Africa Cannot Afford a Second Cold War
For centuries, colonial powers, and then superpowers, viewed Africa exclusively through the prism of their economic, security, and geopolitical interests, undermining income convergence and regional integration. Today, the same mentality, now fueled by US-China tensions, is exacerbating insecurity across the continent.
CAIRO – More than 20,000 Africans were killed in violent conflicts in 2020, an almost tenfold increase from a decade ago. Concurrently, and perhaps not coincidentally, Sino-American rivalry has escalated sharply. A new cold war, this time between the United States and China, along with other regional security threats, could be disastrous for Africa’s economic development and green transition.