3 - Why the African Union Should be Dismantled and Buried with Gaddafi
Corresponding Author(s) : S.N. Sangmpam
Africa Development,
Vol. 43 No. 3 (2018): Africa Development
Abstract
One enduring project of pan-Africanists is an all-Africa union as the solution to Africa’s socio-economic predicament. They view the lack of such a union as one of the major causes of the predicament. From Nkrumah to the African Union (AU) passing by the Organization of African Unity (OAU), their disagreements have been about the means and ways of achieving this goal. In their view, the development of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is inseparable from that of North Africa. I argue that this is not and should not be the case, because SSA socio-economic outcomes and their causes diverge organically from those of North Africa. As the institutional symbol of this pan-African view, the AU should be dismantled. SSA should be allowed to reconstitute itself, without North Africa, into a self-sustaining, organically integrated Unifederation that can finally address and solve its predicament. Gaddafi’s demise allows SSA to do so.
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- Allen, H., 1996, ‘Mediterranean Environments’, in W.M.
- Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Allison, S., 2012, ‘After Gaddafi, who will fund the AU?’, Daily Maverick, 12 June.
- Areola, S.E., 1996, ‘Soils’, in W.M. Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Awuah, E., 2006, ‘Feature: the saga of the returnee/expatriate’, www.ghanaweb.com, Diasporian News, 28 April.
- Ayittey, G., 2005, Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Africa’s Future, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Carpenter, S., 1979, Atlas of Man and His World, New York: Facts on File.
- Chapman, T.R. et al., 2001, ‘Primates and the ecology of their infectious diseases: how will anthropogenic change affect host-parasite interactions?’, Evolutionary Anthropology 14: 133–44.
- Crosby, A.W., 1986, Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe 900–1900, New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Curtin, P., 1968, ‘Epidemiology and the slave trade’, Political Science Quarterly 83 (2): 190–216.
- Curtin, P., 1988, Disease and Empire: The Health of European Troops in the Conquest of Africa, New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Diamond, J., 1999, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, London: N.W. Norton and Company.
- Ehret, C., 1984, ‘The East African interior’, in D. T. Niane, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume IV: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, Los Angeles: University of California Press."
- Fage, J.D. with Tordoff, W. 2002, A History of Africa, 4th edition, London: Routledge.
- Gallup, J. et al., 2003, Is Geography Destiny? Lessons from Latin America, New York: Inter-American Development Bank.
- Gourou, P., 1966, The Tropical World: Its Social and Economic Conditions and Its Future Status, New York: John Wiley and Sons.
- Hammond, 1990, The Ultimate Atlas, Vol. 2. New Jersey: Newsweek Union Publications.
- Harter, P., 2005, BBC Focus on Africa, 16 (3), July–September.
- Inikory, J.E., ed., 1982, Forced Migration: The Impact of the Export Slave Trade on African Societies, London: Hutchinson.
- Kamgang, H., 1993, Au-delà de la Conférence Nationale : Pour Les États-Unis d’Afrique, Paris: L’Harmattan.
- Kodjo, E., 1985, Et Demain L’Afrique, Paris: Stock.
- Krabacher, T. et al., eds, 2009, Global Studies: Africa, 12th edition, New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Larson, K. and Vogl, M., 2011, ‘Africans remember Gaddafi as martyr, benefactor’, Associated Press, 24 October.
- Lovejoy, P.E, ed., 1986, Africans in Bondage: Studies in Slavery and the Slave Trade, Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
- Lwanga-Lunyiigo, S. and Vansina, J., 1988, ‘The Bantu Speaking Peoples and their Expansion’, in M. Elfasi, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume III: Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century, Los Angeles: University of California Press.
- Maathai, W., 2009, The Challenge for Africa, New York: Anchor Books.
- Madison, A., 2001, The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, Paris: OECD. Maddox, G., 2006, Sub-Saharan Africa: An Environmental History, Denver, CO: ABC- CLIO
- Maathai, W., 2009, The Challenge for Africa, New York: Anchor Books. Madison, A., 2001, The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, Paris: OECD.
- Maddox, G., 2006, Sub-Saharan Africa: An Environmental History, Denver, CO: ABC - CLIO.
- Manning, P., ed., 1996, Slave Trades, 1500-1800: Globalization of Forced Labour, Aldershot: Variorum.
