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Africa, China and international cooperation

Sempre piacevole sfogliare Nigrizia (online), giornale a cui sono affezionato, dato che mio nonno era abbonato e lo trovavo sempre sul tavolino di casa sua. Questo articolo ripropone il nostro Prodi, che sottolinea il grande ritardo della politica estera (italiana e europea) in Africa, dove invece la Cina si sta muovendo con grandissima "disinvoltura e spregiudicatezza".

Cinafrica: lezione di Prodi

L’Europa e gli Stati uniti dovrebbero iniziare a collaborare con la Cina - paese che ha rimesso l’Africa al centro della cooperazione internazionale - per evitare di trasformare il continente nero in un battlefield. According to Prodi, the desirable co-operation requires, however, changes in African politics in the U.S. and European countries that, until now, acting on the continent so dispersed, still following the old logic.
The growing presence of China in Africa has put the continent at the center of international foreign policy, costing Europe and the United States two scenarios: "transform Africa into a battlefield, at the expense of Africans, or cooperate with China to allow the African renaissance. "

The analysis of Romano Prodi - delegate to UN peacekeeping operations in Africa - who was a guest of honor of meeting "between Europe, Africa and China where international cooperation today, sponsored by the NGO Doctors with Africa Cuamm, Saturday, Feb. 12 meeting held in Padova.

analyzing the words of Prodi, it seems desirable that the new partnership between Europe, USA and China for the "African renaissance", requires the prior conditions. One of these is the need for the "Western bloc", to design new policies for international cooperation, other than those which have hitherto characterized their involvement in the black continent.

Today, China is moving in Africa on a widespread and innovative. The Asian giant has, in fact, built relationships with fifty of the fifty states of the continent, noted the current professor at CEIBS Shang i. Moreover, China is the first country in the world to have established a formula of cooperation that brings together the export of goods, capital, technology and labor.

Faced with the latter scenario - has taken yet Prodi -, the European Union member countries are still, unfortunately, to act on the continent so dispersed, that is, without a coordination of their foreign policies. Europe, in short, still follows the old logic conditioned by colonial relationships that divide the continent into areas of influence: British, French or Portuguese.

Neither the United States are saved by what Prodi considered a "strategic error" within the "Western" to cooperation with Africa. In fact, despite the renewal of its leadership, the country still looks to Africa for Obama according to logic that meets the needs of military security and energy. The U.S. still focus attention on the countries situated on both the Gulf of Guinea area - which currently provides 15% of U.S. oil imports - both on the eastern shore of the continent, particularly in the Horn of Africa, where armed groups linked to growing al-Qaeda.

In this context, but also Africa must do its part by becoming an actor itself for its own development. For the professor, the priority number one is the "creation of an African market." A half this, which requires the overcoming of the current situation in which inter-African trade represents only 10% of the continent's trade with foreign countries.

This objective also requires the development of a new ruling class, capable - also claims the former Italian prime minister - to organize the continent economically, placing it then in a position to deal, effectively and efficiently, with other actors of international cooperation in an increasingly multipolar world.

Nigrizia - 14/02/2011