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- Convenor:
-
Rita Abrahamsen
(University of Ottawa)
- Stream:
- History, politics and urban studies
- Location:
- Khalili Lecture Theatre
- Start time:
- 13 September, 2006 at
Time zone: Europe/London
- Session slots:
- 1
Short Abstract:
to follow
Long Abstract:
2005 was ‘Africa’s year’, with the continent enjoying unprecedented attention on the international agenda and western political leaders and pop stars alike competing to express their compassion for Africa. The Blair Commission drew attention to the deep inequalities between Africa and the West, whereas the G8 at Gleneagles promised to increased aid by $25billion annually by 2010. This panel aims to provide a critical assessment of the extent to which policies and approaches to Africa have changed following the promises of the Commission and the G8, focusing in particular on security, resources and power.
Accepted papers:
Session 1Ray Bush (Leeds University)
Paper long abstract:
This paper examines the rationale that seems to have underpinned the Africa Commission and the likely impact the commission's policies will have for development and underdevelopment on the continent. The alternatives seem to have been starkly laid out. Namely the importance of the continents' leaders adopting commission policies of resource led growth, greater incorporation into the 'world' economy and market liberalisation for a newly empowered, and educated, African meritocracy. Alternatively the Commission offered a green light for international firms to plunder the continent of its resources, minerals and labour whilst African leaders are led to believe these are strategies that they themselves have chosen in 'their' demand for sovereignty and improved economic performance.
Graham Harrison (Sheffield University)
Paper long abstract:
This paper reviews the initiatives that threw Africa into the foreground of Western government and public sensibilities. Having established that the initiatives represented at best an increment to the resource inputs of already established development and debt management regimes, the paper asks what effects such a 'heroic' approach to Africa in the West had on understandings of African sovereignty and the norms of intervention.
Mikaela Gavas (BOND (British Overseas NGOs for Development))
Paper long abstract:
This paper examines the validity of the concern within the development community that development cooperation portfolio resources (Official Development Assistance) could be and are being reallocated in favour of investments of particular relevance to security policy. Changes in the EU's approach are illustrative of a general tendency in the international community to now consider security as a pre-condition for development. The EU has consistently discussed integrating new issues of migration, terrorism and security in its policy papers, evident in the new EU Strategy for Africa and the revised Cotonou Agreement between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific states. In the name of stability and security, however, aid can rapidly end up being driven by the security interests of the donor rather than by the development interests of the recipient.