(2) Natural resources – lots of it! Mali comes after South Africa and Ghana in Gold resources. Niger has uranium. Guinea has copper (currently a Chinese operation, but for how long?). Oil and natural gas abound in various nations (Libya, Algeria, Nigeria, Ghana, Syria). The DRC is just a treasure trove of so many resources – the country is a real natural resource economy. NATO countries led by the USA have been manipulating events in that country since the early nineties and as a result that region has seen the worst in death and human misery since WWII. The suffering that has occurred there makes the Rwandan genocide seem minor in comparison. Further into Africa, Sudan has oil.
(3) NATO countries are looking to use their version if military imperialism to eliminate BRICS (especially Chinese and Indian) influence in Africa.
FUTURE POSSIBILITIES AND DIRECTIONS
Given the current situation, what can one expect in the future? It all depends on which factors come into play. At the moment, the UN veto-wielding nations are split, with the Euro-American powers (NATO) on one side doing their thing using their military might to forward their agenda in Africa, while Russia and China seem quiet about this. Below are few future possibilities:
(1) The Euro-Americans will continue to use their military might to re-conquer Africa in order to gain natural resource and strategic advantage over Asia in general and China and Russia in particular. Africa will once again become physically colonized, littered with Euro-American (mostly US AFRICOM) bases, monitored with drones and surveillance equipment. This is the possibility which is actually manifesting right this moment. Goodbye true African unity!
(2) BRICS will wake up and realize that if Africa falls completely to the NATO nations, it will be strategically disadvantageous to them. Africa and the Middle East are highly strategic locations on this planet. If NATO completes option (1) above, the chances of maintaining a multi-polar world will decrease to near zero and BRICS nations will be sequestered. There are economic and military power vacuums in Africa.
China rose up to the economic vacuum challenge, however none of the BRICS nations has recently done anything about the military vacuum challenge. So NATO is overrunning Africa with its military machine. It is in the interest of BRICS nations to remain competitive in Africa. In option (2), BRICS nations may decide to change their policy by having an aggressive and competitive military policy in Africa, updating and modernizing African armies in areas with significant BRICS economic investments.
This will necessarily initiate a new Cold War type situation on the African continent, however if the BRICS nations play their cards right, things need not turn hot. The NATO nations live for war and will welcome that. The African people will be the ones to suffer. What needs to be put in place is a counter-balance to NATO military power.
Russia is a powerful nation which managed to defend itself against Hitler during WWII. The battles at Leningrad and Stalingrad attest to this. Russia however on its own is no match for NATO, not even in a defensive capacity. Same can be said of China on its own. But together and with allies, these can balance NATO. China has the personnel, Russia has the technology.
Modernize Africa not only economically but militarily as well. There is a risk of counter-colonization here however Africa is better to you as a partner than as a dependent. A stronger Africa will reinforce a stable multi-polar world. If you sit back and be quiet about Africa while NATO runs amok (like you did when NATO overrun Gaddafi), you will soon lose your influence on the continent.
(3) Both options (1) and (2) are really two evils for Africa (perhaps one is the lesser evil) but because as a people and as a continent we are (black Africa especially) economically and militarily weaker than other blocs, they take advantage of us. NATO is not altruistic and neither does it practice a live-and-let-live policy.
Given the chance, they will manipulate, divide and conquer. This is too bad! It is a sick aspect of our collective human nature. China will do no less, even if done in a different way. Option (3) is for Africa and African nations to realize the “smelly stuff” they have gotten themselves into and wise up!
