Africa has a long and disturbing history with outside powers exploiting the continent for its natural and human resources in furtherance of their own economic and developmental objectives. In this essay, China's main objectives and the prospects and implications these have on Africa's development are examined. The authors argue that there are two very important perspectives—exploitation and opportunity—on China's role in Africa's development. The authors also argue that African countries must implement meaningful structural and policy changes that could enable them to leverage China's involvement to enhance their development. Whether Chinese interest and involvement brings the danger of renewed exploitation without accompanying sustainable development depends on the extent to which African countries are able to take advantage of the opportunities of this growing interest and transform themselves by circumventing the many economic, political, and social contradictions that are afflicting them.

The long-standing conflict in the Niger Delta region grew out of disputes between the Niger Delta's ethnic communities, oil companies operating in the region, and the Nigerian government. The conflict reveals dynamic patterns that fall into three historical periods: precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial. Moreover, a mix of salient factors contributed to the conditions that are currently exacerbating the conflict: external administrative control (slave trade and colonialism) of the Niger Delta that is alien to the indigenous people; the presence of lucrative commodities (crude oil, palm oil, and timber); and the Niger Delta people's resistance to exploitation and assertion of their rights.During the first period, European powers and slave trade were critical. The second period involved British rule and the palm oil trade, and in the third period issues were localized. The conflict now involves the Nigerian state and its attempted monopolistic exploitation of crude oil. An understanding of the interplay of these factors offers some understanding of the events, issues, and circumstances surrounding the conflict in the delta and undergird the algorithm for any likely solution. In this essay we isolate the respective periods for analytical purposes and examine the general factors that have formed the basis of conflict in the area. We do not assert that there is moral, social, or Mediterranean Quarterly 22:1