiopian–Somali Border.

As a consequence, to comprehend the current situation, Samuel P. Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" theory, which has formed the foundation for US foreign policy, is used.

He claimed that after the conflict of ideologies is over, eastern civilizations pose a danger to the West's dominance. As a result, he stressed the importance of counterbalancing the West's predominance in world affairs with Islamic-Sinic civilizations.

Foreign Aid and Loans

Africa is one of the most important recipients of US foreign aid. US foreign aid (about 20% of US aid goes to Africa) was substantially reduced during the Trump administration. This has provided China with an opportunity to expand its influence in Africa through infrastructure loans and other sorts of assistance.

Furthermore, just a few days earlier, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson proposed a 0.2 percent cut in foreign aid, equivalent to almost £4 billion. Oxfam and ActionAid UK have both expressed their displeasure with the decision. Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the top recipients of UK foreign aid from Africa.

Former colonial powers such as France and the United Kingdom have a moral obligation to give and support their former colonies financially through existing foreign aid programs during the Covid-19 pandemic, and withdrawing funding in this difficult circumstances would be exceedingly irresponsible.

According to a recent Washington Post report, China is Africa's largest bilateral creditor, holding at least 21% of African debt and responsible for over 30% of debt service payments in 2021. Due to a lack of ability to repay debts, strategic and state-owned enterprises in Kenya and Zambia are at risk of being taken over by China, reinforcing China's hegemony. The Maritime Executive had reported that, the Port of Mombasa, which was used as security for a loan received from China for Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC), is in peril.

Former Broadcast Minister Chishimba Kambwili stated in 2019 that if Zambia is unable to repay Chinese commercial lenders, the government will relinquish access to the country's copper resources and public assets, including the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, to China, according to globalriskinsights.com.

China's economic expansion and growing influence in world politics, as well as its readiness to assist Africa's less developed countries, have eroded Western dominance on the continent.

China and Africa

China's long-standing relationship with Africa is solely based on economic and political grounds. Africa is rich in natural resources, which could be the key to China's expansion. According to the SAIS China Africa Research Initiative (SAIS-CARI) at Johns Hopkins University, China is Africa's largest trading partner, valued more than $190 billion in 2019.

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has taken centre-stage in its foreign strategy. This plan is a global infrastructure development strategy that is expected to involve more than 170 countries and organizations. According to silkroadbriefing.com, the BRI's investments reach US$1.9 trillion and encompass 1,590 projects. Nigeria and Kenya, Sudan, are among the countries that would benefit from this initiative.

The BRI has been viewed as a direct threat to the predominance of Western states. As a result, in 2012, the Trump administration restricted US corporations from using Huawei networking equipment in order to counteract China's expanding influence. As a response, Huawei was added to the Bureau of Industry and Security Entity List of the US Department of Commerce in 2019, thereby barring the business from utilizing US communications networks.

The Biden administration signed an Executive Order (EO) earlier this month prohibiting Americans from participating in 59 Chinese firms, including Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, Proven Glory Capital, and Proven Honour Capital. As per the EOs, the conflict between these countries is real, and other countries may serve as a test bed for them to gauge their strength on global issues.

Conclusion

The continuous conflict between the United States and China is escalating in Africa. The majority of African countries are underdeveloped. By not overburdening Africa with debt and influence, the West and China are obligated to assist it.

Africa is currently in serious need of regeneration. The lack of Covid-19 vaccines, combined with Africa's general economic recession, should not be seen as a chance to exacerbate their suffering.

The majority of African countries are members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The primary goal of this forum is to opposes imperialism, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and any forms of foreign invasion, occupation, dominance, intervention, or hegemony, as well as major power and bloc politics. As a result, Africa's neutrality should be preserved.

Despite the fact that some have characterized China's influence in Africa as neo-colonialism through debt-trap diplomacy, the West is progressively abandoning Africa's needs by slashing foreign aid, forcing African countries to select China as their economic partner. In a nutshell, the leaders of African countries must unite through the Africa Union (AU) to safeguard the continent's sovereignty.

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