- Meadows, M.E., 1996, ‘Biogeography’, in W.M. Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Meillassoux, C., 1991, The Anthropology of Slavery: The Womb of Iron and Gold, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Miers, S. and Kopytoff, I., eds, 1977, Slavery in Africa: Historical and Anthropological Perspectives, Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.
- Mones, H., 1988, ‘The Conquest of North Africa and the Berber Resistance’, in M. Elfasi, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume III: Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century, Los Angeles: University of California Press."
- Nasser, G.A., 1955, Philosophy of the Revolution, Washington, DC: Public Affairs Press.
- Newman, J., 1995, The Peopling of Africa: A Geographic Interpretation, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
- Ngcongco, L.D., 1989, ‘The Mfecane and the Rise of the New African States’, in J.F. Ade Ajayi, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume VI: Africa in the Nineteenth Century Until the 1880s, Los Angeles: University of California Press.
- Nicholson, S.E., 1989, ‘Environmental Change within the Historical Period’, in W.M. Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Nkrumah, K., 1970, Africa Must Unite, New York: International Publishers.
- Nunn, N., 2007, ‘The long-term effects of Africa’s slave trade’, NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 13367, Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
- Ofosu-Amaah, S, 1997, ‘Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: Overview’, in R.G. Feachem and D.T. Jamison, eds, Disease and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Rodney, W., 1982, How Europe Undeveloped Africa, Washington, DC: Howard University Press.
- Sangmpam, S.N., 2007a, Comparing Apples and Mangoes: The Overpoliticized State in Developing Countries, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
- Sangmpam, S.N., 2007b, ‘Politics rule: the false primacy of institutions in developing countries’, Political Studies 55: 201–24.
- Spencer, W.J, ed., 2007, Global Studies: The Middle East, 11th edition, Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
- Taylor, D., 1996, ‘Mountains’, in W.M. Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Thompson, B.V., 1969, Africa and Unity: The Evolution of Pan-Africanism, New York: Humanities Press.
- Thornton, J., 1992, Africa and the Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400–1680, New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Tribe, L., 2000, American Constitutional Law, New York: Foundation Press.
- Vansina, J., 1992, ‘Population Movements and the Emergence of New Socio-political Forms in Africa’, in B.A. Ogot, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume V: Africa from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century, Los Angeles: University of California Press.
- World Bank, 1989, Sub-Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Growth, Washington, DC: World Bank.
- Yakan, M.Z, 1999, Almanac of African Peoples and Nations, New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
References
Allen, H., 1996, ‘Mediterranean Environments’, in W.M.
Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
Allison, S., 2012, ‘After Gaddafi, who will fund the AU?’, Daily Maverick, 12 June.
Areola, S.E., 1996, ‘Soils’, in W.M. Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
Awuah, E., 2006, ‘Feature: the saga of the returnee/expatriate’, www.ghanaweb.com, Diasporian News, 28 April.
Ayittey, G., 2005, Africa Unchained: The Blueprint for Africa’s Future, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Carpenter, S., 1979, Atlas of Man and His World, New York: Facts on File.
Chapman, T.R. et al., 2001, ‘Primates and the ecology of their infectious diseases: how will anthropogenic change affect host-parasite interactions?’, Evolutionary Anthropology 14: 133–44.
Crosby, A.W., 1986, Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe 900–1900, New York: Cambridge University Press.
Curtin, P., 1968, ‘Epidemiology and the slave trade’, Political Science Quarterly 83 (2): 190–216.
Curtin, P., 1988, Disease and Empire: The Health of European Troops in the Conquest of Africa, New York: Cambridge University Press.
Diamond, J., 1999, Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, London: N.W. Norton and Company.
Ehret, C., 1984, ‘The East African interior’, in D. T. Niane, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume IV: Africa from the Twelfth to the Sixteenth Century, Los Angeles: University of California Press."
Fage, J.D. with Tordoff, W. 2002, A History of Africa, 4th edition, London: Routledge.
Gallup, J. et al., 2003, Is Geography Destiny? Lessons from Latin America, New York: Inter-American Development Bank.
Gourou, P., 1966, The Tropical World: Its Social and Economic Conditions and Its Future Status, New York: John Wiley and Sons.
Hammond, 1990, The Ultimate Atlas, Vol. 2. New Jersey: Newsweek Union Publications.
