Under the Radar: China’s Growing Ties with Comoros

Aid to, and investment in, strategically located countries in the IOR to establish a strong presence has been the thrust of the Chinese strategy. The steadily growing economic cooperation with Comoros is part of this strategy. For a China with global aspirations and a large economy to bankroll that aspiration, the engagement with Comoros promises to yield significant benefits in return for relatively little.

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Functional Maritime Security Enforcement Collaboration: Towards A Sustainable Blue Economy in Africa

Africa has an extensive and strategically located maritime space. This domain is vital for various reasons, including its abundance of economic resources and as a conduit for trade. Unfortunately, the potential of the African maritime space is being undermined by persistent, multifaceted and fluid domestic, regional and international threats and vulnerabilities. To tackle this, littoral African states have entered into various collaborative engagements at international and inter-agency level. The success of these arrangements is in turn greatly hampered by various practical challenges, including mistrust, diversity, ‘silo approach’ and lack of identified common Afro-centric security priorities and protocols. An urgent need for a functional collaborative engagement emerges as vital for a sustainable blue economy in Africa.

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Nigeria’s Naval Power – Reviving capacity after prolonged decline

The Nigerian Navy is slowly clawing its way back to being a viable force capable of performing critical missions in respect of EEZ surveillance and patrol. It possesses an adequate fleet of inshore and riverine patrol craft and its growing refit and overhaul capabilities should prove adequate to the task of maintaining these vessels and augmenting them with new construction. However, the Nigerian Navy continues to face capability gaps in respect of the number of major surface combatants as well as the weapons systems available to the fleet.

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“…if the people in Rwanda ever needed help, now was the time…”

The media, visual and means of mass communication have often been criticised for presenting a biased and skewed viewpoint on the conflict. However, the power of documentaries like the Ghosts of Rwanda which present before the audiences the unpalatable realities of the world, compels the international community to ponder, discuss and accept the need for change in its institutions and their ways of working. The release of the documentary became a moment of unfolding of the pristine rubric of United Nations, especially of its peacekeeping mandates, which were discriminatory and caught in power struggles.

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Act Africa – A Case for Soft Diplomacy

More concentration on the soft diplomatic efforts with greater emphasis on people to people connects and carrying out capacity building where people matter should be the focus of the government. Soft diplomacy through regular and assertive visits by top functionaries of the nation namely the President, Vice President, Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister is the best strategy to enhance relations with African countries.

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Military Expenditure in Africa

An audit of required military capabilities and therefore, military expenditure in Africa, is essential. Efforts need to focus on scaling down of conventional military capabilities. An appropriate step taken in this direction at this juncture will assist Africa in achieving its visionary goal of Agenda 2063.

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