The Death of Françafrique: Africa's Rebalancing Act

Рет қаралды 5,191

Күн бұрын

The ensuing dramatic demise of Françafrique and the consequential transformation of France's strategic goals in Africa have reshaped much of the geopolitics of the region. France no longer has the overt influence it once did but is instead moving to build influence with old partners through the EU and new partners through large investments into the Commonwealth nations. To France's detriment, though, other players like Russia, China, the UK, and the US have begun to move themselves into these power vacuums left by the French exit, and France may soon lose its primary position within West Africa. Who will end up holding influence over the region's natural resources? Will this impact the private sector as well? And where does the future lie for France's strategic interests? We ask our panel of experts:
- Catherine Gegout (Uni of Nottingham)
- Colby Connelly (Energy Intel)
- Alex Vines (Chatham House)
Intro - 00:00
PART 1 - 05:49
PART 2 - 25:39
PART 3 - 44:02
Outro - 1:02:28
For more info check out
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- Algeria: The Powderkeg of North Africa: • Algeria: The Powderkeg...
- The Privatisation of Warfare: Russian PMC Ops in Africa: • The Privatisation of W...
Follow the show on @TheRedLinePod
Follow Michael on @MikeHilliardAus
For more information, please visit - www.theredlinepodcast.com

Пікірлер: 53

@scifidude184 Жыл бұрын

Imagine allowing a Nation to have possession of their own natural resources.

@nooonanoonung6237 Жыл бұрын

Frenchies: Impossiiiible!!

@yerlocalpeanutdealer795 9 ай бұрын

Australia basically let other nations do so

@nooonanoonung6237 9 ай бұрын

@@yerlocalpeanutdealer795 People in East Timor: guess we are not a nation then.

@yerlocalpeanutdealer795 9 ай бұрын

Yea they're even more fucked than us. @@nooonanoonung6237

@sameermujeeb6129 Ай бұрын

This channel is very underrated. Wonderful work!

@marrs1013 Жыл бұрын

I understand that France wasn't the best colonial overlord, but replacing them with Russian private military for peacekeeping doesn't sound like a 'popular' choice.

@vaarmendel1657 Жыл бұрын

Did the Africans mention somewhere that they are replacing France by anyone else ?

@vladimirlenin462 11 ай бұрын

It was popular, actually. At least in Burkina Faso, where crowds held up the Russian flag and were quoted as saying “No, we don’t want no more France, we are here because we want the defence of Russia. France hasn't done anything that gives us success.” You can look this up on VOA news. Likewise, why wouldn't it be popular? The French peacekeepers have ostensibly failed to stop the Islamist insurgency throughout the Sahel, and you know most of the world doesn't share the wests strange relationship with Russia at all. Besides, how is one foreign military group any worse than the other?

@marrs1013 11 ай бұрын

@@vladimirlenin462 Well, I was born in the 1970s in Eastern Europe, and my country was occupied till the early 90s by Russia, so I have no illusions about the reality of Russian involvement. I also remember that we ourselves marching up and down celebrating our occupiers, holding flags and singing songs for no other reason than being forced to do it. If you could go around those parades and ask people how they felt, they had told you how happy and grateful they were. Just out of fear. So I don't believe that in Burkina Faso the locals actually were happy for the Russians being present. Or in any other country for that matter. It's just propaganda, deception and lies, just like everything else Russians are doing. Maskirovka, as they call it. Not to mention your nickname and the picture you using.

@vladimirlenin462 11 ай бұрын

@@marrs1013 The arrival of a private military group hired by your government because it is militarily incompetent in the face of the threat of terrorists who have been fought by your former colonial occupier France for years yet have not been defeated is quite different to the situation in eastern Europe right on Russia's border. You obviously have some personal baggage against the country, cannot say I blame you, but it is best to leave this at the door when assessing geopolitics. The vast majority of the world, outside of Europe and the broader west, is not particularly anti-Russia. Do you actually believe Wagner is hoping to control Burkina Faso and not simply there for money? Mercenaries have existed for thousands of years, you know.

@vladimirlenin462 11 ай бұрын

@@marrs1013 Oh and not to mention, what you are describing as marching was done during occupation, no? While these crowds were before Wagner had even arrived. Silly.

@toagonel7045 11 ай бұрын

I love the idea of such a sophisticated, educated bar fight

@_Itchy_Bones_ Жыл бұрын

I've been looking forward to this one

@MrUmxhosa 4 ай бұрын

Great work. I appreciate your deep dives into African topics.

@3adnan 10 ай бұрын

Great podcast, thank you!

