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ISSN : ISSN 2056-564X (Print)
ISBN : ISSN 2056-5658 (Online)
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When I was contacted to be a guest editor of this globally respected journal, many thoughts came to my mind bothering on whether to contact those I know of as specialists in Foreign Policy and International Politics in general, or to send out a call for papers to scholars, pundits and foreign affairs analysts, in order to assemble their positions on the development of international relations in Africa. I eventually settled for a call for paper/s, which yielded positive results as many papers where submitted. Articles in this edition have made frantic intellectual effort towards exploring many social issues in Africa from theoretical as well as empirical points of view. They have been peer reviewed before being carefully and meticulously selected by the editor. It is a continuous attempt towards exploring and interrogating social issues that confront Africa and the entire world.
Lucky Asuelime, in Mnangagwa’s Foreign Policy is an eye opener for students of foreign policy. His position is that there is a continuity rather than change in his foreign approach despite a need for him to seek acceptance at the global level. Lucky was of the view that party policy, rather than chatting a new way to move away from Mugabe’s foreign policy of emotion is unfolding in the new government. Lere Amusan interrogates The Gambia’s foreign policy under Yahyah Jammeh’s regime. His approach to the state’s foreign policy was based on what is seen as ad-hoc foreign policy of survival when the state was reduced to a pariah status in the comity of nations. Jammeh’s anti-Commonwealth of Nations and pro-Asia was a way to look for economic and political support when the West refused to support his sit-tight approach to anti-democratic system in Banjul.
Ogunnubi interrogates the question of whether it is Nigeria’s ambition in Africa to remain hegemon in the continent. In trying to examine this, he conceptualised both environmental and domestic attributes of the state’s foreign policy. His conclusion is that “the conduct of Abuja’s foreign policy priorities is guided by a variety of themes that collectively give form, focus and finesses to its external relations”. Ismael Mugari and Adewale Olutola examine the likely roles of non-governmental organisations in view of longstanding allegations regarding the failure by Harare’s government to open the democratic space for civic society and media to operate freely in the country. The paper concluded that media, as the Fourth Estate of the realm, continues to expose police unconstitutional roles in the country, and advancing good governance in Zimbabwe.
Crystal Mokoena and Ademola Jegede interrogate the organic linkages and sometimes areas of departure between law and politics. In trying to uncap this, they employed realist theory to discuss why South Africa fails to arrest Omar Al-Bashir despite international obligation to do so as a signatory to the Rome Statute. The paper concludes that international law may not hold in a situation when domestic objectives are at stake. Olawale Olaopa and Lere Amusan in their paper titled: The Question of Pan-Africanism and the Problem of United States of Africa, are of the view that Africa unity and development have been paramount in the minds of the continent’s leaders from the formative years of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) till date. The authors of this paper are of the opinion that Nigeria’s attempt to promote economic and political agenda is projected through an incremental approach as against evolutionary position of the progressives in the continent. In their submission, Abuja’s functional approach to a United States of Africa contributes in no small measure to keeping the continent economically underdeveloped.
I sincerely appreciate all who have made this special edition another huge success.
Thank you all.