France à fric: the CFA zone in Africa and neocolonialism

Taylor, Ian

doi:10.1080/01436597.2019.1585183

Cited by 39 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…In terms of external power relations, the continuous dependency of Francophone states on the CFA franc has allowed Paris to exercise considerable influence over their economies. 67 In a similar way (and reminiscent of USD ascendancy), China's stated goal of the internationalisation of the renminbi, accelerated after it was acknowledged by the IMF as a basket of currencies with special drawing rights, prompted several African countries to create renminbi currency conversion centres. 68 The repayment of Chinese loans through recourse to the renminbi is one of the proposed responses to the new African debt crisis.…”

Section: Regimes and Governancementioning

confidence: 98%

The Arctic and Africa in China’s Foreign Policy: How Different Are They and What Does This Tell Us?

2021

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The article discusses China’s policies in and towards the Arctic and Africa within a comparative perspective. To what extent is China’s policy adaptable to different conditions? What does this adaptability tell us about China’s ascendant great-power role in the world in general? What is the message to the Arctic and Africa respectively? The article concludes that China’s regional strategies aptly reflect the overall grand strategy of a country that is slowly but surely aiming at taking on the role of leading global superpower. In doing so, Chinese foreign policy has demonstrated flexibility and adaptive tactics, through a careful tailoring of its so-called core interests and foreign policy principles, and even identity politics, to regional conditions. This implies that regions seeking autonomy in the context of great power activism and contestation should develop their own strategies not only for benefiting from Chinese investment but also in terms of managing dependency on China and in relation to China and great power competition.

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Section: Regimes and Governancementioning

confidence: 98%

The Arctic and Africa in China’s Foreign Policy: How Different Are They and What Does This Tell Us?

2021

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“…In 1961, France took control of the national currency reserves of fourteen West African countries, retaining considerable control over their spending (Taylor, 2019). The metropoles and international firms secured further concessions and registered businesses locally.…”

Section: The Dying Days Of Colonialismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why food insecurity persists in sub-Saharan Africa: A review of existing evidence

Bjornlund

Bjørnlund

Rooyen³

2022

Food Sec.

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This article is the third in a series of historical reviews on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), exploring why agricultural production and irrigation schemes are underperforming, and how this contributes to high levels of food insecurity. The expression ‘food security’ emerged in 1974 following the Sahel and Darfur famines. Despite SSA being a net agricultural exporter, food insecurity has persisted and is increasing. This is largely a legacy of the export-oriented colonial agricultural production systems, which procured scarce fertile land, water and labour to meet the needs of industries and consumers in the Global North. Colonialism also undermined the social contract between traditional leaders and communities, which had been instrumental in managing food scarcity in earlier times. Post-independence, agricultural policies remained focused on exports and neglected critical research and investment: integrating food productions systems into the domestic economy; developing supply chains and associated market, storage and value-adding infrastructure; and introducing appropriate technologies. As a result, Africa is the only region in the world where increased export production caused a decline in per capita food production. African nations should be extracted from the debt accrued due to poor colonial investments, World Bank lending practices, and global currency and interest fluctuations, which have crippled their capacity to support agriculture and improve livelihoods and food security. Farming needs to be profitable, which includes farmers being connected to domestic supply chains and market signals, local value-adding, and post-harvest storage. This will create jobs and increase income earning capacity, which is the key to households’ food security.

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“…What makes this case illustrative for a regional power from afar is that "the CFA is arguably the most blatant example of functioning neocolonialism in Africa today" (Taylor 2019(Taylor : 1065). In addition to economic power, the case of France also illustrates the other primary means of power in international relations (Baldwin 2012: p. 275).…”

Section: Conceptual Inroads To Account For External Actors As Regional Powersmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to wield regional power from afar: a conceptual discussion illustrated by the case of France in Central Africa

Mattheis

2021

Int Polit

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What does it take to belong to a region and exert power over it? The scholarship on regional powers has elaborated sophisticated indicators to establish nuances of power, but the depiction of the region has remained vague. Most approaches are characterised by a narrow territorial interpretation that does not properly take into account power wielded by geographically distant actors. Using the case of France in Central Africa this article argues that a distant state can a) hold a dominant share of military, economic and soft power, b) use this power for hegemonic behaviour and c) be recognised as a leader in the region by both internal and external actors. The main specificity of distant actors as regional powers is the greater necessity for a legitimising narrative. France tackles this hurdle with the help of regional organisations that reproduce imperial structures. By holding the informal status of a quasi-member in regional governance structures, France participates in region-building processes from the inside rather than the outside.

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France à fric: the CFA zone in Africa and neocolonialism

Cited by 39 publications

References 58 publications

The Arctic and Africa in China’s Foreign Policy: How Different Are They and What Does This Tell Us?

The Arctic and Africa in China’s Foreign Policy: How Different Are They and What Does This Tell Us?

Why food insecurity persists in sub-Saharan Africa: A review of existing evidence

How to wield regional power from afar: a conceptual discussion illustrated by the case of France in Central Africa

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