@TakeTalk11 11 ай бұрын

Interesting stuff good 👍

@johnelway9879 11 ай бұрын

First speaker narrative is interesting

@electrosyzygy 10 ай бұрын

Your joke about starting a bar fight in Africa reminded me of Good Omens. War, one of the Horseman of the Apocalypse (a scarlet haired woman), is said to start conflicts by merely walking into a a crappy tavern somewhere deep in Africa, her mere presence generates violence and chaos which degenerates into full-blown wars. Perhaps, the CAF joke is the secret sauce...

@dsdgdsfegfeg Жыл бұрын

Why does this channel always have so few comments, especially considering the topics, anyone know?

@donderstorm1845 Жыл бұрын

only a small % of viewers comment, and sadly not a lot of viewers. it's a quality channel that deserves a lot more. seems that most ppl want short videos with images and such when it comes to geopolitics.

@heinzaballoo3278 Жыл бұрын

Well it's an audio only podcast so it's much more convinient to just use a podcast app. They seem to be doing just fine considering that they just past 25 million streams.

@dsdgdsfegfeg Жыл бұрын

@@heinzaballoo3278 okay I think that's my answer, no one is watching it on youtube.

@dsdgdsfegfeg Жыл бұрын

@@donderstorm1845 agreed. I did understand that part. I guess over time the KZfaq crowd will discover it, at the moment it's likely the podcasting crowd listening.

@ebrimajallow9631 10 ай бұрын

You predicted the future,francafrique is dying or already dead.

@AfricaNetworks-dq4co Жыл бұрын

why do you hide your images?????

@LVArturs Жыл бұрын

I guess we'll have to build a big beautiful Mediterranean wall, from ocean to shining sea.

@barmybarmecide5390 Жыл бұрын

"both of these currencies are controlled by france" no they aren't lmao

@vaarmendel1657 Жыл бұрын

Yeah right ! France can rename(1958, 2019), devaluate (1994), establish the conversion rate to EUR (2001), have a veto right but... not be in control.

@barmybarmecide5390 Жыл бұрын

@@vaarmendel1657 there is no veto, France doesn't even have a seat on the boards anymore, for the CAF they haven't for ages now. France didn't rename, it cannot. The member countries are in control and chose to change the name. The conversion rate is pegged to the euro, something decided by member countries

@second2none914 Жыл бұрын

It is not the 1800s anymore and France is not the global power it once was. Economically France is not weak. But they cannot compare with the United States or China. So where china can build large infrastructure for cheap and America can wash Africa in money the French comparatively are limited in reach and scope so African countries move closer to the new global powers. Militarily france is a regional power and their region is not Africa. The countries France imagines as in sphere of influence are in the middle of a desert a thousand KM away from Paris. Very literally Timbuktu and it’s surrounding areas. France does not have the population, military transport, landing craft, air power logistical capabilities or land forces to occupy Timbuktu or any mainland African country. French speaking or otherwise. Even assuming the African governments immediately collapse France does not have the capabilities to occupy a country the size of Ivory Coast which is roughly the same size as Iraq and fight a full scale insurgency in the middle of Africa. Even when the had the support of the global community and regional governments and militaries, France was not able to beat small scale insurgents in the Sahel. How well do you think it would go for them if they were on their own and fighting as a hostile power. And that is again assuming the the African governments instantly collapse and do not receive any regional or international assistance. Combined all this with the fact that being anti French is (lowkey) baked into the African identity and it becomes clear why France is losing its influence. In the 1800s France had more recourses, people and guns than most of the rest of the world. Today they do not. The remaining influence France has is purely inertial. Lingering from the days they actually did have global say. France didn’t lose influence in Africa because they wanted to. They lost influence because they could not compete on the world stage. Britain understood this half a century ago and let go. France didn’t learn their lesson so they painfully and visibly lost their influence on the global stage and tarnished their international reputation in ways that will l be hard to reverse.

@kevChess 11 ай бұрын

My god I hope that's true I'm so sick of France and everything they do with Africa.

@theotherohlourdespadua1131 11 ай бұрын

France really should have read the message they don't mean jack anymore after their defeat in 1940...

@electrosyzygy 10 ай бұрын

Surprised to see such an ignorant statement on this channel. I would suggest

@maliandemocracy Жыл бұрын

france neocolonialism systems is dead!!!

@barmybarmecide5390 Жыл бұрын

Okay "Malian democracy" lmao dictatorship with a side of Wagner for you?

@second2none914 11 ай бұрын

@@barmybarmecide5390still better than France

@barmybarmecide5390 11 ай бұрын

@@second2none914 not what the thousands that cross the Mediterranean every year to reach France think lol

@second2none914 11 ай бұрын

@@barmybarmecide5390still less than the tens of thousands who burn French businesses and flags.

@noco7243 11 ай бұрын

@@second2none914 That's a bit of a stretch. I'd rather use a French Franc as opposed to having my head bashed in with a sledgehammer. But that's just me.