From Rivalry to Partnership?: New Approaches to the Challenges of Africa

'From Rivalry to Partnership' is the first to study a potentially valuable way forward in tackling the challenges of Africa, namely bilateral partnerships. The book evaluates the significance and strength of the emerging Anglo-French partnership and explores how far this and other forms of 'bilateral' and 'bi-multi' cooperation might serve as a valuable alternative or complement to traditional unilateral and multilateral approaches in Africa. Practitioners, established academic experts as well emerging scholars in the field bring to bear a sophisticated synthesis of neoclassical realism and 'discursive institutionalism' and findings from over 100 research interviews to explore how joint approaches and bilateral partnerships have been used to address the challenges of Africa. In developing this argument, the editors explore: * Anglo-French cooperation in Africa * other bilateral partnerships in Africa, notably the Nordic states and the US * the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership * the China-Africa partnership and its implications for the EU-Africa partnership and for leading European states Written in a clear and accessible style, 'From Rivalry to Partnership' offers a much needed fresh insight into whether and how bilateral partnerships make a real difference to people's lives on the African continent.'

Table of Contents:
Part 1 Introduction and Theory; Introduction, Tony Chafer, Gordon Cumming; Chapter 1 A Theoretical Perspective on Northern Cooperation in Africa, Theresa Callan; Part 2 The UK, France and Cooperation in africa; Chapter 2 Africa and the United Kingdom: Labour’s Legacy, May 1997–May 2010, Vines Alex; Chapter 3 From Unilateralism to Multilateralism: The Decline of French Power in Africa, Daniel Bourmaud; Chapter 4 Britain and France in Africa since Saint-Malo: Towards an Uneasy Partnership?, Gordon Cumming; Chapter 5 Anglo-French Security Cooperation in Africa since Saint-Malo, Tony Chafer; Part 3 Other Bilateral ‘Partnerships’; Chapter 6 Scandinavian Africa Policies: Value-based Foreign Policies between British Affinity, French National Interests and EU Norms, Gorm Rye Olsen; Chapter 7 US-UK Cooperation in Africa, Paul D. Williams; Chapter 8 Franco-American Ties: Old Foes, New Friends?, Niagalé Bagayoko; Part 4 Working Together on the Ground; Chapter 9 The UK and France in the DRC: Making Their Own Peace, Gordon Cumming; Chapter 10 Anglo-French Cooperation vis-à-vis the African Union, Tony Chafer; Part 5 Other Models of Cooperation; Chapter 11 The New European Security Architecture: An Example of ‘Messy Multilateralism’?, Marie V. Gibert; Chapter 12 Sino-African Relations and the Implications for the EU’s ‘Partnership’ with Africa, Ian Taylor; Part 6 Concluding Remarks; Chapter 13 Conclusion: From Rivalry to Partnership?, Gordon Cumming, Tony Chafer, Theresa Callan;

About the Author :
Tony Chafer, Director, Centre for European & International Studies Research and Professor of Contemporary French Area Studies, University of Portsmouth, UK and Dr Gordon Cumming, Reader, School of European Studies, Cardiff University, UK

Review :
'From Rivalry to Partnership offers a much needed review of changing relations between the major former colonial powers and Africa in the post-Cold War world. Focusing particularly on a shift to 'bi-multi' collaboration between France and Britain, this valuable collection combines theoretical reassessment with valuable case studies to provide a text of immense value to all scholars of International Relations and contemporary Africa.' Roger Southall, University of the Witwatersrand and Editor, Journal of Contemporary African Studies, South Africa 'In their timely and innovative volume From Rivalry to Partnership Tony Chafer and Gordon Cumming are questioning the underpinnings and investigating the prospects of the emerging bilateral/multilateral partnership between the United Kingdom/France and Africa. This direction of inquiry opens up new perspectives on cooperation with the African continent, and offers important new interpretations of North-South relations.' Ulf Engel, Institute of African Studies, University of Leipzig, Germany 'Chafer and Cumming have brought together an eminently well qualified group of experts to provide a multi-faceted and fascinating view of the causes and effects of Franco-British cooperation in Africa in recent years. This excellent collection of articles is an important addition to our understanding of contemporary Western approaches to Africa, and will be required reading for students of European policy towards Africa since the 1990s.' Tom Porteous, Human Rights Watch, author of Britain in Africa 'This is an important publication on Anglo-French cooperation in Africa. The book provides a vivid account of the foreign policy interests and strategies that have evolved since the December 1998 Saint Malo Summit between Britain and France on how the two countries could forge stronger bilateral cooperation on Africa. The authors’ objective was to present a broad theoretical framework that would facilitate deeper understanding of this par