Why No Single Theory Explains Africa's Place in the World

I wrote this paper for an upper-level political science course. It asks which of the major theories of international relations best explains Africa’s position in the world. My answer is that each explains part of it and none explains all of it.

Four Theories

Realism. States compete for security and power, and weaker states get pushed around. The Congo Wars from 1996 to 2003, which drew in nine African countries and killed more than five million people, fit this: neighbors intervened to protect their interests and gain access to minerals. Realism has less to say about colonial history, or about how weaker states have sometimes played larger powers against each other.

Liberalism. Institutions and trade make cooperation possible. The African Union, regional groups like ECOWAS, and the African Continental Free Trade Area all follow this approach. Its weakness is that those institutions are often unequal.

World-systems and dependency theory. Africa’s position comes from a world economy built under colonialism, in which the continent exports raw materials and imports finished goods. France’s ties with its former colonies, including a shared currency arrangement that limits their control over monetary policy, are one example. The debate over whether foreign aid helps or creates dependence is another.

Constructivism. Shared ideas shape politics. Africa’s borders were drawn by colonial powers, and after independence African leaders agreed in 1964 to keep them. That decision came from an idea about sovereignty, not from anything about the borders themselves.

Aid, Conflict, and New Partners

The paper looks at three areas where these theories overlap. Aid helped Rwanda rebuild after the 1994 genocide, but critics argue aid can also reinforce dependence. Conflict in the Congo and the Sahel drains resources and invites outside intervention, though ECOWAS has led its own interventions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia. China and Russia offer alternatives to Western partners, with their own debts and dependencies.

Five Strategies

The paper ends with five ways African states could gain more influence over time:

• Deeper regional integration
• A wider range of outside partners
• More domestic revenue and less reliance on aid
• Investment in education, health, and technology
• A stronger push for African representation in global institutions

The full paper, with sources, is on the paper’s page.