Harter, P., 2005, BBC Focus on Africa, 16 (3), July–September.
Inikory, J.E., ed., 1982, Forced Migration: The Impact of the Export Slave Trade on African Societies, London: Hutchinson.
Kamgang, H., 1993, Au-delà de la Conférence Nationale : Pour Les États-Unis d’Afrique, Paris: L’Harmattan.
Kodjo, E., 1985, Et Demain L’Afrique, Paris: Stock.
Krabacher, T. et al., eds, 2009, Global Studies: Africa, 12th edition, New York: McGraw-Hill.
Larson, K. and Vogl, M., 2011, ‘Africans remember Gaddafi as martyr, benefactor’, Associated Press, 24 October.
Lovejoy, P.E, ed., 1986, Africans in Bondage: Studies in Slavery and the Slave Trade, Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
Lwanga-Lunyiigo, S. and Vansina, J., 1988, ‘The Bantu Speaking Peoples and their Expansion’, in M. Elfasi, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume III: Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century, Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Maathai, W., 2009, The Challenge for Africa, New York: Anchor Books.
Madison, A., 2001, The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, Paris: OECD. Maddox, G., 2006, Sub-Saharan Africa: An Environmental History, Denver, CO: ABC- CLIO
Maathai, W., 2009, The Challenge for Africa, New York: Anchor Books. Madison, A., 2001, The World Economy: A Millennial Perspective, Paris: OECD.
Maddox, G., 2006, Sub-Saharan Africa: An Environmental History, Denver, CO: ABC - CLIO.
Manning, P., ed., 1996, Slave Trades, 1500-1800: Globalization of Forced Labour, Aldershot: Variorum.
Meadows, M.E., 1996, ‘Biogeography’, in W.M. Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
Meillassoux, C., 1991, The Anthropology of Slavery: The Womb of Iron and Gold, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Miers, S. and Kopytoff, I., eds, 1977, Slavery in Africa: Historical and Anthropological Perspectives, Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.
Mones, H., 1988, ‘The Conquest of North Africa and the Berber Resistance’, in M. Elfasi, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume III: Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century, Los Angeles: University of California Press."
Nasser, G.A., 1955, Philosophy of the Revolution, Washington, DC: Public Affairs Press.
Newman, J., 1995, The Peopling of Africa: A Geographic Interpretation, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Ngcongco, L.D., 1989, ‘The Mfecane and the Rise of the New African States’, in J.F. Ade Ajayi, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume VI: Africa in the Nineteenth Century Until the 1880s, Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Nicholson, S.E., 1989, ‘Environmental Change within the Historical Period’, in W.M. Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
Nkrumah, K., 1970, Africa Must Unite, New York: International Publishers.
Nunn, N., 2007, ‘The long-term effects of Africa’s slave trade’, NBER Working Paper Series, Working Paper 13367, Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Ofosu-Amaah, S, 1997, ‘Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: Overview’, in R.G. Feachem and D.T. Jamison, eds, Disease and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
Rodney, W., 1982, How Europe Undeveloped Africa, Washington, DC: Howard University Press.
Sangmpam, S.N., 2007a, Comparing Apples and Mangoes: The Overpoliticized State in Developing Countries, Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Sangmpam, S.N., 2007b, ‘Politics rule: the false primacy of institutions in developing countries’, Political Studies 55: 201–24.
Spencer, W.J, ed., 2007, Global Studies: The Middle East, 11th edition, Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
Taylor, D., 1996, ‘Mountains’, in W.M. Adams, A.S. Goudie and A.R. Orme, eds, The Physical Geography of Africa, New York: Oxford University Press.
Thompson, B.V., 1969, Africa and Unity: The Evolution of Pan-Africanism, New York: Humanities Press.
Thornton, J., 1992, Africa and the Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World, 1400–1680, New York: Cambridge University Press.
Tribe, L., 2000, American Constitutional Law, New York: Foundation Press.
Vansina, J., 1992, ‘Population Movements and the Emergence of New Socio-political Forms in Africa’, in B.A. Ogot, ed., UNESCO General History of Africa. Volume V: Africa from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century, Los Angeles: University of California Press.
World Bank, 1989, Sub-Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Growth, Washington, DC: World Bank.
Yakan, M.Z, 1999, Almanac of African Peoples and Nations, New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.