Contemporary Africa and the Foreseeable World Order

Many essays, books, and studies covering the continent of Africa focus on the past, yet editors Francis Onditi, Gilad Ben-nun, Cristina D’Alessandro, and Zach Levey organize a forward-looking anthology analyzing important political, geopolitical, ethical, theoretical, and practical issues facing the continent while avoiding simplistic afro-pessimism and afro-optimism dichotomies. . . . The best essays take a clear-eyed view of the challenges facing countries on the continent, while applying careful analysis regarding solutions and opportunities. . . . Overall, this collection features many strong chapters addressing issues with which the continent and world will soon grapple. . . the essays advance important arguments that could shape future discourse.

* African Studies Quarterly *

For researchers and students looking to understand intra-African geopolitics, particularly in East Africa, this book would be useful. While it contributes to ‘dispelling the notion that Africa is a “dark” continent that can provide the international system with neither leadership nor inspiration’ (p. 399), it should also act as a call to further examine the role of African states and institutions in the shifting sands of international geopolitics.

* South African Journal of International Affairs *
"This is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the foreseeable world order. Intellectually stimulating, full of new ideas for policymakers and stakeholders operating in Africa, this edited volume is scrupulously careful to report only the facts about the continent's foreign relations, within the region and with the rest of the world. Onditi and his collaborators have offered a new depiction of what they call the ‘foreseeable world order’ that may achieve a longstanding African aspiration to set a global agenda.” -- Douglas Yates, American University of Paris
“At a time when the African Union is engaged in a far-reaching debate on institutional and financial reforms, Contemporary Africa in the Foreseeable World Order offers timely and stimulating perspectives on the place of the African continent in a changing world order. This is an important contribution to international relations' scholarship on Africa, with an interest in changing values, rules and institutions in Africa and how these relate to emerging new powers such as China." -- Ulf Engel, University of Leipzig
“Contemporary Africa and the Foreseeable World Order is a much-welcomed book because it looks at International relations from a specific African perspective. The African continent is often studied simply as the field and the stake of competing external interests. In this book, Africa becomes the position from which international relations are analyzed and evaluated. This book positively contributes to the deconstruction of the narrative of the ‘dark continent’ that still affects too many academic researches.” -- Valerio Bini, University of Milan
“Contemporary Africa and the Foreseeable World Order helps to shine a spotlight on the challenges facing Africa, indicate the areas where significant strides have been made, and propose how African countries can act individually and collectively to build on those gains. The book makes for a compelling read.” -- Ejeviome Eloho Otobo, Global Governance Institute, Brussels, Bel