Mamoudou Gazibo

Foreign Aid and Democratization: Benin and Niger Compared

Abstract: This article compares the democratization process in Benin and Niger in the decade from 1989 to 1999 and emphasizes the influence of external donors with regard to their economic support of democratization. The task is twofold. First, I try to understand why, though these two aid-dependent countries share many initial similarities, the former received more external financial assistance than the latter. I build upon New Institutionalist concepts such as timing, sequence, and path dependency to demonstrate that the probability and continuity of foreign aid depend both on the timing and on sequences of the transition—a combination that may or may not produce a path-dependent phenomenon with regard to the donors. Second, I argue that the capacity of foreign aid to foster democratization depends largely on its timing, particularly in critical moments of the democratic process.

REORDERING INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS: THE FORUM ON CHINA-AFRICA COOPERATION

China’s rise became evident at the turn of the century in a context of American unilateralism under the command of George W. Bush. This context explains, to a large extent, Chinese strategies to avoid isolation and defend its interests. As such, China has chosen to act through multilateralism, previously viewed with suspicion, but now sought as an essential element to its diplomatic strategy, especially at the regional level. In this context, FOCAC can be understood as an imperfect multilateral undertaking knowing that bilateral relations are at the core of the relations between China and African countries both within and outside the institution. Is FOCAC an organization similar to the Commonwealth or the International Organization of La Francophonie? Are African countries true actors in this institution or do they orbit around China while it defines the rules and principles to be enacted and profits from them alone? Given all that was stated above, this paper has two main objectives. First, we seek to demonstrate in which ways FOCAC is part of an alliance building strategy to allow China to better resist American unilateralism and the risks of being stopped by its Western rivals. Then, we will show that, as an institution, FOCAC is a place of socialization, that is, a place where standards, practices and patterns of behavior are set and disseminated. As such, far from being a mere instrument manipulated by China, it is both a framework and a tool with shared impacts. In order to achieve both our goals, at first we will outline the theoretical and conceptual background to guide our work – constructivist theory – resorting to the concepts of soft balancing and socialization. After that, a thorough explanation of FOCAC’s history will be presented, highlighting institutional characteristics and their impact on China-Africa relations.

Introduction à la politique africaine

Les disparites entre les 53 pays du continent africain sont telles qu’il parait bien difficile, a premiere vue, de comprendre les grandes questions politiques sans tomber dans les generalisations abusives et les idees recues. Le professeur Mamoudou Gazibo reussit pourtant a presenter les grands enjeux de l’Afrique depuis les annees d’independance, en privilegiant une approche transversale qui tient compte tout a la fois de la diversite et des questions communes. Dans un souci pedagogique exemplaire, cet ouvrage aborde tour a tour la nature de l’Etat, l’autoritarisme, les determinants des conflits, les processus de democratisation, les tentatives de developpement, les politiques d’integration et la construction de l’Union africaine. Dans cette deuxieme edition, l’integration fait l’objet de deux chapitres (politique et economique) et un nouveau chapitre est consacre aux defis poses a la relation traditionnelle de l’Afrique avec l’Occident au regard de l’interet croissant que lui temoigne la Chine. Mamoudou Gazibo est professeur agrege au Departement de science politique de l’Universite de Montreal. Il est coauteur, avec Jane Jenson, de La politique comparee : fondements, enjeux et approches theoriques (PUM, 2004) ; auteur de Paradoxes de la democratisation en Afrique : analyse institutionnelle et strategique (PUM, 2005) ; et directeur, avec Celine Thiriot, de l’ouvrage collectif Le politique en Afrique : etat des debats et pistes de recherches (Karthala, 2009).