Samuel M. Makinda

In the past few decades, Kenya has benefitted considerably from its improved relations with China. Chinese investments in infrastructure, education, and ICT have opened up greater opportunities for development. Moreover, the availability of diverse and affordable goods has enabled many Kenyans to engage in more commercial activities. This economics-driven diplomacy has been shaped by Kenyan and Chinese political leaders, shifts in the structure of the international system after the Cold War, and the evolving interests of both countries. However, Kenya’s diplomacy is based on a weak knowledge base, as few Kenyan policy makers speak Mandarin and understand China’s diplomatic history. Moreover, China’s investment patterns, which differ from those of Kenya’s traditional Western partners, could negatively impact on Kenya’s commercial domination of eastern Africa. Thus, while Kenya–China relations have promoted some of Kenya’s policy objectives, they also contain the potential to undermine some of Kenya’s other long-range goals.

This chapter is about two interconnected issues: a theoretical or conceptual framework called “eclecticism” and Ali A. Mazrui’s contribution to it. I examine eclecticism as an innovative and dynamic intellectual tool and what role Mazrui played in its construction and subsequent growth. I argue that while Ali Mazrui’s intellectual achievements have been celebrated, analyzed and critiqued widely by both his detractors and admirers, one of his outstanding contributions, that is, eclecticism, has not been closely associated with him. My argument is based on three claims. The first is that from the 1970s, Mazrui’s enormous intellectual output was animated by an...

Australia is optimistic about Africa and its prospects and we see immense opportunities on the continent. The African economy is growing quickly – at an average rate of 5.7 per cent over the past decade and forecast to grow at 7 per cent per annum over the next 20 years. The African population is young with a medium age of 20 years – compared to 30 in Asia and 40 in Europe. It is urbanising rapidly, with a growing middle class. Africa is rich in arable land, mineral reserves and energy deposits.

Australia’s relations with Africa have tended to develop on a largely ad hoc basis, often as a consequence of policies on other issues, such as human rights, the Commonwealth and, especially, apartheid. However, it would be wrong for Australia to ignore Africa, or to allow our relations to drift without substance. African nations are able to exert considerable influence internationally; in the United Nations and its various agencies, and in the Commonwealth, the African group is the largest and the Africans have shown cohesiveness and discipline on issues important to them.